The Vineyard - Sydney — Restaurant in Sydney

Bad Restaurant Experience

Last Sunday, 15 December 2024, I went to the restaurant with my entire family, including my two children, aged 8 and 6, for lunch with a friend’s family, who also brought their 6-year-old child. We arrived at the restaurant at 12:00 without a reservation.

A kind waiter assisted us in checking the availability for a group of 8. He informed us that all the tables were booked, and none were available. However, he kindly offered us one of two vacant tables that had been reserved for a party of 30 at 2:00 PM. He explained that we could use the table until 1:30 PM (30 minutes prior to the reservation) and assured us that if another table became available, he would move us there. I accepted his offer, and we ordered our food and drinks.

Within 30 minutes, I went to collect our food and drinks. While I was away, two elderly guests from the party of 30 arrived and rudely asked my wife to leave the table. My wife explained the situation, stating that we would vacate the table before 1:30 PM as agreed and that the restaurant was still searching for an alternative table for us.

When I returned with our food and drinks, the restaurant supervisor approached us and asked us to move to a table outside under the sun. He tried to convince us the table has has sun block. He said it was the restaurant's rule that reserved tables must be cleared if any guests from the party arrived, regardless of how early they were. I explained that only two of the 30 guests had arrived and that they had already set up at another table. Furthermore, I emphasised that we had three young children with us and could not sit outside in 36-degree heat. Despite this, he insisted that we had no other option but to leave the table and move outside.

I reiterated our concerns, mentioning that even the live singer had stopped performing due to the extreme heat. However, the supervisor refused to consider alternative solutions and kept repeating, “I understand your situation, but you don’t have any other option.”

Fortunately, the original waiter, unaware of the ongoing issue, had been continuously checking for an available table for us. He found one, quickly realised the situation, and helped us move.

The supervisor continued to justify his actions, saying that the table had been reserved. I reminded him that it was only 12:30 PM, which was 1.5 hours before the reservation time, and that only two of the 30 guests had arrived. Additionally, those two guests were not using the table where we were seated.

Feeling upset, I spoke to the manager. She stated that we could use the table until the reservation time. When I expressed my frustration and mentioned that this felt like racism, she dismissed the idea, saying she didn’t think so. At that point, I gave up arguing.

I was deeply upset because I felt this was covert racial discrimination. If we had not been Asian, would the elderly guests have acted so rudely toward us? Would the supervisor have insisted on moving us and our children into the blazing sun without hesitation? Despite hearing the entire exchange, the elderly guests showed no concern for our children’s well-being.

Finally, we left the restaurant at around 1:30 PM. By that time, no additional guests from the party of 30 had arrived, and the two elderly guests were still the only ones present.

Thank you very much, Vineyard, for teaching me that in 2024, I can still be treated unfairly in Sydney, Australia.

Uncooked chicken with blood on the wing bone is...

I made a booking for my husbands 40th birthday for 30 adults and clearly mentioned over the phone twice that there would be an additional 15 children- a total of 45 people. At no point was I told this needed to be reflected in the booking. If it did, it should’ve been explained when I called.

When we arrived, only two tables had been reserved—just enough for some of the adults, while the rest stood around. I was told that only the 30 guests were counted, and that the 15 children were "irrelevant." If that’s the case, why even take that information over the phone? It should’ve either been updated in the system or flagged with clear instructions.

To make matters worse, I had asked ahead of time whether I needed to preorder, and was told I didn’t. Yet when I went to order at the bar, I was informed that the kitchen couldn't handle a large order all at once and it would need to be split up. This caused delays and confusion-I ended up losing track of what was ordered and what wasn’t.

Later, when a table nearby became available, I asked someone to sit and hold it for the kids. Once they finished eating and stepped away briefly, the table was cleared and taken by other customers. I approached a waiter to explain that the table had been ours and we just needed it back as we still have a long stay ahead. The waiter had a heavy accent & kept repeatedly asked what I had ordered for the kids. I explained several of the items I had ordered, but it was clear he didn’t understand that this was not a food issue. The real problem was that because our table was cleared, it was then taken by others.

Instead of helping, I was met with a defensive attitude and was confronted by a manager who came over aggressively, speaking loudly in front of my guests, waving his phone and referring to camera footage, saying the plates were empty-as if I was asking for replacements.

I wasn’t. I just wanted a simple solution: help me get a table back for the children. But instead, I was repeatedly told it was my fault. There was no ownership from the team, no apology, and no effort to genuinely help. It all became too hard for them to deal with.

We spent well over $1,000, and for a place that promotes itself as family-friendly, the service and treatment we received were deeply disappointing. I left feeling embarrassed and disrespected!

On top of all that, the food portions were quite small for the price, and the pizzas were very average—not what you’d expect from a venue like this. For the amount we spent, I expected better quality and value.

Would not recommend The Vineyard Sydney for large groups or families. Poor communication, poor service, and an unwillingness to take responsibility for obvious oversights.

I felt a real...

I contacted reception to ask for an email address to forward on some feedback, they replied and I forwarded on my feedback. Then, no reply, I guess it ended up In the deleted file 🤷‍♀️.

Our room for 3 nights commenced on Monday the 17th Feb 2025 , noted a few obvious maintenance issues with the room and felt the room was overstated. The bathroom vanity was falling down, toilet roll holder loose, freezer door in the fridge not replaced ( unable to use ice for drinks ). I went to the office to enquire about the dryer /washing machine that was advertised in the room facilities. I was dismissively told “ that’s not correct , it’s on the premises “ , I had stated it was on the advert for the actual room” she was not interested and gave me a token to use the community laundry, ( you needed a car to get there ) .

The advertisement did not state the rooms were not serviced , (a sign on a wall stating on the 5th day they will ). This should be communicated in the information on the website, not a sign on the wall.

On the Wednesday night , returning to our room there was a horrible smell coming from the bathroom drains, I had to use some dishwashing detergent and boiling water to reduce the smell and cover the drains with used towels, then unable to shower the next morning.

The bed mattress was extremely hard, I know this is common in some motels, but the mattress was not bearable and spent the last night on the couch.

Despite a lovely modern new building, the internal furnishings and furniture was extremely substandard and cheap .

I was disappointed with our stay and hope the cleaning staff pass on maintenance issues for the future and staff in reception get some customer...