This is a great place to come for drinks after work. A pint of Squires will set you back $6.50. Guinness is about $5.50. All in all, the atmosphere is friendly. It is quiet enough too, to hold a reasonable conversation with someone.
However, don't bother with the food, it's disappointing. I had the $10 pie and pint lunch time deal on a Wednesday. In all honesty, the pie was just a four and twenty style pie, the chips were hard and lukewarm, and looked like it had been a hundred years since they were actually fried. The token lettuce leaves looked old and dehydrated and were devoid of even a drop of dressing. After trying some of my mate’s pizza, I can also say that the pizza is pretty ordinary too, being mostly rubbery, tasteless cheese on a doughy base.
The guy in the kitchen on Wednesday also looked beside himself with boredom as he chucked everything but the lettuce in the microwave. Yes, the food is cheap. Yes, it is cheap for a reason. It’s certainly not Shangri-la, unless of course you get luckier than I did by being there when the hotel offloads good stuff to the pub. It’s anyone’s guess when this happens though. So, although the food is lousy, drink wise, this pub is good. They have quality beers at decent prices. The atmosphere is easy going too.
We thought that as the pub is adjoined to the Shangri La hotel which is know as a high quality hotel that the food at Harts pub would be at least tasty! I was sadly mistaken. Their menu is as basic as it gets pizza, hamburger and steak sandwiches (you have to make the sandwiches and hamburgers yourself!).
I chose to order a Margherita pizza, the simplest sort of pizza you can make. You can’t stuff it up – or so I thought! I received a dough base that had some tasteless tomato sauce on it topped with slices of plain tomato and three times as much grilled taste cheese than necessary! No fresh basil, no cheese. They didn’t even put the pizza in an oven, they just grilled it and burnt half the rubbery cheese on top! I can make better pizza’s at home.
The roof was dripping water through the light fixture behind the bar! I will never recommend this place to anyone if they want to eat food. My partner and I were very disappointed considering they connected to the Shangri La hotel.
Popped in here for a few drinks Friday afternoon and loved the place. Great set up and nice and intimate. Served a very nice pint and drink prices seemed average for The Rocks. It did get very crowded and noisy once all the offices knocked off but I enjoyed the place and would definitely go back.
For me this is probably the friendliest bar in Sydney, where you can escape the uber-snobs and the uber-slobs that frequent so many other drinking holes. The beer comes in pints. The pies are delicious and the staff are always cheerful. Sit near a window facing South and you can yell cheerily to those struggling up the hill from George Street.
Service is great, everyone (staff) was nice and friendly. As a tourist being new to Australia it is hard to find a place that has a welcoming atmosphere. The place has a great homely feel to it. A DEFINITE recommend.
I ordered my first legal drink here as a 19 year old American visiting Sydney. I couldn't have picked a better place! The friendliest pub that I have every been to with a great atmosphere. Sitting at the bar, drinking Toohey's with my dad while watching sports on the TV will always be one of my fondest memories... Missing Hart's everyday!