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When Tommy's Beer Cafe first landed in Glebe, I was distraught - the cafe had replaced my favourite vegan Vietnamese restaurant. So, for six months I boycotted the establishment, scoffing at its patrons with contempt as I walked past. Little did I know at the time just what it was I was missing out on. Tommy's Beer Cafe is the kind of place that you'd expect to find at The Rocks, not tacked onto a quieter spot of Glebe Point Road. The food menu is original, ranging from warm pretzels and tasting plates to hearty schnitzels and bratwurst. The staff are cheery and helpful and the decor is simple, easily setting the European beer cafe scene with a collection of paraphernalia from all over Europe. Indoors is the perfect escape on a cold winter's day, whilst the back courtyard is a fantastic hidden treasure for Friday night drinks. The most impressive feature of Tommy's lies in its beverage menu, as the cafe lives up to its namesake with seven boutique Czech and German tap beers (including the delicious Gambrinus Pilsner) and another five bottled beers. It also boasts a huge range of central-European spirits and liqueurs (the tasty-throat-burny-Czech Starozlata Medovina, a warm honey liqueur, being the perfect tipple to sip when there's a blizzard outside) and an even more impressive range of Absinths. My next visit will definitely involve trying "the mansinthe", Marilyn Manson's own creation, a 66.6% Swiss Absinth "served with cold water fountain drizzled over a sugar cube until dissolved".
I'm having an internal struggle with Tommy's Beer Cafe. On one hand I am loving that there is a beer cafe so close to the vicinity of my home as it makes it that much easier to roll back to bed after filling my belly with European beer. But on the other hand I find the food a little inconsistent which is disappointing. The first time I went I had the stuffed vegetables (no longer on the menu, which is fine because it wasn't very successful) and the Mixed Platter ($28.90) of veal schnitzel on mash, roasted duck on braised red cabbage and pork belly on sauerkraut. The veal schnitzel was AMAZING, probably the best I tasted in a long time. The meat was tasty, thin and crisp and worked so well with the mash potatoes. Going back a second time I was excited to have a full sized serving of the Vienna Schnitzel ($22.60). The first thing I noticed was the side serving of potato balls rather than mash. Perhaps I could have asked to have the latter instead but I didn't want to upset the regime. This time the veal wasn't so good though. I can't explain it any other way besides saying it tasted, well, different. It was OK. Edible, but just different. For now I don't go to Tommy's to eat and instead go to drink. When I find the right partner in crime I will put my Absinthe game face on and give the fountain a go.
I appreciate what's starting to happen in Glebe. New, smaller drinking holes recognize the fact that retro patterned carpeting and pokies don't need to exist in order to classify the place as a bar. In fact, the further we get from that, the happier I feel. Tommy's Beer Cafe has a well crafted European beer menu and German style fare that stays true to the theme. Admittedly, I have never eaten here but I intend to do so soon. They are now offering daily meal deals including a pork knuckle Friday lunch. When I first came I "kept it cool" and ordered a few of their draft Euro imports. The Bernard lager is alright, though slightly on the dull side. Less rare, but in my opinion more tasty, is the Frantizkaner Weissbier. Served cloudy in a tall glass, it always feels like quite the accomplishment to tackle the whole thing. Recently, however, I had a fun experience at Tommy's. I went with a friend who knows the owner (isn't this where all good stories start?). He suggested we have a couple absinthes. Because it was a tame Sunday evening in the neighborhood (psh!), we agreed. I had never seen that water dripping glass fountain contraption before, but we took a seat at the window and they brought that over. They also brought the glasses of absinthe with a sugar cube balancing over it. The water fountain could be controlled to slowly drip water melting the sugar into the alcohol. It was a fun, interactive drinking experience. Despite the fact that Tommy prides himself on being a beer cafe, I suppose I would only come back for the absinthe. But I'd come back soon.
10 years ago
I love Tommy's, they do the best schnitzel in Sydney and I have tried many places before. Having lived in Austria for almost two years I do love a good quality schnitzel. The pork is indeed a giant schnitzel and the quality is so juicy and tender. They heat up the pretzels to a glorious warm crunch without too much added salt and the beer list is extensive. Other dishes we have tried in the pet include the mixed platter, the pork belly, pork crackling and the goulash which were also worth every yummy cent. Have also been with a groupon voucher and the quality was no different. This is the number one restaurant I always recommend to European friends visiting and people who want German schnitzel. read more
12 years ago
Feel like checking out a rustic Prague bar in the heart of Glebe? Then tommy's beer cafe is the place for you. The small intimate setting is great for small gatherings. They have many nice German beer on tap. The pilsner is my favourite first drink before trying the other beers on offer. The 0.33L sized beer offers the best value while allowing you to try more different beers. The food was good but nothing fantastic. I suspect it had to do with the kitchen closing shortly after our order. To their credit, the portions were very generous and the service was courteous. We ordered the two most expensive items on the menu to try out their specialty. The roast duck was nicely roasted, not too dried and not too salty. I really enjoyed the thin crispy skin, especially when dipped in the duck broth that came with the dish. The sauerkraut was a nice balance to the salty duck, both go well with the bread dumplings. The second dish was the beef cheeks with mashed potato and roast pumpkin. I loved the juicy and tender beef cheeks - I wish more restaurants make it like they do. Maybe it was the salty duck before, but the beef cheek felt rather bland, especially coupled with the mash. I preferred the duck flavour-wise but liked the texture of the beef cheeks. read more
I'm not sure how I have never reviewed Tommy's before now. I've been coming for years and it is by far Sydney's best Schnitzels!!!! I know I know it's a Czech restaurant but these guys do the best Schnitzels. I've even had their chicken schnitzel as part of a platter and I am someone who disposed chicken schnitzel as I believe schnitzels should be in pork, veal etc... And never in chicken, but even so, their one was the best I have ever had. And I used to live in Austria where schnitzel is a way of life... Their other dishes are also great, their various sausages, pork and duck meals, their sides and drinks. The wait staff and the chef are all very accommodating. We always take our friends there for a good meal and fun times, even when we got a little too drunk, the staff did a good job not getting too fed up with us. A few months ago we did notice the Oktoberfest Giant Pork Schnitzel started getting smaller in size, at one point it got to literally half the size it used to be. I do hope they have made the Oktoberfest giant schnitzel big again, because at $26 or so, and that its called "giant" it should always be big... If I want a small schnitzel then I'd go to Essen around the corner for less than half the price. This is the only reason why at the moment Tommy's has lost a star, otherwise they would be easily 5 stars. This review will be updated next time I go to Tommys, hopefully their Oktoberfest giant schnitzel actually becomes worthy of the name it has (like it used to be 12 months ago). * update 2/1/2016 * just had the giant Oktoberfest schnitzel and it is once again enormous and extremely crunchy and tasty. Updating from 4 star to 5 star. Also the wait staff are always presentable and dare I say.... Pretty much supermodels!!! read more
15 years ago
When Tommy's Beer Cafe first landed in Glebe, I was distraught - the cafe had replaced my favourite vegan Vietnamese restaurant. So, for six months I boycotted the establishment, scoffing at its patrons with contempt as I walked past. Little did I know at the time just what it was I was missing out on. Tommy's Beer Cafe is the kind of place that you'd expect to find at The Rocks, not tacked onto a quieter spot of Glebe Point Road. The food menu is original, ranging from warm pretzels and tasting plates to hearty schnitzels and bratwurst. The staff are cheery and helpful and the decor is simple, easily setting the European beer cafe scene with a collection of paraphernalia from all over Europe. Indoors is the perfect escape on a cold winter's day, whilst the back courtyard is a fantastic hidden treasure for Friday night drinks. The most impressive feature of Tommy's lies in its beverage menu, as the cafe lives up to its namesake with seven boutique Czech and German tap beers (including the delicious Gambrinus Pilsner) and another five bottled beers. It also boasts a huge range of central-European spirits and liqueurs (the tasty-throat-burny-Czech Starozlata Medovina, a warm honey liqueur, being the perfect tipple to sip when there's a blizzard outside) and an even more impressive range of Absinths. My next visit will definitely involve trying "the mansinthe", Marilyn Manson's own creation, a 66.6% Swiss Absinth "served with cold water fountain drizzled over a sugar cube until dissolved". read more
15 years ago
I'm having an internal struggle with Tommy's Beer Cafe. On one hand I am loving that there is a beer cafe so close to the vicinity of my home as it makes it that much easier to roll back to bed after filling my belly with European beer. But on the other hand I find the food a little inconsistent which is disappointing. The first time I went I had the stuffed vegetables (no longer on the menu, which is fine because it wasn't very successful) and the Mixed Platter ($28.90) of veal schnitzel on mash, roasted duck on braised red cabbage and pork belly on sauerkraut. The veal schnitzel was AMAZING, probably the best I tasted in a long time. The meat was tasty, thin and crisp and worked so well with the mash potatoes. Going back a second time I was excited to have a full sized serving of the Vienna Schnitzel ($22.60). The first thing I noticed was the side serving of potato balls rather than mash. Perhaps I could have asked to have the latter instead but I didn't want to upset the regime. This time the veal wasn't so good though. I can't explain it any other way besides saying it tasted, well, different. It was OK. Edible, but just different. For now I don't go to Tommy's to eat and instead go to drink. When I find the right partner in crime I will put my Absinthe game face on and give the fountain a go. read more
15 years ago
I appreciate what's starting to happen in Glebe. New, smaller drinking holes recognize the fact that retro patterned carpeting and pokies don't need to exist in order to classify the place as a bar. In fact, the further we get from that, the happier I feel. Tommy's Beer Cafe has a well crafted European beer menu and German style fare that stays true to the theme. Admittedly, I have never eaten here but I intend to do so soon. They are now offering daily meal deals including a pork knuckle Friday lunch. When I first came I "kept it cool" and ordered a few of their draft Euro imports. The Bernard lager is alright, though slightly on the dull side. Less rare, but in my opinion more tasty, is the Frantizkaner Weissbier. Served cloudy in a tall glass, it always feels like quite the accomplishment to tackle the whole thing. Recently, however, I had a fun experience at Tommy's. I went with a friend who knows the owner (isn't this where all good stories start?). He suggested we have a couple absinthes. Because it was a tame Sunday evening in the neighborhood (psh!), we agreed. I had never seen that water dripping glass fountain contraption before, but we took a seat at the window and they brought that over. They also brought the glasses of absinthe with a sugar cube balancing over it. The water fountain could be controlled to slowly drip water melting the sugar into the alcohol. It was a fun, interactive drinking experience. Despite the fact that Tommy prides himself on being a beer cafe, I suppose I would only come back for the absinthe. But I'd come back soon. read more
Food is nice but portions have shrunk and prices have gone up. Not the value it use to be and if you go through Dimmi they didn't mark us off so we didn't get the points. Despite contacting then twice via email and phone they still have to corrected it read more
14 years ago
10 years ago
this is a really nice place to hang out with friends. It makes me feel cozy. We ordered two beer, a Pinot noir, fires, a mixed sausage platter and a free pretzel. I love the sauce with the fires, it is creamy and really taste. The sausage is okay. I love the mashed potato that go with the sausage. read more
12 years ago
10 years ago
