Felicia C.

Overpriced. If you want to take pics then this is your spot. Great decor, very floral; it's like forever spring. The menu is lacking and the prices are more than they should be. One of the few places in the area without happy hour specials. Truffle fries and prawn taco were decent, not great but not bad either. My drink the purple thing (top of menu) was delicious

Cary R.

Two stars for service and ambience. Everywhere we went we had amazing food! Our last night in Sydney decided to give this place a try. Uber dropped us off and we still couldn't find it. There's no big sign so it took us sometime to locate it. We were seated immediately and keep in mind this is a fun place! I'm not a fan but they were able to make me my fav Moscow mule with vodka. The drinks were great! Our order was taken promptly and our food came out even faster which was alarming. Our three food options were there in less than 5 minutes. I have to say all three were really bad! The trio sliders cold and I sampled all three didn't like any at all! Their kitchen sink salad was bland although it had so many things in it just not good and lastly onion rings which because everything else was so bad this was ok and salty. Last meal in Sydney and left very disappointed! I do still recommend this place based on ambience,service and drinks. Not sure if this was just an off day in the kitchen but it was an unfortunate one for us!

Dan P.

The Rook - The Tower, Marquess and Rector. Standing proud and defiant at all four corners of the board, it is the oft most under utilised piece. Back to front and sideways it can sit on any square. Use it wisely and watch the King get surgically incised betwixt twin crab-like pincers. This bar's physical presence is nothing like its chess namesake. Tucked away in some corner of the city that you'll probably never ever find, heck even the elevator doesn't know where it is. But, the essence of The Rook, the bars understated cool, mirrors the enigmatic castle piece. This bar is cool, it knows it is cool. It doesn't tell you - because it doesn't need to. It doesn't show you - because it doesn't need to. It just exudes the essence of cool. They stock sexy gins here (Bulldog, and the West Winds Dirty Harry just a glorious 2 of many) all locked up in a cabinet, and if you know what you're doing you'll sidle on up to the bar, nod knowingly at a friendly face and quip "I'll have a little Britain", cos you know your citrusy yuzu and expect a slice of zest to match ur personality. If you're uber you'll fling them a sack full o' botanicals and consider the trasnsaction done! And when you've had your fill, and the only way is out, you'll stand like a muppet in the elevator waiting endlessly for the doors to close, not realising in your stupor that they run on good vibes - and this place is all about good vibes - so just breathe them in, watch as the doors magically close, and exhale when you reach ground floor. Sadly I didn't try the food here. Definitely next time... but what a first impression! what a first impression! Consider me smitten!

Albert M.

I don't really like their service, venue and environment. Due to tiny venue, we had to wait downstair for 15 mins and the girl was not nice. Also, there was a time when all of my mates had arrived upstairs, got table and ordered food & drinks, I came late and my friend came down to pick up me, the girl still forced me to wait. All the food were cold and drinks were not cold any more when I came up. Worst experience! Lobster roll is not very special. It's an Asian-fusion dish. Veggie, herbs and sauce are stronger than lobster that I can't feel the existence of lobster in the roll. They should name it "Veggie roll! I prefer traditional Vietnamese pork roll - Banh mi. Other dishes seem normal for me too. All the drinks like cocktails and cider are quite good.

Fernanda S.

The Rook was number 4 (and last) place on my list at a Bar Hop/Crawl my friend and I decided to go on last Friday. We randomly picked 4 bars on York Street neither of us had been to and went on a little drink/food journey, and what a fun journey it was! People, if you happen to work on York St you are a lucky duck and spoiled for choice when it comes to cool bars. The Rook was our last stop, so as you can imagine, we were a lil bit tipsy. We didn't eat at any of the other places as we wanted to build up an appetite for The Rook, and boy, am I glad we waited! We both ordered the BLT Wagyu burgers that were amazing, and no, I'm not just saying this because I had alcohol in my blood stream...I know an awesome burger when I meet (eat?) one. Oh, and the hot chips that came with it...biggest/chunkiest I have ever seen! This place is so lively and literally ideal for everything: great music but not too loud so you can chat with friends, nice drinks, awesome food. It's very well hidden and you would never find it unless you knew it was there, but I'm telling you now, so you know it's there...so go.

Olivia B.

Hidden bars are always really fun and The Rook is definitely hidden. You'll walk right past the entrance to this bar on York Street if you aren't looking for it, or maybe even if you are looking for it because the first time I went there I walked past it twice. Enter the nondescript building on York Street near the Mitre 10 which houses a couple of English language schools and hit the R button on the elevator. You'll step out into a place that seems a little at odds to its surrounding but super cool! Lots of cocktails and it seems lots of lobster is on the menu. It is a little pricey but the cocktails are delicious. My personal favourite is Down the Rabbit Hole in which you get served your drink in a little bottle full of green liquid, then you get to pour it into your glass and it turns purple! Very cool! Another cocktail who's name I've forgotten comes under a glass cloche full of fragrant smoke! All the points for creativeness. I haven't eaten food here but the burgers looked amazing and the smell from the truffle fries are very enticing!

Mark F.

Hard to find and eclectic decor, all the tables reserved already at 5pm Friday! Seriously, the find-me-if-you-can bars in Sydney are rockin. In through what looks like the lobby of any apartment or office building (and a very small one at that) on York St, up to the top floor and hey presto, like walking into the Tardis you are in a large area with lots of vibe, windows, skylights, corrugated iron, timber planks and urban eclectic chic. The menu is very basic - lobster or burgers. Quite a few varieties of those though, and some combos, plus chips with truffle oil (don't bother) and onion rings - possibly THE BEST in the universe - and assorted other nibbles. The crowd is mixed - after work office types (guilty your honour), hipsters starting the night, groups for dinner and so on. Range of seating options - high tables for drinkers and grazers, dinner tables for those eating, and a couple of couchy type arrangements. The drinks menu has some (pricey) doozies, although I only got to El Matador, a tequila based cocktail with pepper, lime, something, something, tequila. Who knows, after four I was beyond caring and feeling no pain. It's like right next to my office - this is gonna hurt....

Raul R.

Nice Rooftop bar, though a bit misleading as there didn't seem to be any actual outside that I saw. I tried the Australian Shiraz and the Argentinian Malbec; which were both amazing and paired with the Lobster nachos and the chicken sandwich really hot the spot. The nachos were just the right amount of cheesy and light. While the sandwich really started packing some heat about halfway through really driving it home. All around really cool place to chill, eat and drink!

Nicholas T.

I discovered this hidden bar by pure coincidence. So I was walking around the area on a rainy weekday evening, and I saw this line of people queuing up to go into what appears to be an office building. You don't need to have Sherlock Holmes intuition to know that people just don't line up to get back to work. So I joined the queue to find out what it's about. (I actually couldn't help myself and asked the people in the lift where they're heading to, turns out there's a bar upstairs) You can hear the lively bar as soon as the lift approaches. A gush of warm air rushed into the lift as the doors open and I was transported to a funky little bar. I have since returned multiple times and it has never disappointed me. The waiters here are cool and helpful. The cocktails are one of a kind! They're seriously creative and quirky! Have you ever seen a cocktail infused with actual chai smoke? Or what about a cocktail that changes colour as you pour it? The food is equally as good. Great portion sizes and deliciously cooked. The truffle fries and onion rings are awesome! I haven't tried the lobsters yet but judging from the quality of the burgers, the lobsters would have been great too. This bar is so well hidden that everyone I have ever brought here is amazed that it exists on top of this nondescript office building. Bring your friends here. They will be impressed.

Thomas S.

I circled the block twice trying to find this gem, but I finally found the building, took the lift to the seventh floor and was amazed - I felt at home and hip all at the same time. This is a roof top restaurant with bartenders who know what they're doing. As for myself, my requests for pale ales did not tax their talent to shake up a cocktail, but that's how I roll. I had the Endeavour pale ale and 4 Pines Kolsch. I liked them both! I feel guilty not drinking my old favorite, VB, but I've moved on. For dinner I had the Bandito burger and fries. The burger and the atmosphere, and great music was the best. You've got to try this place.

Patrice C.

Amazing place with great cocktails!!! And by that I mean dark animated attic bar with great music and good looking people having animated conversations... ... BUT you actually come here for the food (or maybe both food and drinks): they specialize in burgers and lobster, we had burgers and they were amazing... (See pictures) Round up with a very friendly staff and you'll understand you need to wait 10 minutes at the bar before getting a table... This is the only downside, but we actually had a good time waiting a bit!

Alexandra M.

If it get's a bit too packed, you can go out to the smoking area. It could easily get too packed if people are saying space is reserved at the bar and there is no sign... The restaurant area is not for nibbles, only full meals. No just ordering fries to sit. I had the Honeypot and Tijuana Diplomat which were both quite good in their own ways. The Honeypot was like a cold hot toddy--whisky and honey. The Diplomat was Tequlia and bitters forward. My friend had the Cookies and Milk and loved it. It comes with a real cookie! Bar turns around quick. To the people behind me asking for a 'beer/wine' line, you're a bar known for cocktails, live a little.

Tim H.

If you are on the way to the State Theatre for a show or just in the local area don't let the facade of an office building put you off this amazing place. With amazingly priced food and a simple menu it makes for a great night out. There is drinking space and eating place and the roof top setting has been decked out with a stylish decor that makes this venue suitable for all ages. The wait staff are lovely and the service was top notch. The price and value was on point as well. Go for a drink go for a meal it will be a fantastic time out for all. But do book. I booked for the same day but it was busy.