The Doss House

Name: The Doss House
Address: 77-79 George Street The Rocks, Sydney, AU-NSW, Australia, 2000
Telephone: 0450 196 477
Price range: $40 and under
Rating: 4.3

4.3

259 Reviews

$40 and under

Australian

Top tags:

The Doss House - where fine whiskies and cocktails meet the historical char of one of the oldest suburbs, The Rocks. Combine this with one of our famous Cheese Boards or Ploughman's Platters from our ever-changing menu and you might have just found your perfect spot to spend the day sipping on premium spirits. Tugged away between George St and Kendall Lane we're right there but so hidden at the same time.

Recapturing the convivial spirit of Sydney’s formative years, the original sandstone walls of The Doss House bring warmth to our unique basement bar which features a beautiful terrace area and rare original fireplaces.

Built in the 1840s, what we call The Doss House today has been the home to a rich, eclectic collection of tenants including a boot maker, boarding house, doctor’s surgery and opium dealer, some which have been entwined within the interiors of the five, cosy bar spaces.

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No. of diners

2 people

DateTime

11 Dec 2023

7:00 pm

Booked 9 times today

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$40 and under
Cuisines
Australian, Tapas / Small Plates, Fine cuts
Hours of Operation
Tue–Sun 4:00 pm–12:00 am
Phone number
0450 196 477
Website
http://www.thedosshouse.com.au/
Payment Options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress Code
Casual Dress

Location
77-79 George Street, The Rocks, Sydney, AU-NSW 2000
Area
The Rocks
Parking Details
Street Parking
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Entertainment, Full Bar, Indoor Fireplace, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Wine

What 259 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.3

4.3 based on recent ratings

4.2Food
4.3Service
4.4Ambience
4Value

Noise • Moderate

259 Reviews

OT
OpenTable Diner
New South Wales
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 1 December 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Awesome night, Great live music, great staff Great atmosphere
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S
Sophia
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 5 November 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The Doss House is a beautiful old sandstone venue with lovely attentive staff. I loved the band, Celtic tones, who play Irish music on a Sunday night
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N
Nick
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on 27 October 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
Not enough table service. Only had one drink as could not get waiter.
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MP
MarkP
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 7 October 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Great venue! Awesome whisky and cocktails. Highly recommend
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J
Jennifer
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 23 September 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The staff were friendly and helpful in making suggestions for whiskey, the native platter was delicious and the vibe was outstanding. We will be back.
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SK
SarahK
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 10 September 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Can’t fault the place, I will say I was a bit disappointed I couldn’t get a scotch egg but that wasn’t the main thing on my mind, that was the whisky. I knew what I wanted and spoke about this with staff and they certainly delivered. The food we did have was at a very high level and I felt relaxed and content.
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JN
JustinN
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 13 August 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
It was an absolutely sensational experience The best Whisky bar I have been to, the atmosphere was awesome the staff friendly and the house favourite Old Doss even better
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A
Ange
Sydney
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on 15 July 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
My favourite bar-we felt welcome by the male staff member ,the only thing I would improve on is the other waitstaff to be more attentive as we were waiting for our meals and we weren’t acknowledge when we arrived-overall a great experience.
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DG
DesireeG
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 8 July 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Booked a table inside, loved the ambiance. Great server. Very polite and attentive. Good value for money. Will stay for a bite next time.
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JS
JessicaS
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 8 July 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Extremely friendly staff beautiful atmosphere , great Guinness and Toastys 😍
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CS
CatherineS
Victoria
4 reviews
1.0
4 reviews
Dined on 1 July 2023
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 2
Disappointed. We are keen whiskey drinkers and booked Doss house looking forward to sampling a few whiskeys on our holiday. Lucky we booked as we would not have got a table. However, sitting at high table when there were comfy couches given to patrons who hadn’t booked was disappointing. We ordered a whisky flight each at $100-$120 per person to try 5 exclusive whisky’s. The flights took forever to come out and when they arrived we were given 5 glasses with less than 15mls per glass. Hardly enough to sample the whisky and actually taste it. Would not recommend, if you are interested in trying whisky - buy a bottle for $100 or even $300 and sharing with friends would be a much better experience.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
1 review
2.0
1 review
Dined on 22 June 2023
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
Food ok but cocktails were way too sweet. Surprise for a whisky bar they don’t offer you the whisky menu straight away. Service was ok but kitchen very slow. We waited ages for a scotch egg that didn’t even come with our board. Over priced food for the quantity/quality.
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JD
JD22
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 17 June 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great service and cool selection of drinks and shared nibbles. Perfect place for drinks in the beautiful rocks/circular quay area.
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K
Kiah
Sydney
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 17 June 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Amazing service from all the staff even when something wasn't available that we ordered. They were very accommodating.
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JB
JasonB
Sydney
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on 10 June 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
First time visit, great atmosphere with very friendly staff, no complaints about the drinks either. Definitely one to go to back to!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 27 May 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Love this place! Beautiful historic building, great food and excellent drink options (they make a cracking negroni!) all coupled with outstanding service. Wasn’t my first time here and will absolutely be back.
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J
Jonno
Sydney
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on 19 May 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Good foof and cocktails. Very nice atmosphere. Music was loudish music to my tast but maybe not others. Live Band after 9
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SL
StevenL
Sydney
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 25 March 2023
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Exceptional range of whiskeys, but London (our host) was 10/10. They knew everything about everything, didn't lead us astray once with all our drink choices. Couldn't have been better
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Sydney
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined on 18 March 2023
1. Overall 1
2. Food 3
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
Wrong drink delivered, then spilt all over me and onto table and into and over other drinks, no replacements offered and no towel or napkins offered to dry off
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MK
MelissaK
Portland
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on 9 March 2023
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
We were disappointed by the experience at Doss House. We had been excited particularly for the whiskey experience. There were a lot of good whiskey options and they offered a non alcoholic option upon request, but several substitutions had to be made since the flight menu did not reflect the current supply. The downfall was really the service where it took an extended amount of time to get our drinks. Then a mix up of which drinks should be delivered to which table. We decided to call it a night when the waiter asked us to pay shortly after our drinks arrived. We expressed we might hang out for a while - implying we would have ordered another round. The waiter said that was fine (bar didn’t close for another 1.5 hours). As foreigners we have come to understand it is common for bar service to not hold a tab, but instead pay as we go—but we did not expect for table service. Overall the experience felt rushed and bizarre.
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DA
DANIELH
Canberra
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 30 December 2022
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The venue itself is quaint but it is the staff that make the difference. Friendly, professional, and with a vast knowledge of their products, the staff were splendid.
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F
Fitz
Dublin
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined on 23 December 2022
1. Overall 1
2. Food 2
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 4
The whole experience is ruined by terrible service. I don't think staff individually are totally to blame however that being said their attitudes to work and patrons dosent help. Orders through the QR codes take too long over 45 minutes to arrive and wait yikes at the bar aren't much better. There dosent seem to be any organisation at the bar when drinks are served you wait again to pay for them. Bookings aren't organised as we were moved off a table after 2 hours never having been notified it was a 2 hour booking. The bar is so unique with great music however it is being run in an extremely armature way.
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SR
SineadR
London
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on 11 December 2022
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great service and great atmosphere with the Sunday session :)
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LE
LEVYS05
Sydney
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on 10 December 2022
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
Loved this place! It was a little noisy though with a table of loud singing Irishmen sitting in the booth next to us.
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FC
FayeC
Sydney
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 7 December 2022
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Great atmosphere in an historic building. Good choice of scotches with other drinks available for those who are not scotch drinkers. Tasty platter and gourmet sandwiches. Loved the Blues music.
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E
Elise
Sydney
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 19 November 2022
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We requested a specific table for a specific occasion and they adhered to that. The setting was beautiful and the service was great. Highly recommend.
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S
Seetheworld
St. Louis
55 reviews
vip
5.0
55 reviews
Dined on 16 November 2022
1. Overall 5
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We went to the Doss House for an Around the World Whiskey Masterclass and it was very fun and informative. Our guide, London, was energetic , quite knowledgeable and entertaining. The whiskey that she chose was excellent and was paired beautifully with dried fruit and cheese. We stayed for another cocktail and a second sharing board. The venue is very interesting with nooks and crannies and lots of mystery. Strongly recommend this place for anyone who loves whiskey,
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AS
AmandaS
Canberra
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on 12 November 2022
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Awesome fun, live music was fab, and most attentive staff, top spot thank you
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m
maddogmay
Sydney
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 11 November 2022
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
it was amazing and all the staff were so engaging and lovely shoutout to my man who gave me a band-aid and told me to drink more water after i appreidate you also shoutout to my man who recommended other fun places to go on my 18th
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GT
GarwinT
Sydney
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on 28 October 2022
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Good food, for a whiskey bar a lot of whiskeys they had on the menu they didn’t have in stock.
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AM
AndrewM
Sydney
1 review
2.0
1 review
Dined on 22 October 2022
1. Overall 2
2. Food 3
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 4
The amount of time it took for drinks was ridiculous
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DB
DanaB
Sydney
2 reviews
3.0
2 reviews
Dined on 15 October 2022
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
First time was recommended by a friend but way to noisy speakers so loud down stairs could not hear ourselves talk. Ended up leaving. Service was good, drinks we did have also good. Had a huge table next to us who where extremely annoying and loud.
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BW
BevanW
Sydney
16 reviews
4.0
16 reviews
Dined on 7 October 2022
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great historic atmosphere with fantastic range of scotches and adequate food menu.
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SL
SteveL
Sydney
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 1 October 2022
1. Overall 5
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Didn’t eat so can’t say anything about the food. The menu looked good.
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SJ
SindyJ
Las Vegas
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 1 October 2022
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great bar, amazing wait staff. Staff knowledge of whiskey was outstanding. We popped in for drinks and stayed for hours
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OT
OpenTable Diner
New South Wales
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 17 September 2022
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Incredible evening seated in gorgeous leather arm chairs with our drinks in hand. Surprised my husband with an evening cap for his birthday and we were both blown away by the service, the ambiance, the drinks and the knowledge on each drink served. London in particular was phenomenal! Her knowledge and expertise were greatly appreciated and we’ve already ordered a scotch she recommended while we were there. Highly recommend and we will be visiting when we are back in Sydney.
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GM
GerardM
Sydney
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 10 September 2022
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent service and scotch selection; had the new peat flight - knowledgeable description & wonderful introduction to some great Scotch
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LM
LincolnM
Sydney
3 reviews
2.0
3 reviews
Dined on 10 September 2022
1. Overall 2
2. Food 3
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
We turned up 10 minutes early the door was open so we went inside, only to be told by one of the staff that “ we open at 4 wait at the top of the stairs “ at this stage it ‘opened officially’ in 8 minutes , could have offered us our booked table to sit at until we could order at 4, also several of us were preparing to buy drinks when it was opened and I was waiting to be told we’re our table was and my son had just sat down waiting to found out where we were to sit when again a rude staff member harassed him into moving , clearly it’s changed management as I’ve been at the doss house many times and it’s was fantastic, unfortunately it is no longer the same and I won’t be returning.
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CM
CliveM
Tasmania
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 6 September 2022
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Very nice cosy place in the unique settings, very happy with our visit
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RM
RyanM
Washington DC
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 23 August 2022
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great service and attention, and really like the environment there. Nice selection of whiskeys and great location.
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FAQs

The Doss House is rated 4.3 stars by 259 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

No. of diners

2 people

DateTime

11 Dec 2023

7:00 pm

Booked 9 times today

77-79 George Street, The Rocks, Sydney, AU-NSW 2000

Additional information

Area
The Rocks
Hours of Operation
Tue–Sun 4:00 pm–12:00 am
Price
$40 and under
Cuisines
Australian, Tapas / Small Plates, Fine cuts
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress Code
Casual Dress
Parking Details
Street Parking
Payment Options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Entertainment, Full Bar, Indoor Fireplace, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Wine

Website
http://www.thedosshouse.com.au/
Phone number
0450 196 477

The Doss House

Make a booking

Additional information

Menu

What 259 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

FAQs

How is The Doss House restaurant rated?

Is The Doss House currently accepting bookings?

Make a booking

Additional information