Review The London Hotel - Balmain

This is one of my favourite local pubs. The staff are friendly and the food is amazing. It’s also pet friendly so lots of cute fur babies around. I love the outdoor seating. It’s nice to sit outside on the stools with street view.

Done up beautifully inside this pub has been in operation for 140 odd years. Also pet friendly and with a decent menu. The menu lacks vegetarian choices and that’s somewhat unfortunate. My fish and chips was nice and service was friendly. I will be back here again. It’s in our neighborhood and a place I have come to off and on for almost two decades.

Great old pub. Still quite original. Food and atmosphere fantastic. Looking forward to going back

Since the new licensee took over (Nov 2021) the London has gone from strength to strength. The beautiful heritage interiors have been restored, the wine list (including by the glass) and tap selection is great, and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. As always, it's the best place for people watching from the balcony or street. The new tables have made this the "must be" place in balmain on a nice afternoon. Dogs (well behaved on lead) are welcomed. And a special mention for their Aussie sparkling wine by the glass which is really good quality.

Amazing old school pub. Beautiful heritage building with modern twist to enhance the experience. We ordered our usual which usually consists of salt n pepper quid, chips (sweet or normal), wings and 2 beers. Reasonably priced and well worth the winter charm Balmain has to offer. There is outdoor seating and heaters.

Extremely well preserved, clean, renovated all over including bathrooms. You can sit outside, on the balcony facing the street or inside. Obviously tables, bar table and balcony bar tables are the choices. It was my first time and I had the chicken burger which was good, I will try their burgers and bar food on my next visits which I believe is going to be even better. It was well staffed, got my food on a timely manner although they were busy. Price was reasonable and the vibe was perfect. It's a nice local place and I know that locals cherish this stablishment.

We had a fabulous Christmas dinner for 20 people reasonably priced on Sunday 3rd July, food was amazing, efficient friendly service, great to see a manager with wonder people skills and making everyone feel special and welcome, warm and inviting environment. Can’t wait to get back and try the seafood chowder smelt amazing.

Great food with friendly staff and a top Gaffa. Outside street setting is quality in the afternoon autumn sun.

The London Hotel is by far my favourite pub in the Balmain peninsula, and easily in my top 3 favourites in Sydney. It's a warm, relaxing, inviting pub with cozy wooden interior, rustic facade that retains a subtle nod to times gone by, in a classy and upmarket area. If you don't know the history of the pub, it was once upon a time rough as guts venue. If the walls could talk oh the stories they would tell. <br/><br/>Sitting on the balcony nursing a cold beer watching the hustle and bustle of Darling Street is one of the nicer things in life. A great view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and if that gets boring, well, maybe you're the boring one. <br/><br/>A great selection of beers on tap, with a healthy Crafty selection and good wines to boot. Food wise a little pricy for the area but the portion sizes are more tha adequate and good quality pub grub whether ordering off the bistro menu or dining in their more classy restaurant. The staff from the management through to the younger crew manning the taps are friendly, knowledgeable and always cheerful. <br/><br/>All in all a great Sydney pub and Balmain institution. Definitely worth a stop by for a beer or two if on the area. As I no longer live in the area, I do miss this place which was once upon a time my local.

One of my favourite pubs in Sydney. <br/>This place hasn’t changed in years and I don’t want it to.<br/>Get yourself a seat at the bar and chat with the other Balmain locals. <br/>A very popular spot to start a pub craw, bucks or hens party. <br/>The bistro food is good to fuel up too. Get the Black Angus fillet!

I ordered a pad Thai with chicken and I asked for extra chicken. This request seemed to be really difficult to handle and the result was that I couldn’t get extra chicken and that there was “ample chicken” in it. I also asked for chilli to be added. The serve arrived with very little chicken as I suspected. I was happy to pay for the extra chicken too. The dish was nice but lacked some protein!

Tried to get beer at 7:40pm but apparently Sydney uni had a long weekend and they got all there yuppie (yet to hit puberty) bar tenders to serve. I am a 30 year old man with a wife and 2 children who wouldn't get served because of some young punks ego. I say these (try hard) hipster bars need to take a chill pill and head back to the Aussie way... and that's to drink beer with no interruptions.

Took my daughter here for a Father's Day dinner. She ate the crispy chicken burger (more like a schnitzel) which was crammed with avocado, various other flavour enhancers and a giant pile of chips on the side.  I had a Caesar salad as I wasn't hungry after eating all day. It was very nice as was the schooner of 100 Lashes I downed with it.<br/><br/>Came to around $38 which was reasonable.

Attended a private birthday lunch function last Saturday at this beautiful old world pub. The Chef, Steve, did an amazing job producing a delicious 3 course meal for around 36 guests.  Chrissy, the maitre-d and Deb were so attentive and charming to all the guests needs.  Food service all ran like clockwork; drinks were plentiful and nothing was too much trouble.  They all helped make this special occasion such a wonderful day.  When I'm next up in Sydney again I will definitely be dining at The London Hotel in Balmain.

Called in for Sunday lunch and was immediately turned off at the amount of large dogs inside the pub.Dogs are laying all over the place where patrons are being served food.I was horrified to see one staff member patting dogs and then bringing plates of food to the tables without washing her hands.Didnt try the food as the lack of hygiene turned us off.All four of us who were there are dog lovers,but there is no place for mangy dogs to be where food is also being consumed.DISGUSTING !!!!!

Watch out for Andrew and his dog! Once he gets talking he won't stop, just a lonely local trying to make friends. <br/><br/>Steak was good, just needed to be a better cut for the price paid. (Rump) well cooked and great chips & mushroom gravy. <br/><br/>Mexican shnity was ok, back in the day it had Pineapple, guoc, mince meat and ham! All removed from just some jalapeños these days :( <br/><br/>Great pub all round.

Unlike its neighboring pub East Village further down the road, which was known for its craft beers, the London Hotel appealed to the more generic market with standard no frill drinking options such as James Squire and Tooheys New. The clientele looked a bit rougher and rowdier as well, not sure if it was related to the choice of beers. On a positive note it was dog friendly and there were a few tails wagging when we were there. As our dinner reservation approached we rushed down the drink, walked pass half a dozen smokers crowding the front door and never looked back.

What a lovely find!! Hidden away down the more quiet end of Balmain the local gem has wonderful views of the harbour bridge from their small balcony seatings. Order the chicken winds n garlic bread entrees. Wonderfully tasty, fast delivery and service with a smile! Very satisfying!!

Balmain has more pubs than you can shake a stick at. So making a plan to visit every pub in Balmain is no small commitment. But as they say, someone's got to do it. We kicked off our Balmain pub crawl with a visit to the London Hotel. This turned out to be a good call. Gorgeous historic pub, friendly crowd and good food. The menu is classic pub food - burgers, steak sandwiches etc, cooked well and with generous serving sizes. The mushroom burger was humungous, and the steak sandwich was also very respectable. Off to a flying start!

Went here Friday night. Great atmosphere and friendly staff. Menu a bit of a mixed bag. I had the wagyu steak and chips (they were actually fries) $39 and my dinner companion had the tenderloin steak and mash $34. Very overpriced especially for a pub meal. Needed something else on the plate like some steamed greens. It was well cooked and tasty. Drinks reasonably priced.

Riding on the wave of a great pie, I pulled into Balmain’s London Hotel just as the sun was setting. The much vied for balcony seats allow you a crackin’ view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Needless to say in a pub gearing up for a second Rugby World Cup match (the All Blacks and Argentina) I didn’t get one! What I did get was my pie of the day – the London ham hock pie. Built on a short, house-made piecrust, the gently stewed ham hocks were topped with creamy potato puree and accompanied by a crisp, well-dressed salad. The bar manager called it “a first principles pie” where everything from the pastry shell to the red wine jus was made in house. The pie’s honesty and integrity suited the preservative and chemical free beer perfectly.

...it has a steak focus, judging from the bovine artworks on the walls. Chef Steve is the creator of the contest pie.

Rude staff, even worse drinks. Never go their for a nice drink. Staff are rude and don't know how to treat their customers. Highly recommend not going!!!!

The London Hotel was definitely one of my favourite pubs a few years ago often there for drinks and dinner. Went there with my family to enjoy a meal and was disgusted. The staff were rude and arrogant. Never again.

The worst fish and chips I've ever had! Soggy, oily and gross. This is basic stuff that a pub like this should be nailing perfectly every time. Prob the last time I'll spend my money here on food!

Fantastic establishment. Walked in to a friendly environment that made you feel welcome the moment you step through the door. Greeted with a smile when ordering drinks by a lovely staff member. Soon found a seat and ordered what had to be one of the most lovely lunches. Food was amazing. Price was spot on and really could not fault such a wonderful place. <br/><br/>Highly recommended and with such wonderful people will soon have me back again.

Went there for a feed and a couple of beers with my girlfriend - really nice place and staff are quite nice but the food is dreadful - ordered a snitzel each (normally a safe choice) and it was dreadful. The flavour was so strange and it took me a little while to flag it with the staff as I'm usually not one to complain at all when food is put in front of me! They reserved our snitzel to find the same strange taste I'm not sure what the problem was but I will never return- very unusual for a Balmain pub let alone a Sydney pub feed!

Fantastic. Dined within a group of 10 on a busy Sat night<br/><br/>Food: 8.5/10<br/>Ambiance: 7/10<br/>Service: 9/10<br/>Value: 9/10<br/><br/>I've had a counter meal or two from the London Hotel in recent years & always enjoyed the experience<br/><br/>Sit down dining in a group that would be considered large for the available space & presumably the kitchen is a little daunting. The service was very friendly & attentive without being over bearing or intrusive (more on this down page) but it was clear from the hard wood floors we'd be projecting our voices to be heard!<br/><br/>The menu is modest but retains good choices. Entrees followed breads & the break in conversation by all at the table was a great endorsement for the predominant order of seafood <br/><br/>The mains were predominantly steak (men) & lamb (women) & again the conversation was muted through mouth fulls of satisfied enjoyment. Perfectly prepared & cooked meat (especially steaks) isn't usually expected when ordered in a group but that's what we received! Portion size is generous & removed the guilt of dessert for all but one of our diners<br/><br/>Complimentary drinks & a nice personable conversation with the maitre d rounded out a great, relaxed night <br/><br/>I'd have no hesitation in dining again & often!

There are few things better than sitting on the balcony at The London, watching the world go by while enjoying a London Burger and a schooner of Redback. Highly recommended!