This place has been an institution at the Spot in Randwick for decades, and it’s not hard to understand why. They make excellent pizzas and pastas, the atmosphere is casual and relaxed, and the service is fast, friendly and polite. A medium-sized pizza - more than enough to satisfy a healthy appetite - will set you back only $16, or the large $22.
Eight of us dined here on a weeknight in April and, after our 25% Ent Book discount we paid a modest $126 for one pasta dish, five medium pizzas, two small pizzas, two salads and two bottles of Peroni. That’s outstanding value for money in these awful depressed economic times.
The pizzas are the best you’ll find in the eastern suburbs. They have a thin crusty base with lashings of tasty and flavoursome toppings. There are masses to choose from, but if you still can’t find anything you like, you can design your own. I believe that they’ll even allow you to do a half and half, i.e. half the pizza with one kind, half another. I chose the Campollo, which had tender pieces of chicken fillet, with semi-dried tomato, onions and soft, creamy camembert cheese. As much as I liked it though, prize for the best pizza of the night went to the vegetarian, with it’s mushroom, capsicum, onion, pineapple and tomato. For an accompaniment, we choose two salads: the garden and the Greek. They were smallish, but healthful and nutritious, with fresh ingredients.
Like it’s sister restaurant in Paddington, the interior of Arthur’s Randwick is quite utilitarian, with tiled floors and plain wooden furniture, arranged north-south,, in a rather narrow, cramped space. Nothing much has changed over the past few decades that we’ve been coming here, which I guess is probably why they are able to keep their prices so reasonable. It would be nice though to see the interior freshened up and modernised a bit. The toilets are to be found out the back, down a dimly lit corridor. There’s one male and one female toilet, they’re functional but lacked hand towels.
The night we dined, there wasn’t a big turnout, just a smattering of other diners, which at least kept noise levels reasonable. But this is a popular joint and will always get full on a weekend, so it’s advisable to book.
Service was superb, and I have to hand it to these guys because, despite being under pressure, mainly it seemed from dealing with takeaway orders, they were calm, polite and efficient. Once our order was taken, it didn’t take long for the food to come out; first the drinks, then the salads, then the mains. It all hummed along nicely from start to finish, like a well-oiled machine, and that’s just the way I like it. We arrived at 7pm, and by 8.30pm we were done.
Being situated at the Spot, Randwick’s dining and entertainment hub, parking is always a challenge. I usually don’t even bother trying to find something too close, instead driving straight past and heading for Canberra Street, towards Maroubra, where there are no restrictions after 6pm. I always manage to find a spot there, and it’s about a 15-minute level walk to the restaurant. Easier than struggling to find something closer.
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