Devon Cafe Barangaroo

It wasn't that busy, but our dishes were dropped onto our table without being asked which was who's dishes. Pretty poor attitude from the staff I must say. The breakfast with the Sakuma's was really good despite the subpar service, which let the whole experience down.

Is it even legal to impose a $20 charge per person for an 8-person table reservation? On the day of the reservation, my group was placed outside, which I hadn't been told about when I booked. The restaurant is situated in a particularly windy area, and I specifically requested indoor seating. However, I was told my group couldn’t go inside because there was still a reservation. This seemed absurd, especially since those tables remained empty even after we left. One of my companions was an older lady who shouldn’t have to sit outside in the cold. When we inquired about the heat lamps on the deck, the staff rolled their eyes as they begrudgingly handed them to us. Our server, however, stood out as the only positive aspect of our experience. I wouldn’t have even considered dining there if it hadn’t been for the unreasonable $20 per head charge.

This was certainly not something I wanted to deal with while making funeral arrangements. Is it even legal to charge $20 per person for a simple reservation for eight? On the day of my reservation, my group was seated outside, which I hadn’t been informed about when I booked the table. The restaurant is in a very windy location, and I had specifically requested to be seated indoors. I was told that my group couldn’t be accommodated inside due to another reservation, but it was frustrating to see that those tables remained empty even after we left. I had an elderly woman with me who shouldn’t have been sitting outside in the cold. When we asked for a blanket and heat lamps, the staff member handed us the blanket while rolling her eyes. On a positive note, our server was fantastic—he was truly the only good aspect of our experience. If it weren't for the outrageous $20 charge per person, I doubt I would have chosen to dine here at all.

I believe the young man who served us was new; I had several questions about ordering and birthday cake, but he couldn’t provide answers and mentioned I would need to check with management. Unfortunately, I was having my own management meeting and didn’t have time to follow up, and the other staff members were busy, so he didn’t ask on my behalf. I still don’t have any answers. However, I’ve already recommended this café to some colleagues because I think it’s a wonderful place. The ability to book a table online was one of the reasons I chose Devon initially.

The weekend reservation process could use some improvement. While one of the servers was excellent, the others appeared rushed and lacking in interest.