Pocket Bar Terrigal — Restaurant in Terrigal

We came here on a quiet night keen to try a couple of spirits since the back bar looked very decent. Even though we sat at the bar it was hard to grab the bartenders attention. We were to only two people actually sitting at the bar. Staff did not seem too knowledgeable about the spirits on the back since we did not even get any recommendations or got the bottle offered to look at after ordering a neat shot. Second round we had were Gin and Tonics, also from the back bar. I asked for my tonic on the side. For some reason the guy transfered the tonic from its original bottle into a new bottle which resulted in a flat mixer once it hit the ice in the glass. (Obviously) After complaining about it, I got my drink replaced but felt very uncomfortable, no apology, whatsoever. Just an angry/annoyed look. We kept waiting for the other gin and tonic which he forgot about and wanted to order it again. Again, it was hard to get his attention since he was now pissed at us for calling out a mistake. Then, we finally got the other drink. We got the gin and tonic without a garnish. Not even a lemon slice, or god forbid him asking us if we would like a special garnish.

Overall, the whole experience was terrible. We were made feel bad and unwelcome for wanting a decent drink, that's not flat, and a garnish. If the service was better it would have been a completely different experience. After all, you could save a bad drink with good service. But the combination of bad drink and bad service just does not...

Don't like to leave a bad review, but left Pocket Terrigal feeling particularly unwelcome. We arrived to have a drink before dinner. There was no-one on the door so we walked in and stood beside a vacant table. A staff member arrived and asked if we had a reservation, to which I said no. He then sat us down and we checked the menu and ordered a drink. A few minutes later another staff member arrived and asked if we'd sat ourselves there, rather rudely. I said that we'd been sat by a staff member, and pointed to him. The door guy/manager then proceeded to give this staff member a spray. He came back and said we only had a few minutes to finish our drinks as there was a booking arriving on our table shortly. He was rude to us as if we should have known the table was always booked. He didn't try to find us somewhere to sit, or apologise for the mix up, which we would have understood. If this guy was working in my business, I would not have been happy with the way he made the customers and the staff feel. I'll leave more than one star though as the drinks...

Service: The bartenders here are fantastic! They are laid back, friendly and full of knowledge when it comes to a cocktail or two ;) We came for some cocktails before dinner, my boyfriend was indecisive so rather than just "giving us a few more minutes" as we often here, they asked questions, finding out more about his taste, and then provided him with their suggestions, of which he took and wasn't disappointed!

Location: Located in the heart of Terrigal, this spot is perfect for tourists and visitors! It is on the esplanade directly opposite Terrigal beach. There is plenty of free parking throughout Terrigal however if it is busy e.g Summer holidays, it can be tricky finding a spot, so allow some time. Perfect on a nice afternoon to enjoy the sunset outside on the esplanade, or inside amongst the quirky, artistic decor!

Price: Prices are what you would expect for a good cocktail bar, around $18-$20 per cocktail and $9+ for a glass of...