Wahlburgers — Restaurant in Sydney

I stopped by Wahlburgers at Circular Quay (Sydney) to read the menu last Friday evening and ended up staying for dinner. Service was polite and efficient. Ordering via your phone was a new trend for me but the system worked and my food arrived quickly. "Starter" and main arrived together. Restaurant and cutlery was clean. Staff were attentive. Food was presented well though the burgers may appear sparse if ordered without side dishes. Prices were quite competitive for the area and the food arrived hot and freshly prepared. I ordered the 'Crispy Calamari' with tomato jam sauce and the "O.F.D Burger" - which sports Swiss cheese, bacon and sauteed mushrooms. Bacon was crispy (the way North Americans like it) and the 'tomato jam' that is served with many of their dishes is quite different to ketchup - with possibly less salt and sugar infused (which is a good thing).

The Venue: I found the food enjoyable with an ideal flavor balance. I had intended to return with friends to partake in dessert and thickshakes later that evening but we were sidetracked. Some Vegan options (including a Mushroom cap burger and an 'Impossible Burger') were on the menu for those looking for a meatless option. Essentially the menu covers a range of fish, meat, mushroom or chicken burgers, salads, side-dishes (of the loaded fries variety) with a selection of fried pickles and some desert-level shakes and soda based beverages or coffee. I can see myself stopping by again the next time I'm passing by. The restaurant is very much a sports bar with televisions fitted to several wall surfaces that were screening sporting events. Modern music playing overhead wasn't too loud. There's a range of tables and booths available for guests to use. Phone and Internet reception was good.

Why it's better than nearby alternatives: I appreciated avoiding the rain, wind and cold air outside. For those other reviews claiming that "a certain nearby Mc-Burger place" was better value, I disagree. I won't eat there because that 'other place' attracts a lot of intoxicated riff-raff who routinely loiter around the Quay ...and has a vastly higher sugar/sodium content in their burgers. You dine at Wahlburgers to enjoy a new food experience and different flavors. The nearest place to the Wahlburgers Sydney location selling a basic burger was a cafe around 40m away that wanted over $26 for their basic burger and $21 for their Calamari dish... whereas my Wahlburgers "O.F.D burger" cost $18.50 with only $15 for a generous serving of their Calamari. Considering the rent that all the Quayside restaurants have to pay, this is acceptable pricing in my view.

Suggestions: I've worked in hospitality in Sydney for over a decade and I'd have preferred to sit back and order a coffee after my meal or at least a dessert - but the mechanism of repeatedly ordering through a phone and inputting my credit card details by hand in public was tedious and a little irritating to me. Kids today will probably have no issue with it. I'd also add an edible garnish to the burgers to give the impression of a less bare plate for presentation. A few fried pickles (which they apparently offer as a side dish) would be the best way to accomplish this. It certainly rates a good 4 stars if others have the same experience that I did. I've seen the American portions and menu variations online (featuring things like mashed Pierogie, smoked brisket and pulled pork etc) and was disappointed that the Sydney location appeared to be serving a vastly curtailed and modified version of that menu. So for these reasons, I'm awarding a sound 4 stars. But I do...

Came to try it out yesterday 10/10/24 after seeing all the hype online. Sorry to say I was immensely disappointed with the quality of service. I spent a good 5 minutes walking around trying to find someone to take my order, before eventually giving up and sitting at a table to order myself via QR code. After waiting for about 20 minutes, and seeing other people come in, eat and leave, the beer id ordered came out, poured with no head. I took a few sips before I noticed the glass was not only chipped, but also cracked. As someone who’s worked in hospitality for a while, it is common sense to check any glass before serving it. It’s a middy of beer, it should not take 20 minutes to arrive to the table, and with a shit pour at that.

At this point I waited for my food to arrive, hoping it would be better. The waiter came out and began looking for me (I had moved tables from where I’d ordered, but made the wait staff aware). Once they found me they delivered the food which was ice cold to the touch. The fried and onion rings may as well have been microwaved and sat in a bowl for the past half an hour. At this point I was fed up with the service. Having spent over $45 for food quality which, to be honest, I’m surprised has not had a health code violation. It has been half an hour waiting by this point, and it is to my best guess that my food was just sitting there waiting to be run out for the last 20 minutes.

I asked to speak to the manager, who accepted my request for a refund and said he would speak to the kitchen team. The only saving grace of the venue was the manager, even though he still tried to blame the food being cold on me moving tables when I had let his team know.

To conclude, care of service: 0, speediness of service: 0 (it was not busy, there were probably 4 other customers), quality of service: 0. The only thing this place has going for it is its connection to mark Wahlburg. I wouldn’t feed the food...

This was absolute chaos and a hot mess. Possibly one of the worst restaurant experiences yet.

We waited about 1/2 hour in line, which was fine. We could see they were busy but there were tables available the whole time.

The table we were seated at didn’t have a QR code for ordering, the greeter said he’d be right back to bring us a QR. He didn’t come back. I arranged with another server 15 mins later to bring us a code. (It’s needed as you order via the app at your table).

I placed my order via the app after scanning the QR code. It was a bit strange as there was no alcohol on the menu, so I went to the bar and ordered a beer. After waiting a very long time and being ignored for a while I was served but you don’t collect your drink, they bring it to you sometime later. I asked why it appeared my order was a “take out” order when I scanned the QR. I was told they weren’t taking take out orders…

Anyway, it appeared our order got lost in the system and the bar manager put the order through manually. After showing my order and confirming 3 times, I got my order but it wasn’t what I ordered, they delivered fries instead of tater tots and I had bacon added to my burger, there was no bacon.

The burger itself was $17.50 and quite tiny for the price. (Fries are an extra $6) Some of the other prices are a joke, $5 for a glass of Pepsi or bottled water but beers start at $7.

In the end, the manager refunded my burger in full which I didn’t think expect. Hence why I rated as 3 stars instead of 1. I’d give this place another go in a while.

They seemed to have plenty of staff, none seemed to be experienced in working in a busy burger bar. Many seemed to be busy doing not much.

The table next to us had their order screwed up and they got free drinks and another table near us ordered 45 minutes before us and we received our food...