Riverview Hotel Dining Room

This is my number 1 favourite place to go! I’ve been to both the cosy bar downstairs and the restaurant upstairs. Both are absolutely fantastic! The fire in the bar downstairs makes it so special compared to anywhere else. The food is amazing and full of flavour. Not your typical bar food. The staff are super friendly, chatty and knowledgable. A true neighbourhood gem off the beaten track. With live music, a great atmosphere and amazing specials The Riverview never gets old! 100% recommend to everyone

The food is delicious here! Hidden in the corner off the main road, this local pub/​hotel is worth the visit. Very friendly service and a general relaxed vibe

Never made it past my drink (See photo). Basically here’s the deal. My mom loves Australia so much. Like to the point that she’s annoying about how much better it is than the USA. I tell her to move there all the time. Well mom, let me tell you something. Nowhere in my life have I experienced someone serving me a drink in a damn moldy glass. You’d think the bartender might notice when prepping? Nope. Maybe the server when waking it over to me? Nope. Was it just a tiny speck? Nope (see photo again). I was too grossed out to continue on. Didn’t care if they offered me free meal, free drinks, and free desert here (btw they didn’t — I just got a «sorry about that mate»). This was unacceptable. I felt nauseous when everyone else was ordering food. So I walked out and strutted into the very next restaurant I saw and ate alone (yes, sad I know).
You broke up a family meal and literally could have killed me. Not kidding. I am also coming to Australia directly from India so I can’t believe I am going to have to say the least hygienic meal of my trip happened in Australia and not India. I know not to many local Aussies reside on Unilocal.So this is likely going to be helpful for tourists. Hopefully you are able to make an informed decision before risking your personal health and safety.
I also know there is good food in Australia. This is just nasty. I’m seriously repulsed. Time to stick to highly rated sushi and seafood. Ahh. Still can’t believe this. Sorry for the rant.

Excellent high quality pub with fancy food. Kids friendly and nice environment. Recommendable for everyone on a Sunday that enjoys good for, company, and drinks.

Looking for a restaurant in Balmain that wouldn’t be full of kids, scene peeps or bogans. They delivered.
They also have fantastic food which I was very impressed at. The service was great with friendly faces and a really good ambience to the place. And specials too. For something located above a pub, I was impressed and it feels like a place I want to go back to.
The only thing I’d criticise is the wine list which I didn’t find very inspired — but that can be improved upon. And perhaps a reminder to ask the waiter to suggest something if you don’t recognise any of the labels.
Quirky bits and pieces to the décor as well. Recommended.

This place has a true to God, legitimate happy hour. $ 5 for a pint of anything on tap (including little creatures) from 5 – 7! How good is that? Have only eaten here once and the good was quite good but not amazing. A little pricey (~$ 25 for a burger) but did I mention they do 5 buck happy hour pints of every single beer they have on tap?

Went here on a Friday lunch catchup with girlfriends and kids.
An out of the way pub that blends nicely with the surrounding houses. Eclectic and cozy interior.
Staff were friendly and efficient with their service.
The wagyu burger is to die for! Thick beef pattie, well cooked yet still tender and juicy, followed by layers of crispy bacon, caramelised onions, lettuce, beetroot and topped with a special sauce with a hint of spiciness. All this deliciousness sandwiched between fresh and crispy bun. The fries were just how I like it crispy and salty.
Next time will try the restaurant upstairs.

It’s hard to find a bargain in Sydney when it comes to having a meal out, in Balmain especially. But when you find one, you kinda want it to keep it to yourself (hence me not writing a review until now.) And the Riverview has an amazing deal every Tuesday: two-​for-​one pizzas! Two crispy-​crusted, good-​sized, interesting-​topping-​ed pizzas for twenty bucks. Totally awesome. The ambiance is great, with comfy seating and a cozy bar. The beers are priced around $ 7 for a schooner, standard for Balmain. The only reason they get dinged a star is because I’ve had chips there twice and both times they have been on the soggy side (sorry, I’m a tough customer when it comes to crispy chips!) I’ve heard the other food on the menu is pretty amazing, but I’m sticking to pizza Tuesdays. Try the Pepperoni Pig, the Hawaiian, and the Rock Chick. Delish!

OHHH Riverview Hotel. where have you been all my life ?? I was umming and ahhing on whether to review this place or not but then thought it would be HIGHLY selfish of me not to. Where do I start?
Set on a corner position in a backstreet of Balmain, the hotel seems to blend in with neighbouring terrace homes. Large red doors welcome you into such a beautiful space — a fusion of eclectic (bordering bizarre) and contemporary fit out smacks you in the face. Pull up a seat at the bar or laze about on one of the many couches and be prepared to remain there for hours on end. The bar menu although not the largest I’ve seen covers even the fussiest of eaters. The wine menu again not the longest consists of some good quality local and international wines. We started off with the Catena Alamos Malbec from Argentina — what an assault on your senses — sight, smell and taste !! Full bodied, rich and fruity !!
We moved on from the ground floor bar and decided to dine in the restaurant upstairs — the food up there consists of mainly the bar food with additional appetizers and mains. We were lucky enough to be the only group outside in the terrace area — a sweet intimate space that fits about 16. The price of the food upstairs is on average about $ 10 more expensive however given the service provided by the staff is on par with some fine dining restaurants, totally worth it. White napkin service, top up of table water and wine to name just a few extras.
Finally onto the food — WOW. I had the barramundi with fennel purée and salsa vierge. I cannot fault this dish. Fish was cooked to absolute perfection — the skin was crisp and gave a much needed texture to the flesh of the fish and the purée. My friends ordered the gnocchi with mushrooms, ricotta and salsa verde — in their words «dear lord, do not disturb for the next half hr» — clearly huge fans of this dish. I highly recommend as a side, the green beans with macadamia pesto !!!
I can’t praise this place enough. This is now officially my favourite «go to» hotel in Balmain — sorry Town Hall and The London, but I don’t think we’re working out — see ya !!!

Everyone wants a Riverview in their neighbourhood but lucky Balmain has this one! Great vibe, food, wind and service — I love this place and will make the trip any time to get there! It’s casual but high quality. It’s one of Sydney’s best «gastro pubs» and if you like that kind of thing — gotta try it!