The Soda Factory

Place is great, vibe was fun however I had trouble with getting my food. I ordered buffalo wings and instead got a buffalo bill hotdog. The server apologised and she was great to me. I went back to the counter to order again and it took about 35 mins to get my order; it turns out they had never sent the second order to the kitchen.
By the time my wings arrived my girlfriend had long finished her meal. When they finally arrived there were only five wings and they were tiny, almost as if they were from a quail. They weren’t bad, but they certainly weren’t sufficient for the price; the amount of time I had to wait and the effort of getting these wings.
The server that helped me with the wing debacle was excellent and very helpful, however the rest of the experience was a real let down.

Love the entrance through the speak easy and the food that feels truly American. Everything’s a bit pricy through so not 5 stars.
I love bringing friends here for the first time!

Great place! Love it! Come for the food deals and yummy cocktails! Stay for the décor and the ambiance!

Thanks for hiring excellent door staff! Very clearly sticking to the rules and not letting people in who shouldn’t be there!
Personally I don’t know all the rules or ins and outs of admitting people to a venue, but I guess tonight I learned at least one:
A man wearing dress shorts is an absolute «no». No exceptions. Not even if his heavily pregnant wife and he made a 1hr drive to attend a friend’s birthday as a surprise. Especially a «no» if he asks nice. And don’t even bother listening to how he had to pay $ 30 in road tolls & $ 10 in parking. And don’t even think about budging if the birthday girl who brought in over 10 other patrons to the venue asks for an exception. Stick by the company motto: «better to refuse one man in shorts and piss everyone else off than to tarnish the image because of something as severe as a dress code violation!»
So, I learned that at least.

I’m not sure exactly what this place is going for, but it’s not too much like anywhere I’ve been in the U.S. The seating is terrible & the food is mediocre, at best. The place needs a fitout & a new menu & then maybe it might have a chance. Don’t try the mac & cheese spring rolls. They sound enticing but are stodgy & tasteless. So much mac, so little cheese.

Came here on a Wednesday for the fried chicken special… Was a letdown! I think even KFC tastes better. However, the speakeasy concept is cool and reminds me of NYC! Still worth checking out. The shared tables also make it easy to meet people and everyone was really friendly.

This was my second time at The Soda Factory, but my first time checking out Tuesday $ 1 Hot Dog Night.
Doors open at 5pm so I thought I’d come a bit early just to avoid the crowd. Apparently 30 uni students had the same idea and were already crowding the door when I arrived. FML!!! I thought about tossing in the towel and checking it out another time, but I decided to carry on. Doors open and security comes out and tells everyone to line up against the wall. Since the uni students were grouped together and I was already near the wall. I go from the back of the pack to one of the first 10 in through the doors. WOOOOOO!!! Suck on that Uni students! jk I love you kids :)
I go straight to the bar and order my cheap wieners: Johnny Drama, Bobby’s Boss Dog, Yoko Ono (veggie. my mom would be so proud!) and Elvis Presley (dessert). The gal taking my order was quick to tell me that I need to order a beverage with every 6 dogs. I didn’t want to get a soda (in the soda factory? psh!) so I got a pint of whatever was on tap. Dollar hot dog night just turned into $ 12 (veggie dog was $ 2). There were more «Reserved» tables than open ones and the uni students were quick to claim the open ones. I managed to find a tiny bar table in the corner. As soon as I sat down my order came out! Are these pre-​made?
I take my first bite of Bobby’s Boss Dog and I was pretty disappointed. Beef/​Pork sausage was cold and flavorless. There was a very modest sprinkle of diced onions with mustard/​tomato sauce. The Johnny Drama and Yoko Ono dogs were better but still far from an «American Hot Dog» — warm bun, warm wiener, slathered with a generous amount of mustard/​tomato sauce. The best dog was their dessert dog — fried bananas with peanut butter and strawberry jam. That saved them from a two star rating.
Overall, I wasn’t impressed but if you’re craving a cheap hot dog with some friends, it would be a cool spot to stop in for a couple of wieners.

Came here on a Saturday night and let me tell you it is A LOT of fun! I recommend getting there early (around 7 – 7:30pm) as it gets packed and you may be waiting quite a few hours to get in! It is a hidden, funky place to find. The music was the highlight! Playing classics that everyone can sing and dance a long too — it gets everyone moving! From cocktails, to beers, ciders and wines… They also sell American sweet drinks like milkshakes and alcoholic floaties… Something for everyone! Food is American style based selling hot chips, chicken wings, burgers and hot dogs! During the week they have food specials. This is a great place to hang out with mates!

Had a good bucket of chicken the first time we went (14 months ago), been back a few times since and the chicken is completely tasteless, usually burnt. We tried it on special and at full price (which is a ridiculously stupid price) and the result is the same. Had the Facebook staff member respond to me saying that their chicken is burnt and tasteless, they blamed it on «the new chef», went back again and nothing changed. Their burgers are the worst I’ve had in Sydney, I’ve never had a burger so dry in my life. Hot dogs are good for $ 1. Definitely not worth their full price. I’ve given up going here, a lot of my friends have as well. It isn’t what it used to be, and it definitely isn’t worth the hype it has.

What’s this place, BOBBY BOSS DOGS??? Yes, you are at soda factory! Walk in thru the coke fridge and you are in! Soda factory is a hidden bar and da bomb! Not only does it have dollar dogs on Tuesday. They have a five dollar beer special everyday from 6pm-​8pm! The fried chicken bucket is also only 10 bucks for 8 pieces! Overall, it’s good for its price.
Food– not bad for the price you pay
Service– standard.
Price– A++++
I will come back here again!

If you needed a reason besides $ 1 hotdogs, then how about the hip swagger vibe and old school music they have going on? This place is a little dark lighting wise but it is rocking and pumping after 6pm. If you want a seat, definitely come before 6pm, otherwise you’ll be standing with your hotdogs! Take it one step further by reserving a table!
The dogs were okay but the stand out has to be the buffalo bill ones. I ended up ordering 3 of them. I got to admit, I didn’t finish the bread but the sausage and the toppings were so so good. The Elvis Presley is a sweet way to finish off your meal! Good thing about the cheap dogs is that you’re able to splurge your money on drinks! I had the Samuel Adams Boston Lager and it was an awesome beer — had a slight sweet tangy-​ness to it, something I haven’t tasted in Aussie beer. Their alcoholic (and non alcoholic) floats looked pretty amazing too!
Tip: there is no signage for this place. It says «Bobbi’s boss dogs» or something like it. Don’t be fooled, push open the black doors on the right to enter! It’s like a secret passageway! Yew!

Great place. Unless you are on the wrong side of 30. Then they will throw you out (had too much to drink apparently) when the line of 20 something’s outside gets too long and they need to make some room.
The food is ordinary. Nice cocktails (only had 1, for the record). Good service from the bar staff. Security guards are arrogant. Too busy flirting with the pretty girls to do their jobs properly.

The Soda Factory manages to bring lounge, food and dance together in a 1950’s inspired environment with great atmosphere and a sing-​a-​long friendly (at least during the late hours) music.
Venue:
If you get here late for food you will find it difficult to find a table, that is if you could be bothered queuing up for 30 minutes in the first place. Once seated you’re however in for a treat. The interior is 1950’s meets standard factory-​inspired-​hipster-​bar, from bathrooms to bartenders outfits. Don’t be surprised if you see someone in roller-​skates. They do have live bands on some days and during late hours it gets very dance-​friendly.
Food/​Drinks
For burgers around $ 15, hotdogs for $ 10 and buffalo wings for $ 12 there is not much to complain about. It is just as greasy yet tasty as one would expect it to be. They also have specials with $ 1 (!!) hotdogs on Tuesdays. Cocktails are around $ 18 – 19, they are not mind-​blown for the price but decent.
Service
It’s a bit slow, then again The Soda Factory can be quite busy.
They do have friendly staff who doesn’t seem to mind showing off dance moves behind the bar!

False advertising, they lure people in with $ 1 hotdogs (to balance out the $ 20 s*** drinks) but only have them like until six… They open at five. What a horrible place, definitely not coming back

I believe William J. Rapaport of the University of Buffalo put it best when he said «Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo».
Soda Factory has been on my To Do list for a while now. If only I knew what was waiting for me there I would have ticked this little hot spot off sooner. Two words: Buffalo Chicken… Hotdog.
Dripping with Franks Red Hot and mayo, smothering a crispy gourmet chicken sausage, topped off with melted cheese. Controversially it was generously sprinkled with coriander, or as I like to call it scary-​spice-​tastes-​like-​the-​smell-​of-​a-​dead-​ant. Next time (and there will be a next time) I’ll ask them to leave that off.
Drinks list was very cool. I had a Sweet Gal’s Blush and the eponymous Joe’s Pale Ale.
Thursdays is $ 12 cocktails and a Doo Wop band. Most seemed to be here for the food, the drinks and the «scene» but there were a couple of serious swing dancers which definitely enhanced the atmosphere which would otherwise have been in danger of being homogenised into that of every other small bar by the young’uns. I’m so old.
The fact that you can book is a big plus. We booked for 10 but only got seats for 6. I suspect as we were a little late someone snaked our spot but the friendly staff found us more chairs.
The only minus is that the drink service is a little slow. They’re more British backpacker than career bartender behind the bar. You can tell by the lack of bushranger beards.
In summary: Soda Factory. I like that s#/t. And in the words of that other literary genius A. Schwarzenegger, I’ll be back.

Discount burger special was not that good, but ask for tomato sauce and it goes down smoother. The drinks are great and rather pricey for this kind of establishment, but worth it. Had the special hard milkshake — it was yummy but don’t have more than 2 or you start to feel a little weird from the dairy overload.
Live doo wop band was on par and made me really happy. They use more unique instruments like the cello and performers as well as servers & bartenders are dressed in ‘60s gear so it makes for a fantastic, fun, authentic atmosphere.
The sneaky entrance makes you feel special for having found it (my friend & I walked up and down the street a couple of times before finding it). The entry way looks like a small anteroom to an apartment building or hostel, but just ask the man standing at the door (unsuspecting bouncer), and he’ll open a soda vending machine door and– surprise! You’re at an awesome bar.
Cannot wait to go back. One of the first bars I went to in Sydney, and after 2 months I’m still raving about it whenever people ask me for bar suggestions/​what bars I like.

$ 1 hot dogs on a Tuesday night. No one going to complain about that. But, you are required to get drinks too if you’re ordering hot dogs. I wish I could love the hot dogs but honestly, coming from the city that never sleeps? Our dirty water hot dogs just rock this world.
The beer selection is your typical American selection (well duh! it’s an American bar after all). But $ 9 for PBR? That’s kind of outrageous to me? NONE THE LESS, I LOVE the atmosphere and I love the décor and overall just would come here simply because it’s got some cool peoples, cool live music, and cool good olé fashion fun :)
Be mindful, on Tuesday it seems like people are rude and just unpleasant with trying to find a seat. STAND YOUR GROUND, don’t let some punks ruin your night. It’s a bar, have a good time, make some new friends.

Think Hot-​Star but with alcohol.
Have heard of the place, but never actually thought about it until I went here for an unofficial Unilocaler Event on a Wednesday to try the fried chicken where $ 10 buys you a bucket of chicken (Wednesday special), which is good for at least 2 or 3 people — therefore at least $ 5 each.
Of course Hot-​Star is still better in a way as you don’t need to find 2 — 3 people, but this place still delivers.
Just come early and make a table reservation. The place gets busy by about 7pm.

Y’all know about dollar dogs, right?
You DON’T? Well never mind, they’re just any gourmet hot dog for $ 1 on Tuesdays but pay that no mind because now there’s something better: Fat Bubba’s Chicken Wednesdays. $ 1 hot wings and $ 10 buckets of fried chicken. I’ll pause here for you to consider those prices. Very un-​Sydney-​like, no?
Came here with some Unilocalers on a Wednesday and went to town, and when I say town I mean TOWN, son, because there was more chicken all up in our face-​holes than is healthy and/​or practical. The fried chicken comes breaded, the hot wings, well hot winged. They don’t have any hot sauce which is kinda a bummer, but tabasco did in a pinch. Use an Anchor Steam lager to wash it down, then sit back and rub your belly and figure out how you’re going to get home when you can’t even stand up, not for a few hours. At least there’s music.
PRO TIP: book a table, and get there early. Place packs out.

Wait… did you say $ 1 Hot Dogs? In Sydney?
Cue face melting, cries of rejoicing, and incessant dancing.
The Soda Factory opened up this past Friday and this place encompasses COOL… maybe too cool for school. The entrance doesn’t even say The Soda Factory; it looks like a 50s diner, and you enter by opening a massive Coca Cola fridge door where you’re then welcomed to an Industrial paradise. Tale of two cities.
There’s an island bar smack dab in the center, a stage for music/​movies, chairs that make you think of leather bound books and smells of rich mahogany, and a friendly and hip staff. When you order they give you a playing card instead of a number, which is a cool concept, but they’re still working the kinks out as orders were getting mixed up last night.
There’s always something going on each day, from Movie Mondays, Tightass Tuesdays, and special guest DJs and more. We came on Tightass Tuesday for their $ 1 Gourmet Hot Dogs. $ 1!!!
These hot dogs are typically $ 10, and much larger, but you cannot beat $ 1 hot dogs anywhere… I ended up eating 3 and split an order of chilli-​cheese fries with a friend, meaning our total bill sans drinks was $ 6.50 (the Asian in me is ecstatic.)
Unless you’re vegan… skip the Yoko Ono (vegan dog.) I really enjoyed the Johnny Drama and the Frank Sinatra was a favourite amongst others. The Fats Domino wasn’t bad either. The chilli-​cheese fries here are good, as is the mac & cheese, and the raspberry float cocktail is sweet goodness.
I’m debating on not posting this cause this place is so cool… it’s going to be packed in the coming weeks once word gets out.