Aria Restaurant Sydney

We visited Aria for an anniversary dinner in January 2024.

Food

There is a choice of a tasting menu or a four-course à la carte option, which we decided on. Between us we ordered a good selection of the menu and would generously say it was a mixed bag. We both had the scallop starter which featured tired-tasting scallops served with a watery and very acidic dressing. My celeriac main course was a low point - totally devoid of flavour and seriously undercooked. We both enjoyed dessert.

Service

We approached Aria knowing that its prime location means tourists are its main customer, and repeat business is not a priority. There are some great people on the staff - the waitress who served our desserts was engaging, friendly and just right amount of formal. That said, we found the overall service experience astoundingly poor.

Our assigned waiter was apparently very bored, taking our orders with disdain and then abandoning us to our fate.

The sommelier was unprofessional to the point of farce. I honestly can’t remember encountering a more odious individual in a customer-facing position. Having openly insulted us for our “inexpensive” selection, he spent the majority of the evening at an adjacent table sharing tales of philistine customers and their amusing habits. While his job description requires him to hold high standards, he should be reminded that he works in a service industry, and if customers are such a drain on him he should seek alternative employment.

Fine Dining
Food Quality 5/5
Price ~/5
Service Effort 5/5
Service Quality 4/5
Atmosphere 5/5
Views 6/5
Recommend.

Attended for a Saturday lunch, 4/5 for any other restaurant but the Murray Cod was dry and over cooked, I do know we were not the only table to experience this on the day.

Flavours on dishes and cooking was otherwise spot on, service and staff were excellent, fish was still edible, just expect better from one of Sydney’s premier dining establishments.

I just love this venue specially chef they are doing their job great lovely food and Awesome environment.

BEAUTIFUL VIEWS! OMG. The food was phenomenal as well. I do have to say I did still leave hungry, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because I easily could have ate till you rolled me out of there. Delicious food!

Beautiful food in a great setting, perfect for a special occasion. Service was a little bit too attentive, they mean well though (I don't really like being watched while eating, its kind of weird). Order the mash. It will change your life.

I attended the Vivid 11 Maddison Park pop up on the first night. I was worried if a vegan degustation would be to my liking as I am not a big fan of vegan food but chef Daniel Humm made the dishes sing. A very enjoyable evening.

My partner and I went to celebrate our engagement ceremony at Aria. Must I say, the food is amazing! The Quail dish is a must, as well as the scallop! Also - thank you to Ellen who was perfect for helping us out with navigating the menu and making our night super special!

The best food you will ever taste, this takes fine dining to a whole new level. The food is outstanding, the flavours and presentation are out of this world. The view overlooks the water and opera house and the employees are all very friendly, polite, professional and welcoming.

Poor quality. Disappointed in the food overall the raw fish dish stank a little then we were pressured to ordering the mousse which KFC mousse is definitely superior to, and served with a candle for my birthday that ended burning half of it.

I get why this place is "hatted". This was gold standard from the moment the door was opened for us.

This restaurant will suit some, but not others, My mother-in-law just didnt understand the concept. I think some of the courses were masterstrokes but others fell flat. For the price, i expect every course to be something out of masterchef.not just every second dish.

Fantastic experience, thoroughly enjoyable, would highly recommend, especially for the special occasions.

Wanting a special way to celebrate our wedding anniversary we were not let down by Aria. The level of service was of a very high standard. Cocktails delicious and unique. We had the Taster menu and each dish and cleanser were exquisite. If you only only have the opportunity to have one fine dining experience you won’t got wrong by having it Aria. Plus the view we had was unbelievable the Bridge and Opera House in prime view. Thank you to the team at Aria.

Unprofessional service. My husband and I were celebrating a special day. Had a dinner at Aria restaurant, we were left unnoticed/unattended for very long during our meals. Food was good except that mash potato was way too salty, it was a struggle to get staff notice even we were looking around many times. The waiter who introduced dishes / wine were very indifferent, showing no warmth and welcome at all. Overall I wouldn’t recommend Aria to anyone.

We were welcomed with a smile and showed our table. The view was amazing as we had a window seat although I felt the temperature of the restaurant could have been warmer! The staff during dinner were professional, but aloof and made no attempt to engage with us and make us feel welcome.

We ordered the 7 course tasting menu! Each serving was enjoyable, but lacked the wow factor we were hoping for especially for the price at such a esteemed restaurant. One of the courses was a sorbet, which is a palate cleanser not a course.

I asked the Maitre d if she could do something a little special for my partner’s birthday. She seemed very uninterested in my request and nothing eventuated.
We left disappointed and felt we did not get value for money!
We will not be returning to Aria!

We had the seasonal tasting menu with the matching wine pairing and it was an exceptional culinary journey. From the service, to food, to the expertly curated advice of the sommelier, and the overall ambience, the experience was faultless. Can't wait till we're back there again.

Celebrated Mother's Day at Aria was a brilliant choice.

Not only have I received a call to confirm the reservation a couple of days prior to the day, Aria team not only have confirmed and took notice of the nut allergy of our kid, but also have surprisingly accommodated our wish to be seated next to the window.

Mother's Day set menu was fairly well considered, and the duck was an absolute highlight, along with well thought out kids menu. Service was impeccable, following COVID restrictions to the dot, accommodating and made us feel safe and welcomed in a clearly very busy night.

It is an luxury being able to do dine in an iconic restaurant in challenging times, and thanks to Aria making this experience outstanding. A happy mum as an outcome was absolutely priceless.

We recently dined at Aria and found the service, drinks and ambiance exceptional. Unfortunately, although beautifully presented not all of the dishes were to our liking. The tuna, and both desserts we ordered were lovely. The snow crab and monk fish were ok but lacking a bit of wow factor. Unfortunately the goat, although tasty, was extremely tough and stringy (even for a pulled meat). Likewise the duck breast both of us ordered had tough sinew running through both of the small pieces served in the dish, spoiling this dish for us. Had the servings been larger or price been lower we could have overlooked the above but for the price and size of the dishes we expected a much higher standard. Again couldn’t fault the service and the cocktails were extremely nice, but we couldn’t justify returning given our experience of the dishes.

Perfect night out to celebrate my Grandma's 101st birthday - took the best care of us and the food was divine - we had the tasting menu and the monkfish was to die for. The parsnip dessert was also amazing