Review Donny's Bar And Restaurant - Manly

This is my first time visit to Sydney, so I got on the cruise and arrived Manly Beach. We had a Tuesday special steak , very good fries and steak. We also asked the bar to prepare two cocktails, which were very delicious. Very relaxing here and enjoy the music very much 👍

Great customer service with good drinks and food was not bad (kingfish ceviche from their Cali menu was good). Music was at a good volume - not too loud. Nice location too, slightly tucked away from the main esplanade area

Such a nice vibe, playing great music for those of us born in the 90's. The happy hour special is such good value, and such delicious cocktails. Food was fantastic and staff were chill and friendly - will definitely be back.

Last Sunday my table was informed about the $10 margaritas of which the server said “we have the pulled pork and cauliflower tacos for $3 and $10 Margaritas”. We then continued to order the tacos and selected margaritas from the menu in following of her instructions (3 cocktails each). It was only at the very end when we went to pay that we were informed it was only the “Tommy margaritas” were $10. This was very poorly communicated and demonstrated poor employee knowledge and helpfulness. We were then charged $20 for all our cocktails of which the waiter did not inform us that these were in fact NOT apart of the $10 margaritas. We are just very disappointed in the customer experience here and felt that the waiter should have communicated this with us instead of SCAMMING us all. Highly disappointed.

Great place for a few late afternoon drinks outside and dog friendly. We even got given a water bowl :)

over price! but tacoos is good😳 service just average

I had dinner and drinks upstairs last night and it was excellent! Food is great, amazing cocktails and great live music. It’s a special spot which I think is the best in Manly.

Happy hours 5-7 pm. Tuesday special was $ 5 steak, chips and salad, with any alcohol purchase. So basically, 200 gram sirloin, I ordered medium, came almost well done. I don’t bother complaining, since it was $5 steak, and my pale ale on tab cost me $9.50. Yup, the drink is more expensive to substitute cost of steak.

Happy hours 5-7 pm.<br/>Tuesday special was $ 5 steak, chips and salad, with any alcohol purchase.<br/>So basically, 200 gram sirloin, I ordered medium, came almost well done.<br/>I don’t bother complaining, since it was $5 steak, and my pale ale on tab cost me $9.50.<br/>Yup, the drink is more expensive to substitute cost of steak.

Donnys is a cute little bar in Manly. Its two stories, upstairs is a small dining area and downstairs in where all the fun is. They have live music, two seperate drinking areas. The cocktails are great, staff are very experienced and can make you anything you like. The food is simple but super tasty. Its a good place to go for a drink and snacks. Could be a good mid week date night or a drink with girls.

One of my favourite bars in Manly! It’s small however has Cool vibes, nice staff and great deals including happy hour 5-7pm 2-4-1 Cocktails woo! The food is really good also.

Nice Bar tucked away behind manly wharf with both outdoor and indoor seating. It's dog friendly outdoors which is a plus. Simple menu with possible vegan options. Comfort food without the grease and not dripping in oil. Unfortunately only had one beer on draught but the cider choices made up for this. Helpful staff and nice atmosphere

Arrived at 6.20 pm on a Tuesday only one Peterson in the bar who was caught up pouring cocktails ... We waited 15 mins without any interaction at bar so left... <br/>Yes bit disappointed... Good bar but always disappointed because wait time is always very long...<br/>Have been there on weekends when good vibe.. But not enough at staff<br/>

Great little find. Quirky decor, relaxed atmosphere. Popped in on a Friday evening, had some of the share plates and the cheeseboard. Pricey wine, but good selection. Pleasant staff, no complaints! Will def visit again.

It was blueberry, vanilla, lemon and Persian Fairy Floss on top. The fresh fruit flavours of the blueberry and the amazing streak of vanilla and the tangy lemon pair together like a beautiful velvety symphony of flavours and experience... and that's before I even get to the fairy floss. The Fairy Floss adds to the aesthetics of the wine, its beautiful. As it is gently placed on top of the cocktail it starts to dissolve, into this rich sugar mixture in the cocktail. The grainy semi-dissolved fairy floss has this amazing texture and adds to the drinking experience...you'll absolutely love it.

To me, Donny’s is still trying to figure itself out. I think you either specialise in burgers or in dumplings – you can’t really do both. Otherwise your poor guests get way too mixed up. But Donny’s definitely has potential, and the space has such a cool vibe that it would be great as a spot for drinks and nibbles (as I’m sure many of you have discovered already!).

This small bar/restaurant is buzzy: it’s probably not the place to come to wind down, but rather to wind up.

I have to say that the drinks at Donny’s are pretty darn great. The menu is extensive enough, and I’m pretty sure they’re putting new stuff on the menu all the time, given that they’ve barely been open 3 weeks at the time of my visit.

Donny's Bar has a real charm to it incorporating a two-storey New York loft style with a relaxed Australian bar. They have a great menu too - dumplings and modern Australian tapas with a bit of an Asian influence.

Richie's signature dish follows - Barramundi & Salmon Wellington. Twice baked Tasmanian salmon & ocean barramundi stuffed w/ baby capers, roast capsicum, sun dried tomato, garlic prawns, asparagus layered on a basil & lime puree.

05/09/2014 My Experience. Dining 7PM 05/09/2014 : Down stairs a great bar with live entertainment. Upstairs unfortunately the food is sub standard and not fresh (The Snapper $32 unfortunately reeked and was inedible) coupled with an arrogant head chef whom ignored our feedback. However brilliant service from Alexia who deserves to be employed at a restaurant more suitable to her professionalism. Also Donny's removed our review from their facebook page immediately!

Great place shame about the bar staff. Rolled in on a rainy Tuesday night after work for one drink. Rolled out no drinks later - the girl behind the bar was rude and not interested in serving us at all. it seems the coffee machine really really needed cleaning right then. for ten minutes. how strange.

Terrible service. We were keen to go to this cool looking bar in Manly. We walked in and were met with a blank stare from the female server behind the bar. We were not sure what to order, she was impatient and could not be bothered answering our questions about the wine. Abrupt, rude, one drink and we left. Shame.

Great small bar! Blood oran.... Great small bar!<br/>Blood orange and chilli margaritas were perfect<br/>Friendly bar staff, fantastic live music. Will be back

Rude bar staff. The girl was very sour, disinterested & texting friends all night.

GREAT SUNDAY LUNCH. Just had Sunday lunch at Donny's and thoroughly enjoyed it. Food was delicious, fresh, well cooked and nicely presented. Wait staff were friendly and efficient. Would recommend it.

Disappointing. When I first looked at the menu I was a bit confused, as I wasn't sure if Donn'y is trying to be a wonton den or a tapas bar or a fine dining restaurant. We were excited though by "Donny's signature dish" Barramundi & salmon wellington - which turned out to be nothing like a traditional wellington. It was half a piece of (overcooked and dry) salmon, and the same of Barramundi, with a (minuscule) pool of capers in the middle and ONE prawn on the side. Granted, this dish looked incredibly sexy, if only it tasted it for $32!<br/><br/>The wontons ($12 for 5) and duck buns ($11 for 2) were ok, not spectacular. And the tapas dishes were very small (of course, that is not only at Donny's). The beef steak ($14) was delicious but I would say only about 150g; chicken satay ($15) was nice enough, Haloumi ($16 for $4 worth) was undercooked and floppy. The weird shredded chorizo and (only 4) prawns was also very under exciting.<br/><br/>All of these dishes came with the same base of bland, undressed salad greens.<br/><br/>Dessert, again we were excited by a very small menu (two items) surely they are perfection.....incorrect. The Sticky Rice ($13) came as two golf sized gelatinous balls, it had a nice coconut flavour but had a strange, chewy texture. Not a hint of cinnamon or pear to be tasted in the syrup.<br/>The Cheesecake ($12) was a hardly shareable slice which was just a cheesecake, nothing spectacular at all.<br/><br/>Added to two bottles of wine ($70 for the Pinot Noir), this was about $80/head for a very uninspired, un-filling meal.<br/><br/>The staff and atmosphere are quite nice (although the live music seemed rather deafening in the attic space) though, so would recommend for a cocktail or glass of wine, but save your pennies on the food.

What an experience! Atmosph.... What an experience!<br/>Atmosphere ++ & a barman with ultimate flair<br/>I will go as far as saying the Goodlooking Swedish man behind the bar is a creative Mixologist bringing a touch of Europe to Manly. <br/>An experience not to be missed and planets ahead of similar bars/eateries located on the Manly Esplanade. <br/>Donny's is a must see Destination

Terrible service. Sat on the upstairs section for dinner and when we arrived and mentioned our reservation, the waitress made us feel like we'd interrupted whatever it was she was doing. Ordered our meals which then arrived and we had to ask for plates and chopsticks. Finished our meals and the waitress brought us the bill without asking if we wanted dessert which we did. We were overcharged on some dumplings we ordered. There was another waitress that we also dealt with that seemed like the most miserable person on the planet. I must say that the food was mostly really nice but the service was actually laughable it was so bad.

Amazing. Came here for an anniversary with my girlfriend, I cannot fault this place, apart from the fact I may be a bit too bulky to travel down your spiral staircase after enjoying just a good meal. Came here on a groupon voucher for a 3 course dinner, booking was accepted on the night. How do I even begin the food was amazing, the service was exceptional and very efficient. Try this for time, me and my partner finished a 3 course, cooked to perfection in an hour! The chef is very skilled and open to suggestions. The place is tucked in an alley, I loved the atmosphere and design of the restaurant, perfect for a catch up or an intimate gathering. I will definitely come back. Keep up the good work!!

Diamond in the rough. This venue is well worth the detour off the main strip. The service was impeccable - we were well attended, staff was cheerful and the timing of the deliveries was perfect. The dumplings are great and far better than those I've had in Chinatown. The mezze plates were ideal for the four of us, with ample warm bread served with good quality dips. The tapas plates which followed were reasonably good value - they were great quality and priced accordingly. Thankfully, despite what I've read elsewhere, our wine was served in wine glasses, rather than jars, so don't believe all that you read in past reports! The venue itself is lovely. The live music helps to create a relaxed and friendly environment. The downstairs area was quite crowded and noisy upon our arrival at around 7pm (which could be great if not intending to dine downstairs), but thankfully the seating area upstairs was quieter, very comfortable and more amenable to dining with friends.<br/><br/>A big thank you to you wonderful staff at Donny's!

Went with some friends on Saturday night & had a great night. The 3 piece band (Skye High) were awesome & really made the night. The food was good & whilst it's not cheap (nothing's cheap in Sydney) it's good value for money. I highly recommend it for a night out with friends; but too noisy for an intimate date.

Mediocre. Food was ok, a bit over priced. Nice bar but didn't get the chance to sit upstairs, which looks very cosy and inviting. Service was questionable. We were ignored most of the time despite being the some of the only people in the restaurant. Extensive cockail list.

Visited Donny's on a Saturday night for drinks and tapas and ordered the haloumi, scallops, sliders and prawns & chorizo between two. Whilst everything tasted decent, it all arrived at once, which is inappropriate for tapas, and it all arrived *just* warm. Everything had the potential to be really tasty if it was hot. Also felt the scallops were overpriced at $22 for three dollar-sized scallops, the chorizo and prawns could have had much more flavour (chilli and garlic please!), and the use of the balsamic drizzle over the menu was overdone. To give the guys credit, the waitstaff were perfecty pleasant, the atmosphere is lovely, the downstairs small bar is fantastic, and it has the potential for a really great menu. Think they just need to work on a few execution things! Would return back here, but would probably be more specific about timing of tapas delivery and speak up if the food was cold once more!