Doyles at the Quay

Description:

• Just below Quay is Doyles, a name synonymous with seafood in Sydney. Most customers sit outside to enjoy the fabulous views across the harbor, though green guard railings do somewhat interrupt the view of the Opera House. Businesspeople and tourists come here if they don't want to lay out the cash for Quay or if they fancy a more relaxed style. The most popular dish is basically pricey fish and chips, which costs A$35 (US$31/£16). You can also get a dozen oysters for A$30 (US$27/£14) or half a lobster for A$65 (US$58/£29). One word of advice though: Australian lobsters (crayfish in reality) aren't nearly as tasty as lobsters in other parts of the world in my experience. Still, if you want the views and it's a pretty day, then it's a nice place to sit.

  Doyles also runs the food service at the wonderful Watsons Bay Hotel -- a fabulous place for a drink on a sunny day. Ferries run to Watsons Bay from Circular Quay from 10:35am and then every half-hour until 3:35pm Monday through Friday, and from 9:20am and then every 45 minutes until 6:15pm on Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays. However, a sister restaurant, Doyles on the Beach (tel. 02/9337 2007), also in Watsons Bay, was slammed by Matthew Evans, the well-respected Sydney Morning Herald food critic, who gave it one of the worst reviews that's ever appeared in an Australian newspaper. In proximity to this eatery is Doyles Fisherman's Wharf (tel. 02/9337 1572), on the ferry wharf; it used to be a takeout joint and now also has sit-down service.

• © Frommer's 2013