This is an interesting and fun concept, where culinary students prepare the food and wait on the tables. But don't assume that makes anything about the experience amateurish. All of the food we had was top notch, and the service was friendly and professional, even if there were a few details that weren't perfectly polished. Perhaps because it is a training environment the prices are extremely reasonable, both for food and wine. There's no question that it's the best value of all of Sydney's fine dining restaurants. read more

See all

We were both looking forward to eating at William Blue. It's a school for hospitality and they are usually booked far out in advance. BUT...... Although the food looks great, they didn't taste as good as it looked. I think the best things were the oysters and seared ahi. Oysters were very fresh and the ahi was pretty and tasted amazing! The worst thing was the wine (which Ian didn't drink) and the dessert (hard dry cake which you probably needed a knife to cut and ice cream that almost completed melted on the plate within 2-3 min). Maybe that's how a genoise is supposed to be but we thought it was horrible and couldn't eat it. The pork belly was good but the salad had way too much mayo. Oxtail dumplings were good but I think a little undercooked and almost lukewarm. Brussel sprouts could have been cooked longer. Ian liked the barramundi but I thought it tasted like talaipa (he said it's cause it's a brackish water fish). The servers were pretty attentive. Checking if we needed water and taking away our dishes when finished. But one thing they never asked was how we were enjoying the food. Especially with the dessert, we only took one bite and left it. Overall we were pretty disappointed that this was our only dinner in Sydney on this trip and it wasn't the greatest. I understand it was a school, but I guess we expected it to be great from the reviews we've read and heard from a friend. One good thing is we didn't over eat! Haha! And it was decent prices. read more

See all

Very good value, pretty solid food. Oxtail ragu and duck were good and hearty. Scallops ok, could've been warmer. The mulloway was a little mushy but still good. Smashed peas and potato latke with it were good. Wait staff are in training and highly variable. Ours was very awkward -maybe her first week? Didn't really matter though since you know the training situation and the food is so good for the price. We would certainly visit again. read more

We love a fine dining experience and we also love a meal that's good value. You can get both of these at William Blue Dining. You can get a three course lunch or dinner for just $43. At prime location in the Rocks with A class service, you can't beat that! Why is it so cheap? you might ask. It is a hospitality training school run through Torrens University Australia, it offers courses ranging from diplomas to degree. This restaurant is their on the job work experience. Remember it's a training school, don't be hard on the staff. That said, the staff were incredibly attentive and professional and eager to please. The manager was also an excellent teacher and we could hear her guiding the staff with her knowledge and experience on display. The food can be described as Modern Australian. It's old school food, showing the techniques learnt in training school that term and plated with finesse. We had the beetroot entree, so tasty and beautifully plated, and we also tried the spanned crab, just divine. The Roasted Milly Hill lamb cutlets, rillets of lamb showing great care and precision and skill in its plating. It came with lamb shoulder, confit tomato, crispy cauliflower and jus. We had this with a side of roasted veggies. The Herb and ricotta gnocchi was absolutely lovely and nicely flavoured with with oyster mushroom, Tuscan cabbage and garden peas. After our meal, we were good to try a bit of dessert. The Dark Chocolate delice was nice and smooth, served with burnt white chocolate, a marshmallow whip and a peanut brittle with a bit of Turkish delight too. We loved the marshmallow addition to this dish. Ranked 5th on trip advisor, we can see why! It is a high quality dining experience, marvellous food and served in an efficient manner. What a great initiative to give these staff vocational training whilst gaining support and development. read more

Colour me impressed. Also, a delicious shade of cardamom. Came here with a bunch of other Yelpers and man, did it deliver. In spades. Like if you got a hand in poker and it was literally all spades. Not only that, but they were aces, too. This is a restaurant where trainee chefs and trainee front-of-house staff learn their trade, and both the service and the food were exemplary. And at $38 for 3 courses? Well, it's practically a McDonalds McValue meal, only not shit or bad for you. I had: - Entree: Crab & angel hair pasta, rocket, parmesan, sugar snaps, sage and caper brown butter - Main: Roasted blue eye Trevalla, shaved squid, scallop, miso broth and spring onion. - Dessert: Chocolate delice, orange and cardamom ice cream, pop rocks, orange sherbet. It's a top location, the kids are eager to please, and the menu is fresh and inventive. Kudos to all, and to all a good night. read more

See all

A very nice meal and an excellent evening out with my fellow Yelpers. I am so glad I came along with Ben on this outing as I didn't even know this place existed. Everything I had was top notch, but the thing that really stands out was the dessert. It was honestly one of the best tarte tatins I've had in ages... really perfectly prepared and presented. Kudos to all the chefs and student waiters, you all did yourselves proud. I believe you all have bright futures ahead and I highly recommend this dining school to my foodie friends in the Sydney area. It's the best bargain around. read more

This place is fine dining at it's best. Great spot and I love my husband more every time he takes me here read more

William Blue Dining - Modern Australian Near Me - The Rocks, NSW

See all

This restaurant is a training restaurant for students. The staff were very attentive and available for any concerns or questions. I also felt safer in the restaurant given that the waiters were wearing masks. We were given the Christmas set menu, which was of great value. However, would have been good if they offered a regular menu as there wasn't much choice for vegetarians/vegans. Most of the courses were delicious, but some were quite experimental with the flavours. Overall a great dinner! read more

Ive heard about this place for quite some time and wanted to try it. BUT! Reservation was hard to come buy. Why? Because it's part of the William blue hospitality school so they only open during school terms. Food is made by trainee chefs and your front of house staff were students too. They are training for their placements. That's why the food prices come as a bargain. You need to be patience if the food comes out late or the waiter forgot or mixed up your order. I found it fascinating to see these students trained. One day the could be running hatted or Michelin starred restaurant! The food blew me away in both quality and generous portion. Presentation was really good too. The steak was cooked well and tasted delicious. The tarte tartine were light and delicious. And I definitively felt some food envy towards my fellow diners. I need to make another booking and brought my better half here. Great experience at a bargain price. AND!!! Supporting the next generation of restaurateurs and chefs! read more

See all

Wonderful dining experience on the first night of our honeymoon (after a terribly long flight). I can't recall everything but loved the food and the wines that we enjoyed with them. Atmosphere is great and the service terrific. read more

Chefs and hospitality students in training that do an amazing job! Have a little patience and you will be rewarded with an amazing meal. The fact that prices are affordable is wonderful but I would be just as impressed with the food quality at typical prices. Well done! read more

See all

Thoroughly enjoyed a dinner here pre Covid. Looking forward to returning. 3 courses for a reasonable price. Nice staff and ambiance.

Fine dining on the cheap.... who would say no? I enjoyed a wonderful meal here with new friends and we all walked out surprised with how wonderful our meal and night was. The staff both floor and kitchen are all trainees who are putting together a really great dining experience for the lucky patrons to William Blue. We enjoyed a three course meal for 38$ plus some sides to share. The menu is fairly safe and short but we all managed to pick some tasty items to try. The quality of the meals were wonderful. The floor staff are clearly learning the ropes of hospitality but they did their best to ensure we had a wonderful night. I would definitely recommend checking this place out with friends or a date. read more

$38 for a three-course meal! YAS! Delicious, creative food and some very attentive staff to boot! It took forever to get a booking at this place and daymn it was worth it. I would love to go back when the change the menu. There seemed to be a bit of a winged pest issue though! They was every where! read more

William Blue is a restaurant owner by the famous Think Group Education. People who are working there are actually students at William Blue College. Because they have little experience, you might think that service won't be at high standards. However, service is really impeccable and it's much better compared to a lot of restaurants in Sydney. For my understanding, they try to change menu quite often and they always give you 3 options for each course (meat, fish and vegetarian). If I have to pick a negative, it would be the price for a bottle of sparkling water ($7.50) read more

Great value for great food! When you hear $46 for a three course meal you don't expect a lot but at William Blue, you will get a high quality, delicious meal for this price in a premium location right in the Rocks. The kitchen and floor staff are students in training so you may have to wait a little bit longer for your order or ask for your water glass to be refilled. However they are incredibly attentive, with some being only in their first week of serving! It is also so cool to hear about their studies and where they want to go with it. Highly recommend! read more

If you're new to fine dining, and you're afraid of doing the wrong thing or embarrassing yourself. Not to worry. This is a "practice" fine dining restaurant for a college called William Blue. They have their students practice their skills in providing fine dining service and offer a great experience. For the price of $30 for entree, main and dessert. I think, why not? The food is surprisingly good and tasty and by the end of all three meals, I could barely breathe! The students are bubbly and every day they have a "cocktail of the day" which is not included in the $30 meal deal but I think that's fine! They also have a wine list, and the college lecture is always there as the restaurants manager to ensure great service! I think give it ago if you are somewhat on a budget but you want to enjoy some good food or step yourself into the fine dining world. read more

William Blue Dining - Modern Australian Near Me - The Rocks, NSW

See all

Had a lovely birthday lunch here, with friendly and efficient service, and always a good idea to help support students learning a trade. each course was well presented and very tasty. Most enjoyable, and reasonable prices for fine dining. read more

Not open or available for lunch. "Fully booked" with dozens of empty tables. I'd add a longer review if they accepted customers.

Was here on a rainy Wednesday evening with the yelp crew. It is kind of fancy! but I am pretty low-rent so your mileage may vary. The staff are all trainees and are very sweet and keen to do a good job; the food is tops. It's a limited menu but everything sounded terrific and the presentation was first-rate - I think probably every dish put in an appearance at our table. Vegetarians, you're also catered for although I'd recommend checking out the menu in advance because there's one vego entrée (currently the salad) and one vego main (currently the gnocchi). read more

Walked in with 3 girlfriends and I had no idea what it was all about had low expectations as it was located at quite a touristy place .( no offence) the food was alright and I can sense the waiter and waitress are quite nervous as they were delivering the dishes .. Well it is a place full of apprentices and they are learning ! Worth a try if you walking past by and want to try something different :) read more

Superb service. Graceful ambience. An amazing 6 course set menu for A$55 in honor of Sydney's Vivid light festival opening that night. Some of the dishes had a few too many elements going on. Our least favorite was the main course boneless rib with polenta and onion ring. But so many of the other courses were so outstanding - lamb carpaccio course, smoked salmon course that dissolved like butter when you went to taste it that they come back to a 5. Can't believe students actually create such an exquisite meal and experience. read more

What a great place. If you are looking for a quality experience with a great price tag, you cannot go past this place. Be patient with the staff, they are learning. Bravo!!! read more

Stumbled upon this excellent teaching restaurant in the Rocks area of Sydney. Couldnt get a table as we didnt have a reservation, but we got in for lunch the next day. White linen lined tables in a modern setting, great service by international culinary students & the food was delicious, including a great wine list, the price was right, with attention to detail. We would definitely go back! read more

World-class restaurant at bargain rates - these students are amazing! A real hidden gem.

$43 for 3-course lunch menu - fabulous! Food was top notch and service was equally good - and all done by students in the hospitality industry. Can make reservations on line or by phone. read more

We had a wonderful afternoon at William Blue Dining. The food was impeccable, the service & atmosphere perfect. Would thoroughly recommend this Restaurant. read more