Silo Restaurant & Lounge

9 Highly Recommended

Drinks  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

There are two schools of thought. Do you read the menu first, decide and then pick your wine or do you read the wine list, find an excellent wine and then find a suitable dish to go with it? At Silo you are spoilt for choice because no matter which way you start you still arrive at excellence.

This harbour side restaurant is back to its gastronomic best with Head Chef John Rutherford leading a great team. We were lucky enough to attend a 5-course banquet that allowed the chefs to show their talents. On the day it was chef Hannah Lancey in charge.

The floor staff are wonderful being able to mix knowledge of the dishes with chatting with efficient service. My tricky questions about the food were relayed to the kitchen for an answer. We tasted caramelised yellow fin tuna to seared scallops, chorizo and pea mousse to barramundi with sautéed gnocchi all perfectly matched with white wines.

The arrival of a pinot noir heralded the duck. This was my first taste of duck cooked in the sous vide method and it was so tender. Mushrooms and sticky orange completed this taste sensation. The two meats presented with the Italian styled red were a slow cooked wagyu beef cheek and roast beef.

Unfortunately, I am a bit over braised meats no matter what their pedigree. The roast beef was perfection that sliced beautifully and the light rim of brown complimented the pink centre. The truffled potato foam did have the haunting taste of truffles.

The dessert of salted caramel tart and popcorn ice cream was doubly great due to the absence of any chocolate. The Australian obsession with chocolate often substitutes for quality dessert creations. Not so at Silo.

We chose not to have an “Enhanced Coffee” but it was tempting. The barista did not let the team down and our coffees topped off a gorgeous lunch.

Remember the wine list? Silo’s is a cracker! (Take note Gourmet Wine Traveller). There are 19 wines by the glass and a wide selection of quality wines sourced eclectically from premium wine growing areas. A vintage list is also available. If you happen to enjoy beer with your meals then you will find the beer list is as extensive as the wine list. Cider too. If you enjoy chef prepared food with wines from your own cellar then book on Thursday night and BYO wine.

Newcastle is a busy, working harbour so relax, watch the trawlers, the tugs and the colliers and enjoy one of Newcastle’s real treasures. Silo Restaurant and Lounge.

May 10, 2012 

4.8 Average

Drinks  7      Ambience  6      Service  3      Value  3     

The only good things about this restaurant are that its one of the few places you can get a good cocktail (or mocktail) in Newcastle, and it's on the Honeysuckle waterfront. They have a regular DJ on weekend evenings, but often when they do, the sort of music that gets played can either add to your night or totally ruin it because it's unavoidable.

Avoid Silo for food, too expensive, small serving sizes, and never particularly interesting. Service is below par most of the time, and there is always pressure to get you out as soon as you've finished your meal or your drinks, they'll give you your bill pretty much straight away, and then keep hassling every five minutes you until you leave, so it's not exactly a great place to go for conversation with friends.

Mar 25, 2011 

3.3 Below Average

Drinks  6      Ambience  4      Service  1      Value  2     

We decided to take our overseas guests and our two toddlers to have a lovely lunch before heading to the beach. We never made it to the beach. Not because of good reasons.

Staff - you'd think the restaurant was busy with the little amount of attention we were receiving, except we were one of 4 tables, with about 5-6 waiting staff on hand. Our whole meal (which ended up to be one course) took two and a half hours.

Food - I had the vegetarian pizza, which was lovely. The chips were generous. That's about all the positives. The biggest annoyance came with the kids' meals. We asked to have them brought as soon as they were ready, no need to wait till ours were ready. One of my children's meals came out early and the chips from my other child's meal came out. We waited a few minutes but the nuggets didn't come out so my boys ended up sharing whatever had come out.

Meanwhile, I asked a staff member about the nuggets. She took about 10 minutes checking the order, then came back and said it wasn't in the order and whether I'd still like it or not. I said we did. After waiting some more, the adults' meals came out, no nuggets. After we finished eating (and sharing with the kids), the nuggets came out.

Luckily, my husband suggested we cut them so that they could cool quickly in order for them to be eaten so that we could leave. Luckily! Upon cutting them, we found that they were still Raw and stone cold in the middle. 25 minutes later, we had a plate of well cooked nuggets, but we were over it and just wanted to leave. Our overseas guests did not have time to surf Newcastle's beautiful beaches because Silo was Soooooo incompetent. A better name for it would be Slo.

Jan 06, 2011 

3.8 Below Average

Drinks  5      Ambience  4      Service  3      Value  3     

We were in Newcastle for just one night travelling from Melbourne. We were quite disappointed in this restaurant, the food was very ordinary and the service the same. I will be returning to Newcastle but not to Silo!

Mar 24, 2009 

3.3 Below Average

Drinks  5      Ambience  6      Service  1      Value  1     

This was such a disappointment! With all the hype around Newcastle, I just had to try this myself. What a waste of time and money! It was by far a want to-be Sydney restaurant with out the means (only prices) to do so. Atmosphere was ok as were the drinks (apart from a disgraceful and cold Irish coffee). The food was appalling. We waited over 1 hour to receive our mains that were cold, and quite sloppy. My friends' meat looked like it had been boiled overnight and smacked over and over again with a meat mallet before being slopped on to a cold plate.

Service was lame and inefficient. I literally had to argue with a 15 year old about how an Irish coffee should taste. Remember the customer is always right (as opposed to someone not even legal to drink alcohol). Generally, the staff were rude, incompetent and would be much better suited to a job in a night club such as ‘Fannys’. I will never return to that restaurant (ha ha) unless Chef Ramsey is called in to rectify the sad mess!!!

Jun 30, 2008 

5.3 Average

Drinks  8      Ambience  7      Service  1      Value  5     

This place had great coffee, and the atmosphere was good. But the service was pathetic. I have never been treated so rudely by staff. I asked to sit at a table with a chair for health reasons, and they said no, and that I had to sit on lounges with no back support.

The staff couldn't care less, and said take it or leave it. It might satisfy the needs of locals but if you have experienced service in Sydney or around the world, this place doesn't even rate. McDonalds cares more about its customers then the staff at Silos.

May 12, 2008 

5.5 Average

Drinks  8      Ambience  7      Service  4      Value  3     

HIGHLY over-rated. This placed charged an arm and a leg. The food that was plated up was no where near as spectacular and the wording on the menu. The staff were over confident which came across as rude, the vibe of the restaurant became uncomfortable and in turn made it unpleasant. The reason I noticed all this was the wait for the food was nearly unbearable between entree and main.

Truffle chicken was okay still it looked as though it was thrown together, and my girlfriends looked as though hers had been sitting for a while then re-heated, coffee and drinks were good, but for over $100?? this place should close their kitchen and become a nightclub it would be more successful.

Apr 29, 2008 

9 Highly Recommended

Drinks  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

This is my fave restaurant along the foreshore in Newie. It's contemporary dining with a nice atmosphere and friendly staff. They have a pretty good selection of wines by the glass (though the last few times I went the fabulous Margaret River red wasn't available) and boutique beers, such as Redaok and Little Creatures.

They also have a bar menu in the comfy lounge area, which is perfect for kicking back with some friends and a few drinks and enjoying a light meal of a tasty pizza or two and a bowl of chips with a delicious aioli. It's always a good idea to book if you want a table outside, otherwise they'll be taken.

Oct 08, 2007