Could not believe the rudeness of the Chinese barman. Absolutely disgusting environment, he was totally revolting. I have a disability with my eyes meaning I cannot look myself He refused to serve me a beer telling me I was swaying. I only had one drink all night in a previous place and he chased me when my friend bought me a drink and argued that I was over limit which I wasn't. Absolutely disgusting
Great place for a drink with friends and colleagues
Great location in the heart of the rocks. Feels like a secret bar down a narrow alley and underground.
Beautiful hide out , cozy atmosphere and the mulled wine was to die for
What a treat. Beautiful location in historical building in the Rocks. This intimate basement bar has nailed their atmosphere. It made for a great mid week catch up with friends.
We ordered a whisky flight which was well thought out. Very enjoyable. The selection of whisky is simply astounding.
The focus is clearly on the whisky in the best possible way, but the cheese board we ordered was generous and varied in its offerings and was a nice compliment to our whisky flight.
I didn't try any cocktails however they had a fairly extensive list of those, as well. Beer and wine (albeit in fewer number than spirits) are also on offer.
Recommended for whisky lovers, or those seeking a quiet setting for a close gathering of friends over drinks.
Will absolutely return!
The vibe was awesome. Hidden down some steps at the back of a terrace. The courtyard was lovely and lit up and the inside was moody yet welcoming. Staff were super friendly and knowledgeable. Most importantly the cocktails were great and the music not too loud so we could hear each other talk! Will visit again!
Been there on a Saturday night. Vibe of the place is great but live music was a bit too loud for the venue size.
Having said that the one star goes for the awful service:
Ordered a meat platter and 30 minutes, three enquiries later I was still waiting for it when I decided to cancel it. The manager, despite being involved in the cancellation made no effort to fix the situation.
Appalling
Wow, VERY cool bar in the rocks, wish I found it sooner. You ll see a small whiskey bar sign with an arrow in the street, and walk around to the back courtyard to find a stairs into the basement. Bartenders are awesome and will help you find a solid drink, including any local spirits you may want. Lots of sitting places too if you prefer to the bar area. Highly recommended for drinks!
Very poor selection of whiskey for a whiskey bar.. everything we ordered was not available because they had none left! Been here for 30 mins and still haven t got a drink.. so poor
Love big poppas, so this place definitely won me over as soon as I walked in. Cozy warm space to start the night with a cocktail and some cheese. Unfortunately, had to take a star away due to the inexperienced bartender, who just simply took way to long to make a couple of cocktails. Tip to management please avoid using people that are too inexperienced on a busy Saturday evening.
A not so touristy bar in a very touristy location. Drinks choice is great, and service is excellent
Fabulous atmosphere and a fun pace to be. Excellent range of whiskeys.
The worst experience at bar ever. After drinking 2 cacktail, I came here and they refused serving in harsh way.
Great service. Could do better with the variety of whiskey.
Amazing hidden gem buried in the Rocks!! Great service and atmosphere, highly recommend to all enthusiasts of spirits (especially whisky or rye!)
Great little bar but they need to sort out their staff. I was in there on Sunday gone and the music and atmosphere was great but the service was shocking.
There was 3 staff members behind the bar and it wasn't even packed and it took a minimum of 20 minutes each time to get a drink, after 3 trips to the bar I had to get out of there. No sense of urgency from the staff, need, they a good kick up the arse.
Lovely ambience in a delightful setting. Settle back in a gentleman's sitting room and sip on a scotch or 5.(tasting plates are wonderful) or enjoy one of their signature cocktails. (staff are also lovely. Thanks Eric the bartender for the delicious recommendations
Doss house is a cool underground whiskey and cocktail bar. One my favorites in Sydney, not least because the cocktails are seasonal and innovative, go real well with the whiskey and gin, but also because of the environment and top notch staff.
Great atmosphere. Perfect for a pre or after dinner drink.
Great drinks and an exciting location. Very different.
This is such a fantastic little bar, one of my favorites in Sydney. Great cocktails, wine and Guinness. Staff are awesome as well - came here on Sunday for the live music and they were great to get us a seat near the band.
Great new find, good whiskey selection and never too rammed
I love this place. Such service and knowledge. I can't wait to go again.
One of my favourite bars in Sydney. Love the live music. Great ambiance. Great service and drinks. Will be coming back.
We made a reservation for a Friday night at 5:30. The doorman was friendly, and we checked in and were shown to our table straight away. Most of the tables and chairs were reserved at that time so I would definitely recommend doing that via their website because you may not be seated otherwise. We had a cocktail and a whiskey flight. The cocktail was pretty good but took forever to arrive. The whiskey flight was a set flight which ended up being more expensive than if we had ordered the individual whiskies, so they need to reevaluate that. The servers also didn't really know about flights or pricing so it took several of them to provide the information to us. We left after one drink because the drinks, service, and wait times were nothing to write home about.
First of all, the staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. There are a variety of whiskeys to choose from. Try to cheese platter or a slice of cheese.
It's a great place to come and chill. Went on a Tuesday night. It was pretty low key which was perfect. But That may change during the weekends.
Highly recommend this bar.
great atmosphere, friendly service, good drinks, fun hideaway in the rocks
If you're into this sort of thing (cramped indie bars serving cocktails out of tins and jars) it's probably fantastic.
Ridiculously knowledgeable staff, cozy vibe and a product range that's great for trying new things.
What a lovely little bar. Beautiful setting with reasonable prices. The letdown was the one delinquent barstaff with the personality of a stale, dry sausage roll, the charm of an uneducated PETA armchair activist and the drink-mixing skills of my great aunty (she's Amish). We've been coming here for years and hope to continue, but save your opinions for Facebook. Ps 2 year olds don't even use plastic straws anymore.
I need to come back here. The staff are great and make amazing cocktails. It's a great place to sit and talk, the layout works best for pairs and small groups. Oh and I'd recommend the meat and cheese platters! Try the kangaroo prosciutto.
It's too small and there isn't any fresh air unless you're in the outside area. The bar is understaffed so it will take ages to get a drink.
Bar people inexperienced and rude
Won t be revisiting
Disappointing
Great underground pub. We went there on a Sunday night for an Irish music special and had lots of fun!
Scotch and whiskey of all sorts. Also Very good beer!
Covid has ruined the vibes.. but it's still a small cosy bar with so much history. I still love it!
I had a disappointing experience when I visited yesterday. I was inspired to go, having seen Dermot Bannon, an Irish architect, visit it as part of his TV shows. He interviewed an Irish expat who I thought managed the place.
My experience started badly when I smiled at a staff member who simply glared back. I then ordered a Guinness. There were 2 men behind the bar and one was in training as the other man asked if he knew how to pour a Guinness. He said yes but he should have said no...he poured it in one go and didn't allow it to settle. They gave it to me while it was still settling (we all know Guinness takes a while to settle and I'd expect an Irish expat's bar to know this too). As a consequence, I didn't get a full pint. I didn't get a thank you from the barman either, just the same glare that the other staff member gave me initially.
We sat down in a booth and every couple of minutes waitresses would come to the doorway (about 3 metres from where we were seated), look at us then walk away. They never approached us or spoke to us to see if we wanted to order food or another drink. Bear in mind it was 5pm on a Thursday and there were maybe 2 other groups of people in the bar.
I asked where the toilets were to a group of 4 staff members who were just chatting to each other. Their explanation of go up the stairs, turn left and go up the stairs was not clear as there are 2 sets of stairs after you go up the first set and so I ended up in a private house...I asked again and a staff member clarified that they were wooden stairs...she said this while trying to run away from me, no doubt to help out to the 2 groups of people that the other 4 staff members couldn't take care of...maybe an additional sign would help?
It's a beautifully fitted out bar but the service was a huge letdown that cannot be blamed on being busy. They just didn't seem to care. The only person who did was the Asian looking man with long hair who served my friends who was very helpful with the Irish and Scottish gin suggestions. I suggest the others take a leaf out of his book.
Bar staff very professional and have passion about the beautiful drinks they make. Will 100% come back for a bushmans sour!!!
Clara is the best host I've ever met. The most amazing experience. Thank you for making my friends 30th something to remember
Great atmosphere and drinks but we waited 45 minutes for a drink which never came and then we're offered a drink at the same price. This also was never delivered.
Quirky but super nice. Guinness is really good and the staff are all super friendly.
Awesome little hideaway in the rocks, big on the whisky
Magnificent bar in the bowels of the historic Rocks with amazing back story. Quality cocktails as well as the usual refreshments.
Great little cocktail bar tucked away in the Rocks. Service was a little slow but the menu was impressive.
this is a ridiculously cool bar that we almost walked right pass - i'm so glad we didn't. I can't wait to go back already.
Came across this amazing bar one Sunday evening. Staff and crowd were brilliant and so was the live music and atmosphere. Thank you!
Very nice venue. Knowledgeable, friendly staff. Would like to visit again and try more of the whiskey on offer.
Fabulous addition to the drinking scene in The Rocks. And a building with real history. In the basement, with lots of nooks and crannies, the Doss House should be on your list.
It will get 5 stars when they improve the Old Fashioned. A little too bitter, and not enough orange coming through. A work in progress.
Hard to find but worth it when you do! Staff are friendly and very attentive. Only 4 small rooms but so cosy and full of history.
Cute basement bar, dark and intimate with a heritage ambiance. Get in early before it fills out and I suspect it will get popular over the coming months. There s some great cocktails; both classics and a modern twist, wine and beers. The whisky selection comes recommended and there s some light bar food.
I ve been in Sydney for 10 years, and I can honestly say I ve never found a better cocktail bar. On any normal day, this would just have been another hidden gem that my partner and I stumbled upon, but in the midst of covid-19 restrictions and capacity limits in restaurants, our experience here felt even more special. After trying and failing to get in to 2 other spots in the city, we remembered The Doss House was on our list of places to try out. Even from the start, this spot was special. You walk in from a busy street, down a hallway and an extra flight of stairs to head into an underground whisky joint. An amazing hostess named Emily greeted us when we came in. Instead of turning us away, she made it work and led us to the bar. While we generally enjoy more of a lounge vibe, getting a spot at the bar was the best thing that happened to us. The bartenders were some of the best we ve ever come across. Anthony and Rumtin were exceptional. They were well versed in all the available whiskeys, made craft drinks based on our specific tastes, all the while engaging with us and ensuring we felt welcome. This would have been impressive even if we were the only ones in the bar, but we weren t. This bar was pumping. They probably put out over 100 drinks while we were there but if you weren t paying attention you wouldn t have known. These two were professionals in every aspect of the word. There is no doubt well be back. It s rare to find a place that has both incredible service and people, but we ve found it here.
Looks nice, needs a stronger whisky selection, and prices seem a bit high but I guess that's the overhead of the rocks
Beautiful venue. Terrible service. My partner asked for a tumbler for his 18 dollar whiskey, and was told that he could not have one as it was for expensive drinks. The bartender also clearly had no clue what he was doing as he put the ice in his whiskey before pouring the 4 Guinness that I also ordered. So by the time al the drinks were ready the ice had completely melted. Above that, the waitress had to be asked 3 times for Napkins as they weren t brought with the food we ordered and not to mention the waitresses were all terribly rude.
What a shame for such a gorgeous setting and location.
What a cool venue set in the architecture of the rocks. Low ceilings and amazing atmosphere. Staff were skilled and friendly. Made some amazing whiskey sours. One of my favourites, give it a visit!
Good when not busy but loses its cosy atmosphere when larger tables dominated by loud beer drinking groups. The venue and service are very good.
Awesome selection of whiskey, chilled vibe. Awesome music playing and great design throughout. Worth a visit you will not be disappointed.
Cosy higgledy piggedly space full of nooks and cranies. Nice atmosphere and whiskey selection and helpful friendly staff.
Stunning little bar, Irish owned. Fantastic hospitality, great Guinness & whiskey
I ll definitely be back for the trad Sunday sessions.
I'm not a drinker but went here with some friends and the atmosphere was so cozy and totally suited my historical bent. Worth a look and obviously even more fun if you like a tipple.
Nice, hidden away and cute, great drinks though you wait a hot sec for them!
A lovely hidden place in the Rocks that combines the best of the old world architecture and modern day bar. A small sign is all that tells you that the place is there. You will have your choice of plenty of whiskey and other alcohols all while surrounded by limestone walls in a cosy and warm environment with plenty of friendly staff. Trying to get a seat to perch is the most difficult thing here but it still remains a hidden gem!
Fantastic hidden gem!
Service was great and quick more personality than a lot of another bars in the area. Great selection of drinks and yummy platters. Definitely a must go in Sydney!
Such an amazing spot.. its vintage warm and cozy. Staff are friendly and inviting. Highly recommend this place. I cant wait to go back again.. cocktails are pretty good too!!! :)
I could drink their Guinness all night... very smooth.
Wow! The service is dispicable here. My partner and I were initially greeted by a really friendly team who guided us to our seats and informed us of potential trip hazards along the way. It was all downhill from there. After being seated we waited 15-20mins to have our drinks order taken. Although this was a table service kind of place, I had to go up to the bar twice to remind them we hadn't had our orders taken. One of the times I was dismissed by a staff member saying, "I'll send someone to see you", when he had never seen me before and had no idea where I was seated. And mind you, whilst waiting, the table of 6-8 who had been seated next to (and after) us - got their drinks ordered and served to them already. When our drinks finally came out, our whiskeys were served straight (when we hadn't even been asked how we like to drink our whiskeys). I have no idea what they served us - unlike some other places where the bottle is opened and poured in front of you. Finally we also waited 15 mins to pay our bill. When we informed the wait staff about our disappointing experience, we were met with the classic "what-can-I-do-about-it" emoji in real life. I'd prefer to go elsewhere which is a shame because this place has a lot of potential with great decor and atmosphere. Lift your game Doss House!
Had such a fun night at Doss House - great music and excellent whiskey selection. Even managed to get myself another taste of a brand new Irish whiskey that I discovered when I visited Ireland last year... Can't wait to get back and check out their live music!
Underground, cute vintage feel, crowded. Endless choice of whisky from around the globe. Recommend to book a table or you will be standing and the ceiling isn't very high.
Good for a quick drink or a place to sample different type of whiskey.
High class whisky bar in a colonial era building with over 150 spirits to choose from. Expensive at $11 a pint for Guiness, though that's the price paid for style.
Only got with 10 s here Jimmy Holyman,Ben Sive, Alex Still and especially Will Mcclintock.
Slow service at the bar. Great music, but people were talking loud, so it was hard to hear it. Usually a lot better to both.
This a unique bar, underground in The Rocks. So sandstone walls, low ceilings, lots of nocks and crannies. What an atmosphere. The cocktails are interesting and they have a very extensive whiskey list from around the world. A memorable place to get an adult beverage in Sydney.
Small intimate underground bar with a very good selection of Whiskeys...!
Beautiful atmosphere and lovely selection of drinks. One of the staff was very informative about the whisky selections on Saturday evening. He took the time to find some excellent selections of whiskys and explain the whisky flight selections. Highly recommended for a social outing with friends or a date.
Fantastic whisky selection in a period venue with a lot of history. It's well worth the effort of tracking this little gem down.
Awesome bar, really loved it and a must go to for anyone in the area
Fantastic atmosphere and selection. If you dont know what you want, then the staff are helpful. The flights are a must aswell!
