The Commons Local Eating House & Downtown Bar

I went here for lunch on the recommendations of Unilocal and was not dissapointed at all. I had a burger and a couple of beers. I am an American on holiday and this was the best burger I have had in a very long time (including the States). The french fries were delicious and from fresh potatos.
I highly recommend this establishment for anyone who wants a great lunch. Prices are a little on the higher end, but this is Sydney and everything is relative to the area.

Great little restaurant on Burton St. Fun, charming — has a nice little outdoor garden area.
The food was pretty good — I had risotto and a salad. I would give it 4 stars. Above average, but nothing to write home about.
The service however was terrible. I was here on a Tuesday night. Place was about 70% full with two waiters. The guys were running all over the place trying to keep up.

Slept in on Saturday, I was craving breakfast still and the wife wanted lunch. Took a short walk up the hill and stumbled into The Common Ground. Breakfast all day and a great lunch special menu. We took a seat in the front patio with the potted plants and were quickly attended to. After trying decide between a delicious burger or create your own breakfast, we both decided on the pepper steak pie special. And it was a great decision!
The crust was cooked perfectly, flaky, buttery and held its shape well. The filling was made with a great red wine sauce and came with a side of chips or mash.
After enjoying the pies we both got some coffee and relaxed for a while longer on the great patio soaking in the wonderful afternoon sun.
This place is great for couples or small groups, and it seems the menu is constantly changing. Can’t wait to head back soon!

Wonderful atmosphere — crackling fireplace, stone walls, wood and candles, and a cozy bar downstairs.
Service & food is top notch — tasty, fresh ingredients, with a creative flair.
We enjoyed the:
— cheese tasting plate w/​fig & jam — good
— ricotta dumplings — solid
— asparagus risotto — delicious
— pumpkin crepes — excellent
— pie of the day looked flaky & stellar
Would definitely recommend for a nice meal.

A place for a drink.
I really want to love this place but all I can do is like it. The décor and location are fantastic.
I have been here on several occasions and the thing that always stops me giving it more than three stars in the service.
The food is as good as you’d expect for the price point and the location (given some great dining options just down on Riley Street.)
The stand out for me is their cocktail list.

Venue /​ambiance — 5 stars (super cute & southern comfort décor with lots of plants, outdoor patio only good for tables less than 4)
Food quality — 3 (good, but nothing blew my mind)
Food portions — 3 (small)
Service — 2 (know-​it-​all waiter who spoke for way too long & was a little rude/​too impatient about us being a large group and needing more time to decide on dishes. Also a bit stuck up & judgmental about our food choices)
Good place to enjoy a glass of wine & nibbles or small meals for big meal prices.

I had a really delicious, fresh salad for lunch and a flat white afterward. It was really cozy to sit by the fireplace! Service was fast and the menu was appealing.

As soon as I walked into this place I felt like I was entering a true neighborhood joint; warm, friendly, cozy (and not the cozy that means too small but cozy as in sweet and warm and accessible). The ingredients are treated with care and respect whether a cocktail or a main coarse.
Simple preparations, great ingredients, wonderful feel.

Beautiful, cosy setting with fireplace and farmhouse vibe. Service is friendly and they play some great music. Great spot for a casual drink or coffee. I’ve had some really enjoyable dinners here, but the breakfast seems to have gone downhill a little over the last couple of years unfortunately.

From Order To Table: Bad timing. Like a shot of tequila at 3am.
Service-​ometer: Cookie cutter.
Stomachability: Like a home cooked meal. Literally just as good but 3x as expensive.
Digest suggest: Don’t go for a birthday brunch… Just from experience.
Possibly, the worst service I have ever had. Booked a table on a Sunday, a quiet Sunday for my birthday brunch.
We were ignored, coffee was weak and watered down. Received luke-​warm breakfast and really mediocre service.
Food was appalling and overpriced for small portions. Will not be returning and no recommendations.

Cute garden spot slightly away from Hyde park. Awesome coffee — cute brunch menu with GF options. Easy to find a spot on a cloudy Sunday morning. We had the bacon avo stack and the healthy avo stack with GF. Both were fresh, light and delicious. The goats cheese wasn’t too heavy or over powering. We will be back.

I was there for dinner on a Thursday night. Service was a little slow & we had to catch the waiters attention, hence the three stars. The food was amazing though. Will definitely be returning. I can highly recommend the red wine risotto, so filling!

What at first glance looks like a local and common eat n drink hole is in fact a delightful establishment of fine foods and drinks.
Just off the main road in Oxford Square, The Commons is easily missed but a beacon of green plants out front promises an usual attraction and welcome. Matched by its wood interior and exceptional warm staff is a smile on anyone’s face on a cold night. Unwittingly expecting something so different, this place hit all the right notes and needs. A Sunday night blackboard menu presented the whole main menu of the night as well as their specials. A Honey Risotto is the choice of the night for a warm filler with others selecting an equally choose dish of deliciousness.
A quiet night meant the food is brought quick with all smiles warming our smiles as well as out stomachs with matching wine to each dish it’s recommended too.
The specials included the desserts where the trend of serving a Dark Lager Beeramisu in a clay pot is not all that uncommon. I happily named my dessert Groot.
I’m reserving a star for a future date for testing out their drinks menu.
I will be back.
Mark My Words

I organised a surprise party for my boyfriend here yesterday and they were very accommodating. My only big draw back was that they told us to stagger our orders for the kitchen, which resulted with one side of the table eating and finishing before the other side of the table.
I had a flat white, a Bloody Mary, and then I ordered two breakfasts (yes two). I couldn’t pass up eggs, but I also couldn’t forget their pancakes. So I settled on the healthy stack, which was two pieces of toast smothered in goat cheese, tipped with rocket, tomato, avocado, and a poached egg and the. I got the pancakes with ricotta, Caramelized bananas and hazelnuts.
The flat White was good and so was the Bloody Mary. The bloody was oddly sweet with a kick to it, but I liked it nonetheless. I did not like is hefty price tag though, as it was 18 dollars for a pretty small drink.
For the food everything was delicious. The healthy stack tasted exactly like it sounded and it was a huge portion with two huge pieces of toast. And the pancakes were equally delicious. The ricotta was awesome And the whole table was glad I ordered them.
Overall I would be back and I wanna check out their bar. The place is so cute and homey so I would recommend. Just bear in mind they don’t do split checks and only except two cards if you have a large group.

I don’t know about the restaurant and the food, but I will never forget their lil hidden jewel, the jazz bar … Great atmosphere, nice staff, great jazz band that night, and the cocktails are the bomb. My favourite ever in South Pacific.
«For people who grew up», said the barman :)

The Commons is one of those great all-​bases-​covered establishments with multiple areas. Out front for airy courtyard, inside for food focused gatherings and down below for a bit of speakeasy fun or a cosy corner table. There was some cool live bluesy music on the Thursday night I visited, which married everything about the surrounds so perfectly. Old-​fashioned cocktails are the focus, but the wine list stands pretty well on its own, too. Not a place to meet people, but a spot to gather with those you know.

The Commons had been on my list of places to eat at for a little while and unfortunately, for me, it fell into my expectation abyss. I wanted this to be the little sandstone cottage turned restaurant that could but it fell short for me.
A friend and I popped in for lunch on a Friday and we were one of a handful in the restaurant. Tempted as I was by the day’s specials, I finally committed to a roast beetroot salad ($ 12) with lamb (extra $ 3). And it was okay, but it was a lot of greenery and as I said to the friend I was with, I wish there was more lamb. I’d have paid more for more lamb in that salad. I’m just not a huge lover of overly leafy salads, okay?
Commandeer a shared table and dine in a group or if you’re on your Pat Malone, make use of the smaller tables in the front courtyard. The menu, although perfectly suitable for a meal to yourself, is just as easily adaptable to share plates among a larger group. I’d be interested to see how the experience differs when dining for dinner in a group. To be continued…

I came to The Commons after running a half marathon and I was starving! The interior has a rustic feel to it and the picnic style tables were a nice touch. Great for small groups since you can fit so many people at the table. It really felt like you were eating at someone’s house rather than a restaurant.
I had the burger and it was great. I came with some pretty amazing chips and a nice dipping sauce. The burger was cooked to order right outside on a small charcoal grill which gave it great flavor.
The cocktails were great and you definitely should check out the bloody mary and the various beers they have. Overall I had a great meal and seemed like the rest of the group was quite content with their dishes as well.

I came here for a Sunday brunch with friends after the Blackmore’s Running Festival and I have to say that this place is nifty. There was a guy grilling out front for some of the specials of the day which gives the Commons a casual cool «drop by my house for some drinks and food» vibe.
The food was good… real good. I ordered some spatchcock (fresh off the grill mind you) with some potatoes. Friends ordered risotto, burgers, and a few other dishes. The menu changes often which is a nice touch. The service was good, the place was kind of empty so the staff popped by every now and then, and they didn’t mind separate checks either which was a plus.
What gets me about this place is the price… don’t get me wrong, the food is good here, but it’s pretty expensive even for Sydney standards. Look to spend $ 25+ if you come here for brunch, and if you get a Bloody Mary add on $ 18.
Come here to see how you like it, but in my opinion for brunch there are several other options that get you more bang for your buck. The place would be sweet for dinner though, and I hear the small bar downstairs is bangin’…so YMMV.

The downtown bar has a very prohibition-​era /​speakeasy feel to it, a great place if you are into the small bar scene. Some delicious cocktails to be had.
Also the farmhouse set menu for groups is also very reasonably priced (which is a 3 course meal).