The Riley Hotel — Restaurant in Sydney

Quite an odd experience.

Shortly after 2 I ordered a drink each for myself and my mate - the lady at the bar took and confirmed our order then walked off. After standing there for a minute the young guy at the bar told me the bar was closed. I said that was fine, I had already ordered. He said it was too late, they're already closed. This bartender had a strange attitude, insisting that his name was Max and that the lady's name was Max, and in fact that everyone who worked there's name was Max.

I then spoke with the actual Max (licensee) who was sitting at the bar with a full glass of wine, and he said the lady bartender was "just being polite" by taking my order, and that they had already shut by that time. I do not understand at all how it is "polite" to let a customer place an order and stand there waiting for it at the bar for a minute.

The venue closed almost three hours before the listed closing time - sure, sometimes that decision has to be made - but if you're not taking any more orders, simply communicate that to your customers - don't take orders that you never intend on fulfilling. It could have been so simple but instead became a weird and...

It is a nice enough venue but as someone in earlier comment mentioned, I felt the staff were condescending, rather different to the friendlier staff at the Oxford and Kinselas.

One thing that really annoyed me, in Australia if you ask for house sauvignon blanc, you are served a glass of the cheapest bottled sav blanc. Previously I had bought a double glass at around $16. The next time I visited and ordered the same, the bar attendant just said the word New Zealand, and with a shrug I said yes. It came up on the EFTPOS machine at around $19. No, I may be old and from interstate, but I am not stupid enough to be unwittingly upsold like that. I refused the drink for the higher price. That trick may work on foreign tourists, but it should not be part of the service. To repeat, the house wine is the cheapest. There isn't a further question for the bar staff to ask.

That rather spoiled my view...

A warm friendly and inviting spot; The Riley’s recent refurbishment and opening gives a loungy vibe with soft lighting, great food and nice staff.

Certainly a great place to start your night with a delicious bite and drinks to accompany. I went here on a Friday and a Saturday another week for dinner and drinks with mates - and we all enjoyed ourselves.

I’ve had the Prawn fettuccini (with prawn bisque) and Karaage chicken burger (with chipotle sauce); both were scrumptious.

Nicholas in particular goes out of his way to make sure you have everything you need and are well looked after. It’s always a pleasure to see him and...