Shell House

On arrival, you’ll be met by a charming host and taken quickly past the bar/kitchen to the dining room and terrace. We sat outside on a postcard perfect, blue sky day. Absolutely lovely. Our server, Sunny, didn’t miss a beat - friendly, there when needed, absent when not needed. She and the Som knew the menu and wine list. I don’t often say this, but this kitchen did not miss a beat. Every dish was excellent, pushed a flavor edge, and yet was comforting. We will absolutely return.

Wow guys. We ignored the average reviews of this place to come because Shell House is on the 101 Steaks list. Big mistake. Now let’s be fair about it - The venue is stunning, the service is great and the atmosphere is buzzing. It’s a great dining experience. However, the key thing lacking is exactly that. The dining. The food here is so below par it’s unfathomable. For a restaurant known for steaks, it’s outrageous that we had to send both of our steaks back because they were cooked incorrectly. The ones we received back were still cooked incorrectly but we didn’t bother to send back again. One was overcooked and the other was undercooked. Very strange To breakdown on the rest.. The carrots are tasty but $20 is steep. You could give a few more carrots guys, it would cost you a few cents to do so. Pictures attached, we were told these were all share dishes. The “roast potatoes” are bland baby potatoes and the sauce used for them is INSANELY salty. Would have been a tasty sauce but there is around 1 tbsp too much salt in that guys. Seriously, try it yourselves because I doubt a chef is trying that before sending it out from the kitchen. It’s basically creamy salt The steaks,.. I mean look, they’re not the worst steaks ever, they’re okay. But for this price and considering they are on the 101 steaks list - It’s just so bad. Bland garbage. We have never had to send a steak back before but they were cooked so badly we simply had to. The drinks were absolutely garbage as well unfortunately. Overly sweet with no balance and audacious cocktail menu items that are just simply bad ideas. It’s a shame because this venue has everything and has the potential to be one of the best in Sydney. EDIT 5/3: Emailed the owner as per their request below on 18th Feb, they said someone would reach out to discuss and no one has. This, again, demonstrates the performative nature of this place. Just want to make it look like they care in case anyone reads their reviews. AVOID.

Visited the Shell House Menzies Bar for Valentines day with my Fiancée. We celebrated our anniversary and were pleasantly surprised with a free dessert and a hand written note wishing us well. Truly was a fantastic experience, the staff go above and beyond even asked for feedback on the dishes which was nice. The food was beautiful, we had the valentines set dinner menu and added the oysters on extra. It was a perfect amount of food and each dish was divine. Definitely will be coming back!

Stopped in at the Shell House bar for a drink and a bite and had a really pleasant experience overall. The staff were genuinely friendly, attentive, and quick to help without being over the top, which made it an easy place to settle in and relax. Service was excellent from start to finish, and the drinks list is a real highlight with a solid range of options to suit different tastes. The only downside was the food offering. If you’re looking for more than a light snack, the menu feels quite limited and could definitely use a bit more variety. A few additional choices and some more substantial options would make a big difference and better match the quality of the venue and service. Still, it’s a great spot for drinks with warm hospitality, and I’d happily come back.

Rocked up at Menzies last night last minute after being hungry and finding most places in the city overflowing with queues. This places doesnt disappoint with drinks but it was our first time trying food here. Our server seemed very knowledgeable and helpful was friendly. We went in pretty late so we weren't sure if we would get in but we did! We had a couple cocktails, beer, the vegetarian spaghetti which was super yumm, the lobster ravioli was good too. The entrees - scallop, lobster roll and the freshest crustiest bread with olive oil! That bread was a highlight! Overall, we had a lovely dinner and will be back! Only challenge here might be the low lighting which can make it a bit hard for some to read the menu. loved the music! Special compliments to the server, alas i dont know their name.