Buena Vista Hotel

I went here with a group of workmates for dinner they all ordered Chicken schnitzels and burgers while I made the mistake of ordering the pumpkin ravioli.
Why was it a mistake? Because it cost $ 25 and was literally the size of an entrée! Meanwhile everyone else at the table had a meal too big to actually finish.
Sure, the ravioli was delicious; fresh and al dente with just the right balance of blue cheese and walnuts… but I just can’t justify paying so much for a meal that failed to satisfy my hunger.
Another thing to note here is that my 2 mates who ordered veggie burgers were also dissatisfied; while the serving sizes were of a much more generous size, they were not very enjoyable. The patties were made from a strange textured vegetable protein which looked just like mince but was kind of mushy in texture.
Finally I feel I must mention the setting, we were sitting upstairs in the food serving area and it was hot and muggy. It wasn’t unbearable but aircon would have been nice!

Gosh this place was always clean pleasant. It is not now. No atmosphere, no grill, no air con, plenty of cigarette smoke wafts thru and plenty of stale water. We ordered the daily specials and despite only 10 customers in the place we waited 20 minutes for the food to arrive. The food was pleasant if not cold. I will avoid this place plenty of viable alternatives nearby.

R.I.P Cheap cook your own steaks!
No longer will we be rounding up the crew, many who have to cross the bridge, downing lots of beers, and feeling full after cooking our own steaks to perfection (i.e no one else to blame). I bet the mums and dads enjoying not cooking at home and a few drinks, while their little rugrats are glued to their devices until their kids meals arrive are going to be very sad too!

First time at the Buena Vista Hotel last night and I must say I am impressed.
Food was a little on the expensive side for pub food… but the burger was awesome.
I loved the fact that they have a full salad/​veggie bar so you can create a giant meal for the price. I walked out stuffed!
Nice atmosphere and friendly staff, will return again!

Great casual atmosphere, reasonable prices, consistently good service.

I have been to a total of two places in all of Australia where they offered me free refills of ANYTHING. Al Mustafa in Glebe and Mosman Bar and Grill at the Buena Vista Hotel. Where in this country can you get a steak or chicken breast plus an all you can eat salad bar for $ 7? This place. While they do have a normal (and quite good looking) menu with standard Aussie pub priced meals upwards of $ 15 – 20, I can’t comment on it because I’ve never bothered trying anything from it. I don’t come here for gourmet, I come here to pay less than $ 10 for dinner and I do quite enjoy it.
Is it the best food I’ve ever eaten? No. Is it a peaceful relaxing place to have a dinner out? Far from it. Is it cheap, decent quality food plus reasonable priced drinks? You betcha! I couldn’t make my own dinner at home for that price– not to mention all the cleaning up I don’t have to do. The salad bar usually includes a green salad, pasta salad and an array of steamed/​boiled veggies. When you top it all off with one of the four gravy/​sauce options you’ve got yourself a full fledged proper dinner.
The renovations to the upstairs bar and grill look awesome. If you haven’t been in awhile, go check it out. Get there early if you want to find a table and don’t expect to be able to hold a decent conversation after 7pm due to the noise.

The Buena is a institution for most and probably for our group of friends who were either working part-​time through their time in Uni, gathering in groups to watch the rugby along with our rugrats and even post-​wedding catch ups and Unisex baby showers.
The Buena has an easy location, the main dining room has lots of space and its close to the BBQ area to either order, cook your own or retrieve your meals with steaks that are a third of the cost of what the Oaks offers. It has pool table, TAB and of course FOX for those important sports events.
At the moment its under refurbishment and Ive meaning to ask what are the plans for this local as we havent been able to take our kids for the recent RWC finals. Oh well its in a transition season which should see it come back bigger and better.

I spent a significant number of Thursdays here when my wee one was really wee. Our Mothers Group identified the other slurpers pretty early on and so we’d head to the Buena Vista for long lunches surrounded by nachos, wedges, prams and the paraphernalia of motherhood. They were very accommodating given our sometimes aggressive sounding babies and the fact that we sat at the tables for a very, very long time.
It’s got a nice local vibe and the main bar is the closest I’ve seen to an English pub in this part of Sydney. They’re undergoing some renovations at the moment which includes a pretty impressive staircase and I’ll be interested to see what it reveals.
The food is good old pub fare and there’s a grill for your to cook your own meat. Never been hugely appealing to me that idea but hey some people like to be in control. It’s kid friendly especially around meal times at the weekend.
I like it and if you’re very lucky you might even see John Eales crouched over the pool table. If you’re very lucky.

Somehow the Aussie local pub just doesn’t live up to the tradition of the ones in the UK — somewhere that local people meet up without even needing to make arrangements to do so, sharing dinner or a drink then walking home.
The Buena Vista SHOULD be able to do this — it’s got plenty of tradition on its side (it dates to 1901), and it’s located as a true suburban watering hole. But still, it struggles with local charm. Is it the poker machines? Or the TAB? Or the fact that it’s such an indoorsy place when the Sydney climate cries out for al fresco?
We’ll stick with it though … it is our local, and walking distance to home. Besides, the food is good, cheap and plentiful — you can cook your own steak (though I tend to believe that if I’m eating out I’d rather someone else did it for me!). There are renovations underway again at the moment, so maybe they’ll work some magic on the atmosphere. Meanwhile, hang out for Anzac Day — and head there for its mean game of two-​up.