Club Rose Bay

I'm reviewing this based primarily on Notti's. The rest of the club looked fun and lively, the restaurant, was disappointing. I love food, I eat out a lot, I wouldn't go back to this place. The menu is poorly designed; we really struggled to find anything that appealed. Eventually opted for the zucchini and basil pizza (dire), cucumber and bottarga (better but cucumber was too thickly sliced), bread and butter (best part of the meal), tuna crudo (yawn), shaved pecorino with honey (tasty, but defs needed the bread). Service was patchy and chaotic. Staff are all of certain age and appearance, and it's pretty clear that for most, front-of-house isn't their day job. Maybe it will improve. Don't care, won't be back. Merivale are a vastly experienced operator, and they should have had every aspect of this nailed before they opened the doors. That menu should never have seen the light of day, it's not balanced. And newly-minted floor staff shouldn't be unleashed on patrons until they are 100% on top of the menu, the map and POS systems. And to top it off, there was no toilet paper in the restroom. Seriously? How can this happen?

I’ve been to Club Rose Bay twice since it opened, and I’ve been absolutely impressed both times. The food at Notti’s is so so good (get the crab pasta and zucchini pizza!) that I’ve only remembered to photograph the starters once 😅. I love the new interior design, and the beer garden is just beautiful. The bar staff, servers, glassies, and security are all fantastic and very welcoming. It’s probably much busier than some locals were expecting, and the vibe/clientele is definitely not what it used to be (no meat raffles, no trivia, not your standard RSL menu). That said, I do hope that once the initial January rush calms down, the space can also become a spot for older diggers to catch up. It’s lovely to see the war memorabilia and honours boards still on display. Overall really grateful to Merivale for bringing our local RSL back to life after a 12-month hibernation. 🫶

Fabulous low key venue to have a great meal, som fab drinks and a truly Australian experience. Prices are moderate given the location in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. The menu can be heated and a large list of sharing plates includes bolognaise meatballls, fresh crunchy bread, sliced salami, raw fish and red peppers in oil. Maine include softener fish, a huge 500g pork chop, steak and sides of broccolini and nuts, chips, salad and mash. A fee desserts like lemon meringue and sorbets.

Really disappointing experience (service and food). We had a genuinely frustrating night here. Customer service, communication and basic expectation management were extremely poor. After ordering, we waited an hour and a half for our mains. About 20 minutes into the wait, a staff member came around asking tables what they’d ordered and typing it into his notes app, with no explanation about why, and no clarification on anything (for example steak cut, doneness, sauces). He just wrote “two steaks” and walked off. Not long after that, I went to the bar to ask about what was going on and was told it was a 1.5-hour wait for food (again no actual explanation). By then it was around 9:30pm, and we were stuck because there was nowhere else to go. Later, another staff member (who seemed like a manager) came over and did the exact same thing, asking what we’d ordered and writing it down in her notes app, again with no explanation or communication. When the food finally arrived, the timing was a mess. Mains came before the entrée, and one person had been eating for 10+ minutes before the rest of the table received their meals. Still no apology or explanation. The food itself was also subpar. The steaks were chewy and tough, the sauces were wrong, chips were soggy, salad was forgettable, and the pasta was closer to 2 minute noodles than a proper dish. The arancini was the best item, but even that was just okay and seemed overdone. To top it off, we were also overcharged for a cocktail. My friend used her member discount, but the cocktail was still charged $2 more than the menu price. We spent just under $200 on our food and first round of drinks (even with a member discount) and it absolutely wasn’t worth it. It’s fine for a drink, the games area looks fun, but I won’t be dining here again and wouldn’t recommend it. It felt like a gimmick more than an actual restaurant. You’re better off going elsewhere for similar pub vibes.

We have been members here for many years and very impressed with the recent Merivale transformation. The food is great, and the staff is very friendly and well trained. It can get very crowded and noisy, but still seems to have an unpretentious relaxed vibe that we like.