I had a solid experience dining at Cafe Del Mar. Admittedly, it was my second choice for dinner, as the nearby Hunter and Barrel didn't have any openings for my solo-traveling self. I started my meal with a chili margarita, which wasn't anything special. The glass had way too much ice in it and the drink itself was a little below average without much spice. Things got better with the starter; I ordered the grilled haloumi and it was quite good. I continued my dining experience with the short rib, which was very tender and served over a great plate of carrot purée and parsnips. It came out within 10 minutes of ordering too, a plus! I concluded my meal with the cocktail of the week, a warm mulled wine on this chilly Saturday night. It was the perfect way to finish the meal as a sweet substitute for dessert. The service throughout was what I would describe as stiff: not mean, but not necessarily friendly; the opposite of loose and outgoing. Nevertheless, my waitress was attentive. I would give this restaurant a 4 star rating, justified by great food, mixed opinion on drinks, reasonable service, and an upbeat atmosphere. The view over Darling Harbour definitely didn't hurt! read more

Cafe del Mar Sydney - Grilled Haloumi - Mediterranean Near Me - Sydney, NSW

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Only giving 2 stars because the gal from Columbia and the gal with the puffy hair (sorry I forgot their names) were soo nice and helpful!! Otherwise don't let the beautiful looks of this bar and restaurant fool you. The bar tenders are the absolute worst, slow, rude, and don't even know what they have! To make matters worse the people I came with waited in line behind me and were told after I was served that the bar was closed. We came late at 11pm because we had just attended the JoKoy show so we we hadn't had one drink or anything to eat. Everything we asked about was "can't do this" and can't do that". The worst part was by the time our food came out they were kicking everyone out so we got to enjoy 2 security guards standing one meter from our table staring us down as we had to rush to eat after being bothered twice. I welcome your call or message for more details. Thanks read more

Beautiful location right on the Harbour. Restaurant looks very trendy and music was really cool (DJ). Got a great deal on Groupon :) We ordered the Oysters, Bug and Brisket as an entree followed by the cannoli and lamb for the main and the mango dish dessert. The juice accompanied with the oysters is the best I have ever tasted. More sweet than zesty. The brisket was a large and tasty portion. However that's where all the positives stop. The food portions were on the smaller side and the prices were quite high, but that is expected for the location. The flavours were definitely lacking on all of our other dishes. The bug was zesty. The lamb was fatty and the zucchini flowers were the best thing about the cannoli dish. The wine was pricey but nice. Although the waiters tried their hardest to be attentive, you c am clearly tell that they are understaffed or not skilled enough to cater with the number of tables that were allocated to them. All in all I am glad I came and ticked this place off the list using a voucher as I would probably been more upset if I had paid full price. read more

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The view from the deck was amazing but the food extremely disappointing. We started with goats cheese croquets and crispy calamari. This was OK but not as good as the descriptions led you to believe. We then had the boneless whole chicken with grilled vegetables for two. While the chicken was tender it was totally tasteless as were the grilled vegetables. In fact a Woolies BBQ chicken has much more flavour. To finish off we ordered the apple tart with ice cream only to find that half the apple was still frozen They did refund the desert and apologised. Very disappointing however. read more

So the buzz on this place hasn't been great, and I think I know a bit about why. It has a lot of polishing up to do and I think it has a bit of an identity crisis. You think Cafe Del Mar chill out CD's, you think Ibiza, you think lounge, you think young, trendy, fabulous types... before they opened, the marketing was really pushing this whole club/lounge vibe and I expected more of a nightlife aspect to it with fine dining... rather than just fine dining with a very mixed bag of patrons. The staff try really hard, but you can tell they a) don't really know the menu or the food they're serving, couldn't answer questions about what certain mains were or how they were prepared... there are only 5 mains, btw b) are inexperienced. Also, I kid you not, the waiter came back and forth to our table 3 times because my friend threw him a massive curve ball by... ordering a prosecco. Seriously. This was a big thing for him, he was like you want a what?? Can you tell me what it is again? My other friend was like "prosecco... its white... sparkling?!".. LOL. It's comedy! I was mid conversation while ordering my main and hurriedly returned to my conversation. My friend picked up on the fact that he didn't ask us how our steaks should be cooked. She reminded him and goaded me "how do you want yours done?". I would have been furious if I got a well done steak. I would hope he would have returned to our table on his own to clarify if she hadn't remembered. I would hope. Really. They need a lot of polishing. The food was alright, really nothing special. I had the $52 Angus Steak... very mediocre steak. Ho-hum. My oysters were not amazing either. One of them looked kind of small, dry and shrivelled. Might be worth checking out Sunday sessions when it has a more party vibe. For fine dining, they have to lift their game. read more

Cafe del Mar Sydney - Mediterranean Near Me - Sydney, NSW

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Really awesome venue with incredible views from the balcony. Unobstructed panoramic views of all of Darling Harbour. Great food and friendly service too. Very central and convenient location, right in the middle of bustling Darling Harbour read more

I have eaten here a couple of times now - once for a lunch, and once for dinner with a crowd. The venue is lovely - and the fit-out is ok - fortunately they changed chairs from the first time I went to the second, because they were cool looking but seriously uncomfortable. The menu is a bit of a jumble of stuff, but of course a lot of seafood - for lunch we shared a whole fish cooked in a monster leaf and it was delicious and certainly enough for three of us. As the previous reviewer mentioned, the staff seem to need a bit of training - some Fawlty Towers-esque moments were had when we had a party of 14 at relatively short notice. Which is an interesting point - we rang on Friday night for a table for 14 and got one within the hour. So, it isn't exactly on fire, although they were fairly busy. Having said that, the menu is broad enough to cater for everyone, the wine list is ok, the service can only improve, and many of the more experienced staff were very accommodating and friendly. Worth a look. read more

The buzz at this place is very cool. The food was amazing and the service was spot on. The music was awesome ... Deep House Lounge tunes and a view to die for. For me it's now on the top of my Sydney spots to be. The staff are very friendly and were eager to please us. When we questioned them about the menu they accommodated all of our requests. It's not every day that you're treated with a friendly smile. When the food came out it was absolutely delicious. The flavour burst into your mouth and it left us wanting for more... The moans at our table sure did attract some attention.... But we weren't phased... we just kept eating and sharing. The music was just what expected.. smooth and chilled. And then there was The View!!! What more can I say... Sydney at Sunset on one of the most beautiful harbour areas in the world... It just made you feel alive!! Café Del Mare.... OLE`!!! :) read more

Pretty Spot for after work drinks I hadn't been here before, and I went with friends for a going away for a girl that left work. It was a bit hard to find as it's up top. So stay up top DON'T go down!! Nice place, gorgeous views, places to sit outside if it's nice, or inside as well. The bar outside is always busy, and it's soooooo slow to get drinks. So be prepared to wait at least 15-20 mins for drinks! But the bartenders are so nice though! You can order terrace food from there too. Very hipsterish food, but their fries are SO GOOD!! I had friends get the gnocchi, cheese, olives, oysters, and a few other things. But overall it was good, and I'd love to come back and actually eat in their restaurant. Pretty expensive though! $19 for a cocktail in a small glass. They do have happy hour but there's not many things on the list for it. So if you do order drinks from the bar, order a couple so you don't have to wait every time! read more

Good view to catch up with friends. The balcony would be great if the weather was really bad too cold. Space is limited lucky we had a booking to secure some seats. I would highly recommend booking if you aren't eating at the restaurant. Drinks are expensive but it is the city so I would t expect anything else. The bar food is awful! The chips remind me of McDonald's fries, actually McDonald's are better then their fries. The aioli which comes with the fries tastes like your eating blended garlic. I would recommend the the salt and pepper squid either no taste. Food was also cold and delivered way too quick which makes me think it's just sitting there not cooked to order. For the price you pay I would expect cooked to order. They have djs there who are very talented but the music is way to loud and dance club like. Even though there is no dance floor. Makes it hard to catch up with friends. Best part of the night was the view. In my opinion there are better places along Darling Harbour. read more

I had my hens lunch on the weekend here, we were a table of 15 and I must say the food was absolutely to die for!! Our menu ended being from the "Ladies Long Lunch" all for $55!! We originally booked a different menu and were surprised to see this on our plates when we got there. We ended up sticking to the menu they had out as we could see the entrees were ready to go. We were so happy we did, the food was amazing. Everyone I spoke to didn't stop talking about the the slow cooked lamb, and the squid ink calamari. I loved it all! It was well worth the swap and it ended up being $55pp instead of $75pp. Winning all round!! The place was really nice, though we did think it would be a bit busier. I don't really even remember any music or anything. The staff were friendly and attentive. The chefs did a fantastic job! read more

I've been to a lot of restaurants over the years and especially in the Darling Harbour area this restaurant would have the friendliest staff that I have come across the View was spectacular the food was awesome and they can make a cocktail... Thank you for making my Anniversary evening something to remember.. read more

It was a great day in Sydney and on vacation so stopped by this bar which has a nice patio overlooking Darling Harbor. There's a bar on their patio (and a bartender at it) so I went over and the bartender finally acknowledged me (NO ONE ELSE AT THE BAR; just three people sitting at tables around it). I said I was just looking for a glass of white wine, then he said "look buddy, go to the bar inside, I'm still trying to set this one up". Can't add the rude tone to my review, but he was totally rude about it... so can't say anything about their food and drink, I walked out; totally won't go back, there are PLENTY of other restaurants & bars around this one that actually want your business. read more