We were upstairs in the Birchgrove Dining room for a Sunday lunch. Such a shame about their service. The food was amazing but the service was appalling. For a white table cloth restaurant we had to continually get up to ask for help. We kept finding three service staff leaning on the bar chatting whilst there were tables not being serviced (1/4 filled restaurant at best).The kitchen staff should be proud as they were doing and amazing job but were being let down by front of house. We used to be regulars now remember why we don't go back to spend that much on a bill anymore.

A great place for a late lunch or early dinner. Nice ambiance, the food is good and the service is pretty good. Not rushed at all. You could do a lot worse in Balmain. I will go back again.

We booked for a late Sunday lunch, hoping to enjoy the Roast of the Day. Overall pretty good but the two roast potatoes on my plate were severely overcooked. Perhaps attention to detail needs to be addressed. We gave the Toast 7/10.

Upmarket food at popular pub?
The secret is out in an upstairs room decked out in sophisticated decor an excellent chef is in residence. Awesome food in taste, presentation on the plate and style.
The pub downstairs looks good too very busy. Rate the dining room upstairs from its table settings to its lighting.
We had pork belly, pie and fish dishes all excellent. No complaints here. Sides also worth raving about, potatoes and salad.
Service good and bathrooms available. Parking a bit tricky mostly 2 hour street parking.
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This is one of the few places in Sydney doing a "proper" Sunday roast! Great pub, nice atmosphere. We often come in winter when the fire is going. Friendly staff and good service. Kid friendly too. Highly recommended.

Best roast in Sydney contender!
Unbelievable beef, good variety of roasted veg, tasty gravy and great Yorkshire pudding!
Amazing live music too - top spot for a Sunday!

We were looking for a late lunch with nice sunny spot and we found this place which is very good. Old historical building, very tasty pizza 2 for 1 Tuesday, friendly staff, good beer

Ok, so first off, service wonderful and faultless. Pleasant upstairs dining room too, unfortunately my table was opp the one external door which as expected in an old building had the coldest of drafts blowing into my legs, meaning I was uncomfortably cold. Ordered their Sunday roast. Very disappointed. The gravy was so full of mustard seeds it was all I could taste and it was like a swimming pool on my plate. Yorkshires were burnt (cleverly on the underside) so were very dry with a bitter after taste. The only vegetables on my plate were onions and beetroot, also swimming in the gravy. A very brown plate. No fresh green vegetables or cauliflower cheese or bright orange carrots as one would expect with a roast that said roasted vegetables. I love roasted beetroot but it can't be the only vegetable on the plate surely?! Roast potatoes were lovely but as they were sitting in a huge puddle of gravy meant they had no crunch. It would have been better to serve with minimal gravy-if at all and brought the gravy out in a gravy boat thus allowing the diner to decide how much to put on one's plate. The meat was tender and cooked nicely but over shadowed by the rest of the underwhelming plate of food and covered in so much gravy, yet again mustard seeds was all I could taste. The Brussels had some recognisable flavour but again were over cooked and had more of a burnt flavour than a crunchy crisp flavour which I believe was the idea.
Maybe I went in with too high expectations, maybe the chef had a bad day, but this was pretty underwhelming on the verge of unpleasant meal and I'm still picking mustard seats out of my teeth! Such a shame, had high hopes. 5 stars for service but I am afraid it was quickly overshadowed by the awful plate of food served in a swimming pool of gravy.

Absolutely love this pub. We've been here quite a few times. This time we were here on a big table for a friend's birthday. All the food arrived in a timely fashion. I must say for a pub, they have a great selection of wines. Unfortunately the schnitzel was a little overcooked but the chips were delicious.

A wonderful St Patrick's Day meal at this lovely pub - 2 years in a row! Photos updates.

I frequent this place quite often and to be honest I always enjoy the ambience of the venue (great clientele and Saturday nights with Sam on vocals ... Sunday roasts are amazing and you can't go wrong with the nightly specials during the week). But ... something has been playing on my mind (simmering) for some time. The Manager/owner has the most appalling attitude when it comes to her approach to hospitality. This evening I was stood at the bar when a very elegant lady approached the bar and ordered a specific bottle of wine. The wrong wine was provided and the patron pointed it out. She pointed to the wine she requested on the wine list. The wine list was practically thrown back at the lady ordering and the 'correct' wine was fetched. Much to the dismay of the lady ordering this wine was also incorrect. The lady had given up at this point and was probably too afraid to highlight the error again. She end up paying $20 more than she had intended to ... what a shame!

Great local pub, awesome staff and amazing food. I had the steak and it was the absolute best. I wouldn't go to any other pub in Balmain.

Meals in the restaurant upstairs were amazing. Very friendly staff. Pub is very quaint. Would definitely highly recommend a visit there

We came here on a Saturday night over the labour long weekend.
Unfortunately the restaurant has lost its old homely ambience. The lights were so bright inside like it was like attending a wedding reception. The quality of the food wasn't bad and the portions reasonably sized but my prawn linguini lacked a bit of the Italian bite and was a bit plain. The scallops entrée was way over priced at $28 for 4 tiny scallops but dessert (crumble) was nice and portion size generous.
The waitress was quite courteous however she was rushing us too much. As soon as it looked like we had finished the mains/desserts she was too quick to ask if we had finished. I was also very unimpressed when she checked the bottle of wine to see if it was empty !!

Fantastic original hotel in Balmain dates to 1880 with a great bar and first class restaurant upstairs.
The food was delicious with great variety including oysters, pork belly, pizza Bianca as entrees and a fabulous main course selection of shoulder of Lamb for 2, steaks, duck and chicken dishes.
Wine, spirits and beer available of course to please anyone's palate.
An added extra is your dog? is allowed in the bar area.
Colino1861 highly recommended ????'?

Guinness on tap ... Stone and Wood .... Coopers too. Tasty burgers. Food is on the upper side of prices. Good clean hotel with a range of seating and areas.

A wonderful St Patrick's Day meal at this lovely pub.

Shoot me now and send me to the Riverview hotel heaven, the bar staff are welcoming and very obliging, absolutely 11 out of 10 , we are at the restaurant upstairs and the food was ... exquisite, we loved it soooo much the seafood sharing platter was sensational and the mains , the pie and the fish were so tasty and sublime Wow ! loved it all !

LOVED IT! A group of 11 of us, all had the roast with added sides and dessert. AMAZING! It was by far the best roast I've had in Sydney and really enjoyed the roast betroot which you don't see often. Don't go past the sides, Brussel sprouts well worth it and as hard as it is you have to leave room for dessert. Sticky date pudding spot on.

The team was super lovely, attentive, welcoming and efficient.

A great local pub. Good bar food. Music downstairs on a Sat night, but not too loud to have a chat over a beer. Love the bar specials. Restaurant upstairs is also good if you want something fancier. Nice atmosphere to meet up before moving on.

We ordered, to share amongst the three of us, the 12 hour slow cooked roast shoulder of lamb with roasted baby carrots creamy mash potatoes and a side of broccolini.
Verdict
10 out of 10, the lamb was mouthwatering and full of flavour. The veggies was cooked to perfection.

Pricing is very competitive.

I highly recommend this place either for a family or special occasion.

Beautiful old pub located in a quiet street in Balmain . Went here for a Sunday lunch, and had the best roast dinner and sticky date pudding I've ever tasted. Definitely recommend.

A great, cosy pub. The food is a little on the high side price wise for a pub but good quality. The atmosphere is great. We were there for the band and everyone was up, dancing and singing.

We visit this lovely little pub on a nearly weekly basis. Every time we order the Sunday roast and WITHOUT fail it is always the tastiest in Sydney. Great service, and cosy fireplace too.

Met up for a couple of drinks with the girls, great ambiance, the fire kept us toasty, perfect for a winters night. The Wine & Dine Promotion on Wednesday nights was great value for money, food was excellent and staff were friendly and accomodating. I will definitely be back soon.

Always a wonderful experience. The live music is really fun if a little loud at times, and food has been excellent every time.

Steak & Guinness pie definitely worth a try! ?Also had the bread basket, seared scallops, broccolini and grilled salmon. Left with a full stomach and also loved the interior design! Only con was that it was a little understaffed for a Saturday.

Lovely spot! We ate in the restaurant upstairs and our server couldn't have been friendlier or more accomodating. They happily did vegan options for me, and the service was excellent. Well worth the good reviews!

Really great Sunday roast - big portion and very tasty. The beef was so soft! Cosy setting and great, friendly service. Very neat and clean. I will be back!

Enjoyed a wonderfully casual dinning experience here last evening with friends. It was highly recommended, it's they were correct. Some loverly wines on offer to complement the food and company.
The staff were extremely welcoming and I certainly recommend this to any group wanting a fun casual dinner.

Incredibly noisy. Went there with 10 friends to celebrate a friends birthday and catch up. Impossible, the band was that noisy. Spent much of the time texting each other. What is the point of having such a loud band playing when people are trying to converse?

What a lovely little Pub!! Charming old world decor. Delicious pub meals with friendly prompt service.

Food was lovely! Had the Barramundi!Service was a bit average at first but was all sorted, which is the most important thing! Definitely worth a visit!

Sunday roast & beef and Guinness pie were absolutely delicious! We then had the special desert - Eton mess which was also extremely tasty. We will definitely be back! The staff were also lovely

The food is amazing, the steak perfectly cooked

Nothing says Sunday like a good old fashioned Sunday roast. Serving up a traditional roast of the day every Sunday. I had the beef brisket roast served with all the trimmings including roast potatoes, cabbage, roast beetroot and a traditional crispy Yorkshire pudding accompanied with a mustard gravy and horseradish cream. My only additional request is that there is more gravy! My plate in particular didn't have a lot of gravy but one of the other guests on my table had slightly more than me. Needed some additional gravy particularly to eat the crispy Yorkshire pudding.

A filling and satisfying Sunday roast lunch, I am keen to come back again.