Old City Bank Brasserie

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Beef and guiness pie with mushy peas and salad and garlic bread, great. My hubbby had the burger, it smelt so good and he enjoyed it. We shared bread and butter pud for dessert, yum! Good service, good atmosphere.

Oct 12, 2010 

3.3 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  4      Service  3      Value  2     

The only visit I've made here, saw the restaurant packed, without a seat free, but still, that's not an excuse for the experience we received, especially on a friday night. The staff must be at the top of their game. The staff are young and pretty, but disinterested in table service. They'll smile as they deliver dishes to the table, but then you'll pretty much have to grab them by the arm to get more attention. Eye contact will not help you.

The medium-rare porterhouse steak ordered arrived /blue/, with tendons and fat that were impossible to cut, with soggy chips, overdressed salad but a very delicious cafe de paris butter. My partners lamb backstrap arrived overcooked and very tough, with a bland and uninspired tomato base.

The ambience is loud, the kitchen is open to the dining area, the staff lounge around the bar and registrar and ignore diners, and it's poorly lit. Not cosy or intimate, just dark. The kitchen being open is particularly unpleasant. It's a busy kitchen and diners do not want to see the staff being talked down to and told off by the kitchen staff. They also aren't very keen on hearing dishes being slapped around and dropped on benches.

It's also priced rather highly. It might've just been a 'bad' night. I expect that's not the case though, but we shall return before discounting this place totally (yes, the cafe de paris was /that/ tasty.

Sep 12, 2010 

8.4 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Drinks  8      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  9     

Six of us ate here last weekend and I thought the food was pretty good. After 18 months in the U.K where I've had some great pub food (and some seriously over-rated gastopub fare), it was nice to find somewhere outside inner Sydney that aims a little higher than the dire counter food usually associated with country hotels. Sure, the service was a little stretched at times, but mainly due to the fact the place was packed and there was a line of people waiting up the stairs. The table next to us was turned over three times.

It was also nice not to be gouged too much on booze with three bottles of decent wine and a few pints coming in under a $100. All in all, a good night out in a town not too spoiled for choices.

Jan 02, 2010 

3.2 Below Average

Food  4      Drinks  4      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  2     

A bistrot with ambitions, badly let down by staff. Avoid it. I've been to Old City Bank Brasserie a number of times over the past four years (arriving anonymously with groups of out-of-towners) and have found the staff consistently wanting for competence and charm.

The sulky, unwelcoming emo kids behind the bar obviously long for the end of their shift so they can give visiting tourists a final elbow and join their teen friends crowding the beer garden. Distracted waitstaff are unwilling (or unable) to answer basic questions.

Gourmet74 has already spoken about the food, below. I am astonished that a venue like this, dependent as it is on the custom of visitors, can remain in business when its employees are actively rude (and most recently, outright antagonistic) toward unfamiliar faces.

Old City Bank Brasserie could be quickly brought up to standard by adult supervision, but until you see "under new management" posted in the window then look elsewhere. Unless of course you're friends, family or 'famous', in which case your experience may reflect that of other favourable commenters here.

Dec 30, 2009 

5.8 Average

Food  5      Drinks  5      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  6     

Have been eating here for years and have always enjoyed delicious meals. However, over the last couple of months the food has taken a very steep down turn. I don't know if the chef has changed, but what was wonderful pub grub seems to have become tasteless, greasy and very disappointing. Sadly, some of the younger waitresses are also giving surly, miserable service. After years of it being great, I feel I will now be giving it a miss when in Katoomba.

Dec 23, 2009 

8.4 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Drinks  8      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  9     

Have had several meals here and never been disappointed. Excellent value and interesting decor. If all the tables are occupied you can have a drink downstairs and they'll call you when a table is available.

Jul 20, 2009 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Drinks  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

I have to agree with everything the last reviewer said, we had the same food and it was great. There is a really nice vibe about this place with a really nice retro feel, obviously popular with locals as every table was taken by 7 pm! The service was friendly and quick, will happily return when back in Katoomba.

Apr 26, 2009 

8.6 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Drinks  8      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  8     

We ate here 3 times on our recent visit. We had the same waitress twice who was a real gem. The porter house steaks are excellent as is the beef and guinness pie. The decor is pretty funky. There are old blank and white prints on the wall of the hotel and Katoomba and bankers lamps on every table.

Apr 13, 2009 

6.2 Average

Food  6      Drinks  6      Ambience  8      Service  5      Value  6     

Nice steaks, soup was excellent. Service a little indifferent but okay. We'd go back.

Mar 10, 2009 

7.6 Recommended

Food  7      Drinks  7      Ambience  9      Service  7      Value  8     

Went there twice on a recent visit to the Mountains after being recommended by a work colleague. First time, everything was brilliant. Food, service, good choice of wines by the glass. Great soft shell crab and the best steak I've had in a long time with Cafe De Paris butter.

Second time we went, the service wasn't so attentive and the food didn't look quite as smart. My wife's fish was over-cooked and the accompanying crushed potato salad was bland. My Coq au Vin was very tasty though and chocolate slice with cherries was seriously rich. It's a great space with some real history and once they deal with service and food inconstancies, it'll be a real gem.

Sep 18, 2008