Hunter & Barrel - Sydney

I visited this restaurant for lunch a few weeks ago. The staff were very accommodating as we had two people with coeliac disease with us. They were very helpful in determining safe options for them to eat. Our waiter was very informed about the condition and took cross-contamination seriously. The food was delicious and the service was excellent. I highly recommend this restaurant if you are in Sydney.

We waited for over an hour for our meals to be served, leading us to wonder if it was a tactic to get us to order more drinks. I ordered a Wagyu steak that was underwhelming, especially considering its low price of AUD35. I began to question if it was truly Wagyu or a cheaper cut. When it came time to settle the bill, my colleague had to wait an excruciatingly long time for the wait staff to take his credit card, almost prompting us to leave without paying. Despite the restaurant being busy, there seemed to be enough staff, so it's unclear why they were so inefficient.

The restaurant has a nice ambiance and a good menu, but that's where the positives end. Upon arrival, we were asked if we wanted water, but had to ask three times before it was brought to us, despite there only being four tables occupied in the restaurant. Our water finally arrived after we had finished our starters (30 minutes later). The sharing platter was enjoyable, but the land feast we ordered for our mains was disappointing. Despite requesting our meat to be cooked medium rare, it came out medium well and overcooked. Even after complaining, it still did not come out cooked to the correct temperature. The rest of the platter lacked flavor and was bland. Overall, the service and food were subpar, with the exception of the starter. I will not be returning to this restaurant.

The food was amazing, unfortunately the service was not. We waited about 30 minutes for a beer and and wine after already waiting 15 mins for a table. It wasn’t busy, and there were no apologies even when raised with the wait staff. Even asked...for a tip!

We had the land platter and it was amazing, could not complain about the food at all. It took a little longer to come out than normal but it was New Year’s Day and the place was very busy. The waiters/waitress’ didn’t stop. We were...offered drinks on the house due to the delay but certainly didn’t expect that. Highly recommend.