It's a big place, and it's busy. It's the first time I've ventured out here, being a stranger in a strange land I've tended to stick to the densely populated areas of Sydney - Darlinghurst, CBD, Bondi, as well as sticking close to home. This time, we've coerced Josh into driving us out to Watson's bay, braving the horrendous parking situation, to visit Doyle's.
The plan was to grab a seat in the courtyard, eat seafood, drink jugs of beer, then explore the rest of the pub before heading back for home. As it turned out, the skies split apart just as we'd finished our food, dumping about a cubic mile of rain right onto the courtyard, causing our rapid evacuation as several hundred people tried to run for cover without spilling their drinks. Just one of the dangers of living in Sydney, I guess.
Doyle's is very well known, and an extraordinarily popular spot at weekends. People come in from all over Sydney to enjoy the seafood, but be warned - you'll be queuing for a long time! We took shifts in the queue for a couple of seafood platters which were, sadly, not spectacular enough to warrant unbridled joy after the ordeal of acquiring them. Jugs of beer are fairly cheap, and the queues at the bar were surprisingly thin (everyone must have been stuck in the food line). We think the best tactic is to rotate people between the lines at the counter and the bar, keeping the food foragers supplied with bottles of beer. This takes at least three people - one to keep the food queue, one to keep the table, and one to shuttle the beer!
The views are superb, looking into The Harbour from near it's most seaward point, best enjoyed with a bottle of Crown Lager from down near beach level. Aaaah!
We'll be going back to check out the rest of the place soon - never fear!
review by: pubguide staff