More than two years on from reopening with its upscale dining room restaurant, The Dry Dock Public House and Dining Room in Balmain continues to pull off a marvellous magic trick.
This grand old boozer will turn 170 next year and inside and out, you can still feel that history even though it is about as far away from the rowdy watering hole favoured by its first customers, the wharfies who quenched their thirsts there after a shift on Sydney’s working harbour.
The wharfies may no longer stroll across Mort Park from Sydney’s first dry dock (hence the name) but co-founders James Ingram and Mike Everett didn’t forget them when they reimagined it for the future. Old black and white images of the The Dry Dock hotel feature on the walls, one of the many exposed beams bears the greetings from an English shipman, and they kept the only original sandstone block they could (interestingly there wasn’t that much of it used in its original construction).
But it’s far from being a time-capsule. Instead it’s a welcoming pub for the locals, a destination diner, a sports bar (but without pokies thankfully) and a one-hatted restaurant all wrapped into one. You can even take your dog there, as it upholds the tradition of many other pubs in Balmain to welcome our canine companions.
The Dry Dock’s vibe
When I visit on a Thursday night in April 2026, I’m there for dinner in the award-winning Dining Room. Entering through the public bar you can feel the friendly atmosphere of the whole place and it’s busy with a mix of people. While I wait for my dirty martini at the bar, a bloke enjoying a beer strikes up a conversation with me about how James Bond liked his martinis. (For the record, Bond and I differ about the best way to have this cocktail.)
To get to the Dining Room at the Dry Dock, you walk through the chic yet cosy Lounge Bar and I get a vision of my future sitting on the chesterfield sofa in front of the double-fronted fireplace on a wintery night.
As I enter the restaurant I eye what I think could be the best seats in the house, particularly if you’re dining alone – four large leather-backed bar stools at the oyster bar looking into the kitchen where more magic is happening. Again, I have a vision of my future getting quite comfortable there.
Tonight though, we are at a delightful table for two, by a window looking out to the courtyard garden, in the high-ceilinged, luminous warehouse-style room.
The food in The Dining Room
Led by head chef Ben Sitton, the menu showcases locally sourced, premium produce so with that in mind we start off with seafood entrees – delicious slightly creamy Sydney rock oysters with a tangy champagne mignonette ($7 each), a blast from the past prawn cocktail ($32); salt cod croquettes with tarragon mayonnaise ($8 each); the crunchy Olasagasti Anchovy en croute ($14 each) with a garlic creamy sauce that cuts through the saltiness.
On a roll with out seafood selections, we continue to explore that side of the menu opting for the malfadine with spanner crap ($42) as our half-time pasta dish. The al dente pasta is generously covered in the hero ingredient of the delicately flavoured crab with just enough chilli to give it a gentle kick without taking over.
A must-have on the menu is the Berkshire crumbed pork cutlet ($49). It’s been on The Dry Dock’s menu since it opened and I figure that anything that’s been there since the beginning has earned its spot for a reason. And the reason is, it’s fantastic. The meat is juicy inside the crumbed coating which keeps its crunch even as it soaks up the beurre noisette.
The surprise hit for me was the honey-glazed delicata pumpkin ($42) – perfect as a vegetable side dish or a vegetarian main. As is often the case, it’s the little things that stand out and in this dish it was the zucchini de Provence tucked under the flavoursome pumpkin that I keep thinking about. Cooked to perfection, it had that bit of crunch and light zesty finish that complemented the sweeter pumpkin and chickpea creme.
Somehow, we finished with the rhubarb souffle with gelato ($22), an airy and light – not to mention pretty – dessert to round off an indulgent and memorable meal.
Our verdict on the Dry Dock Public House and Dining Room
There’s a reason the Dry Dock Public House and Dining Room is collecting awards, including one hat in the Good Food Guide 2026, Pub of the Year in 2026, and Best Restaurant at the Australian Hotelier NSW 2025 Awards.
The Dry Dock offers a range of food options in the Public Bar and Lounge Bar but the prices at The Dining Room put making a booking there into the “special occasion” category for most. But it’s definitely worth it, something that can’t be said for many other restaurants charging those prices. And while the pub is dog-friendly, the The Dining Room is doggy bag-friendly and will box up any leftovers – if there are any.
It’s the perfect place to come for those wanting to explore a hatted-restaurant outside the CBD and with it’s location a five-minute walk from Balmain ferry wharf it’s an ideal place for tourists and visitors to Sydney who want to combine a meal worth writing home about with some sight-seeing.
The Dry Dock Public House and Dining Room is located at 22 Cameron St, Balmain.
No bookings are required for the Public House. To book a table at The Dining Room and for more information visit thedrydock.com.au.
