The Cottage Bar & Kitchen

Very nice atmosphere and the tapas was really good. Nice outdoor seating and live music on Sundays. The service was good but they did forget our pizza.

Wandered by The Cottage one Sunday afternoon and couldn’t resist its charms. Garden patio, acoustic band playing and a wine list. We didn’t stay for food, but everything else was pretty perfect. Our English waiter was so sweet and the pretty surroundings make it hard to leave. Inside is as gorgeous as the alfresco area. Spend Summer afternoons on the front porch and Winter mornings inside the wooden cottage around the fire place. Lovely, lovely.

I’m only going off of one night’s experience here but I must say, a good experience it was. About 8 of us girls headed there on Anzac day for some post lunch cocktails. I’d have to say, they were some of the better cocktails I’ve had in awhile. I had the Young Botanical with vodka instead of gin and then I had a Beached As, hold the egg white. Let me tell you– I have drunk about 10 of those if I didn’t have to work the next day. The cheese platter was a little meager but still hit the spot. Our server was super friendly and accomodating as well. Such a cute little spot and I’d definitely be willing to give it another shot if I’m ever in the area.

I took a friend who was visiting to the Cottage for some nibbles and drinks last week. I must say the ambiance is lovely and it is clearly one of those places where the prettiest of the pretty in Balmain go to be «seen” — it def would be a good spot for a first date.
Unfortunately this review is about their staff and food, both of which is extremely lacking.
We sat outside and were given menus, then subsequently waited for 15 mins until my friend actually went in to get the waiter to at least take our drink order. Looking around at the other patrons, it would appear we were not alone in our displeasure regarding the wait staff.
When the waiter arrived with our drinks, I asked if he could recommend his favorite dish. Blankly he stared at us then mumbled something about everything being good. We ordered a mushroom pizza and «fancy» chips with truffle and Parmesan.
The $ 18 mushroom pizza was dry, overcooked, and nearly inedible; my friend again went in to get the waiter to ask him for some chili oil or something to improve the flavor of the pizza. He gave her chili flakes. Fail.
Next, our «fancy» chips arrived, and, while extremely crispy, they had absolutely no salt, or truffle, and a stingy sprinkling of Parmesan. There was also no dipping sauce to be had– for $ 10, a small bit of aioli wouldn’t go amiss. Yet again, back to find the waiter to give us a salt shaker, which is a little ridiculous.
The only time the waiter was prompt was when he brought us our bill without asking if we wanted more drinks or clearing our plates– no «how was everything», or anything to that effect, so at least we could feel like they cared just a little. I guess they don’t. My advice– stick to a nice drink here then head to The Riverview or even Dick’s for a proper meal. Also, to the Cottage– consider hiring waitstaff that are competent in addition to good looking!

Oh dear. I actually felt a little bit sorry for the Cottage when we visited, they must have been having a bad day. The deep fryer was broken (meaning almost all of their small tapas style plates were no-​go), the coffee machine was also broken, and the waitress couldn’t stop apologising.
The food we did have was tasty but really not memorable, however I can’t speak about the pizzas; we didn’t try any. I also thought it was a little stingy — they were serving small plates of meatballs and prawns with lots of sauce, and then only two little bits of bread to go with it. And there were more than 2 people at our table. It seemed unnecessarily stringent. We were rationing out little halves of bread. Couldn’t find the waitress to ask her for more bread, either.
On the upside, the décor is rather nice — yes, it is a cottage, and they’ve fitted it out like a 19^th century country house, or something like that. Big hooks around the walls, old fashioned tools and kitchen implements, and some old Balmain photographs. It has a real «Historic Houses Trust» vibe. I would come back here to drink wine or cocktails, but perhaps not for food.

My new favourite after work place! Its a great place to get shared plates and drinks. The décor made it very welcoming and a nice place to relax with mates. The salt and pepper squid and lamb rack was amazing and they have a great selection of cheese and meat platters!