The Hayberry

We all know that a good nosh and some good grub to go with are an essential part of a good Sunday arvo spent with good friends…
The question is, where do you go?
You go to the Hayberry of course!!!
Nestled in the [presently wet] bosom of Crows Nest (on the northern end of Willoughby Road) is where you’ll find this wonderful place.
Accompanied by two of my fellow Unilocalers for a late birthday celebration made the experience that much more enjoyable.
We had a plate of buffalo wings to share. I found them spicy to start with… But then I was addicted; I couldn’t stop eating them! The spice was like a driving force to keep wanting more, especially slathered in blue cheese dip.
Then for mains: I had the Hay FC chicken burger (fried chicken, bacon, Swiss and hickory Mayo); and my dining partners had the brisket tacos and southern cluck burger respectively.
I was slightly disappointed that there was nothing for dessert, but another glass of Pinot Gris made up for that.
We all left with full bellies, smiles on our faces and slightly tipsy.
Get your tush down here; not just for a Sunday Sesh but any time!

took some friends here for their first time; walked in to «Spoonman» playing, good start!
Could definitely do with some more tap beer choices. But I enjoyed what I had. The food was, and will always be, the best part. Great burgers. Dreamy burgers. I don’t LOVE the waffle fries, but they ain’t bad. The dildo packaging on the wall is a nice touch though ;-)

Guess ibdont need to say much, its all been said. Nice burgers, decent wings and good beers on tap. Thumbs up! Bar staff are also nice guys… get some!

The first time I’ve ever tried a veggie burger that reminded me of a fish taco happened while I dined at The Hayberry in Crows Nest, Sydney, and boy, was I thrilled. The Vego ($ 15AUD) patty is made with mixed bean, corn and coriander, and topped with citrus rocket, tomato and jalapeño mayo, and this monster of a sandwich had me reminiscing being on the Rocky Point beach.
The burger wasn’t the only stellar reason why this bar and restaurant made me happy. Head through the dimly lit pub area to the back of the restaurant to discover a fresh air patio filled with lots of natural light and quirky decorations. It’s relaxed and will make you feel right at home.
Back to the food. I was so excited to try the waffle fries that usually come with the burgers and sandwiches, but unfortunately, the fryer was down — or «f*cked,» as a humorous sign pointed out. The restaurant compensated for the lack of fried potatoes by giving us complimentary chips and guacamole, normally $ 10. The portion was plentiful and would be a great appetizer option, and the guac was creamy and sprinkled with some heat.
For those in Australia hankering for Mexican or American food, The Hayberry is a great choice because of its wide selection of tacos, fajitas, buffalo wings and burgers. Service was super-​friendly, and the casual atmosphere makes it a top-​notch place to stop for after-​work drinks and bites, as I did, or to meet a big groups, since there are lots of spacious tables to spread out on.
The cocktail menu is also fun, as it offers margaritas and fruity drinks with fresh juice. It quickly became one of my favorite places I’ve checked out since I’ve been in Sydney.

We have been trying to find time to try this place for a while and now I’m on holidays we finally had time together to go. As soon as we walked in I loved it, it had a great atmosphere and the staff was friendly!
I had the big stack, my girl had the little piggy and we shared a popcorn chicken.
The big stack was a bigger better version of a Big Mac, If I had realized at the time how big the stack was I would have left it at that. The popcorn chicken was absolutely delicious! The little piggy was a pulled pork burger which my girl loved!
All in all it was a great experience.

Good chicken wings aren’t tricky. Really, all you need is a good vinegar based hot sauce (a la Frank’s) and some chicken. Bonus points for celery, carrots, and bleu cheese dressing. The Hayberry gets all the points. Every last one of them.
On top of good wings, The Hayberry dishes out good burgers, waffle fries (!!!) and craft beer.
Whatever barkeep B-​Squared ran into hasn’t been here on either of my visits. I’ve had nothing but friendly and flirty service (so many «tap that» pay pass jokes). I’ve already planned out my next three visits to try the brisket tacos, ribs, and the fried chicken burger. See you next Saturday, Hayberry!

Just the best! Yummm! True American style burgers — melt in your mouth yumminess. I had the Mexican styled burger, borderlands which came with a pattie plus extra minced meat, jalapeño, sour cream, Spanish onion. Big portion but I just had to finish it all because it was so great. Friends had the classic burger and were equally as impressed. Staff were so helpful and friendly. We sat out in the back courtyard on beautiful sunny day. So glad we have this little gem on our doorstep. So much more of the menu to explore definitely be back for more.

Just like that Natalie Imbruglia song (remember her?), I’m Torn. Because this place rocks socks, it’s like someone bundled up a little slice of Slurry and deposited it right in the middle of the Crows Nest Eat Street that has lots of delicious but has sorely, sorely been lacking the cool factor, and in fact still has nowhere near enough. The Hayberry has tons going for it.
I rocked a bad-​ass burger, The Classic ($ 15), and it was the nit’s tits, juicy and cheezy and the bun melded with the patty and made sweet sweet love to it without becoming soggy or break-​y and man it was just dope, the waffle fries were great too. The $ 10 pints of Angry Man Pale Ale hit the spot, and the vibe was dark and dingy and smoky without being, y’know, actually smoky because that’s illegal, anyway my point is it’s a damn fun place.
BUT. And here comes the bad. The glassie working tonight was the pits. Since we’re talking songs, y’know that Kendrick Lamar song «Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe»? Well this guy did that, hard. I asked if there was a menu I could look at and he shrugged and said all testy-​like «They’re all out on the floor» and stalked away with his tank top and his rib rattoo. Super helpful, thanks friend! Soon after we found a seat at the side of the bar and this same guy saw me waiting to order and snapped «Ya won’t get served there mate. It doesn’t have a bar mat, you’ll only get served where there’s a bar mat.» Oh good, thank you, you’ve been wonderful. Guy needs to find a new industry because he sucks at customer service, really put a downer on what was an otherwise great night. Should also mention the rest of the staff were awesome, so props to them.

Great spicy chicken wings — very authentic. Good vibe and tap beer. Awesome blue cheese sauce. And the heaters were nice and warm.

The Hayberry has been a great addition to Crows Nest since it opened. Fitting that sweet spot between hotel (the Crowie or Stoned Crow) and restaurant, and with a lot more attitude than Small Bar a few doors up, I’ve headed here too many times to count on Friday nights. My favourite spot is sitting at the table along the front window.
The cocktails are excellent, although I miss the biscuit crumb one that had early on, plus they’ve gone up in price since first opening. Most of the time I select a wine, while my other half goes for beer: there’s a great variety on tap, and half pints are half the price of pints, making it easy to sample more of them.
Moving on to food, it’s American diner style, with a great selection of burgers, along with buffalo wings, Mexican hot plates and more. Usually I get a burger, served with their signature waffle fries. (Think fries the shape of waffles — and so crispy!) Other great options include the sliders, southern fried chicken and popcorn chicken.
To go with the American style food, the music is also mainly American, a mix of recent and older rock and blues. And believe me, some Friday nights there’s even some dancing… Not the place to go for some quiet!

Burgers, signature chicken wings with blue cheese dip, waffle fries, whiskey sour… heaven! Love the atmosphere, great place to just kick back and have a great night with friends.
The only place I would come to when those burger and chicken wing cravings kick in. Love love love this place!!!

Awesome burgers, one of the best in Sydney. The bun is soft and patty is juicy. Their waffles fries are unique and tasty.
I also tried their house wings which is good but you can skip their popcorn chicken.
I will definitely come back in the future.

It’s dim inside, lit by flickering candles in bullet-​ridden tinnies, and maybe raining outside — a dull Saturday afternoon. I lean over to the bartender: «Can I ask a strange question?» We’d already bonded over Moose Drool (the best beer in the fridge) and there was a lull in the good, loud blues music.
«Shoot.»
“Do you guys have high chairs?“
It turns out it wasn’t such a strange question. The Hayberry is a gritty, hidden whisky bar, but it’s also in Crows’ Nest, the baby capital of the North Shore. So even though no, they didn’t have high chairs (mostly bar-​stools and booths too cosy to accommodate a real home-​fed Texan) I brought the young gun in anyway, perhaps breaching social etiquette and certain licensing regulation in the process.
Frankly, it’s too good a spot for the logistics of parenthood to get in the way. American beers and Japanese whiskeys aside, the burgers and greasy, down-​home food is spot-​on. There are a lot of burger options — The Borderland is a Mexican special that pays homage to the long-​standing previous tenant, though my fave is the classic Whipper — and they’re quick to come. There are good buffalo wings. Buckle in, boys and girls. This formula can add to a long session.
Well, unless you’ve got a whinging baby who is disinterested in waffle fries to tend to. Come on, kid! What did your mother raise you on, kale and chia seeds?! Oh…

Go for the fresh apple juice — not the food.
Food:
I ordered the Hay-​FC and my partner ordered the Cheese and Bacon burger. Both burgers were nothing amazing and the chicken was very dry and nothing like KFC. The waffle fries which came with the burgers were really nice, particularly with the smokey bbq sauce which was on the table.
We also ordered the chilli fries — only a good idea if you are sharing with a large group and like your fries covered with mince. They were not spicy at all and only had about 5 jalapeños on top. Needless to say we didn’t finish these.
The service is good and quick and the way they have decorated the place is really cool.
There were plenty of free tables when we arrived at 6pm on a Saturday night.
You can order fresh apple juice with spirits (I took mine with tequila) and it goes down very nicely.
This bar is for greasy food and late nights with heavy drinking.

WAFFLE FRIES WAFFLE FRIES WAFFLE FRIES WAFFLE FRIES WAFFLE FRIES WAFFLE FRIES WAFFLE FRIES WAFFLE FRIES
I could leave it at that and still give these guys 5 stars.
The burgers, wings, tacos, nachos, tap beer and the fact that this place is also a bar is just an added side bonus to the WAFFLE FRIES.
Haha in all seriousness though, the Hayberry is the perfect type of place that just doesn’t care about seriousness. It’s chilled, laid back, Americana/​Ned-​Kelly-​died-​here-​atmosphere make it literally one of the best places in Crows Nest in my humble opinion.
I mean it’s a small bar, but it’s also a place to come and smash down some good ol’ comfort food — anything goes! It’s the kind of place you could even get away with bringing the kids — a ‘restaurant’ I guess is what they call it.
It’s been a biting cold winter, and both times we’ve come here have been literally freezing. It was like an oasis in the winter abyss, chowing down on the ‘Bogan burger’ and the buffalo wings literally made me giddy with happiness.
Oh, and did I mention the WAFFLE FRIES? I’m not going to explain their awesomeness, just go there and try them for yourselves.
Well done guys — it’s my new favourite.

What was once a lacklustre Tex Mex joint with a spit and a polish becomes a fair approximation of a southern American diner.
The portions are fair and the selection broad. I’m a fan of the pulled pork with slaw burger — just like I recall from my favourite po boy diner in New Orleans. And the spicy buffalo wings with blue cheese sauce are almost as good as the ones I make (they’re that good!)
If I had one complaint it’s the limited range of beers, especially imported American craft beers on tap. Otherwise, a great addition in the small bar scene to Crows Nest.

This fairly new small bar brings a Surry Hills feel to the North side (think Soda Bar or Brooklyn Social). It has a well thought out selection of good craft beers, cocktails, etc, The food is well priced, tasty Tex-​Mex style burgers & subs, and I totally rate the Sizzle hot plate (if you are lucky you might even get more tortillas if needed). The décor is exposed brick, low lighting (bit too low perhaps?) with old memorabilia which is cosy. The high booths adjacent the bar are novel and would need careful coordination when hopping down after a couple of beverages. Of the 3 visits so far, the staff have always been friendly and attentive — my new local!