Bridgeview Hotel Willoughby: The North Shore pub quietly nailing it with food that rivals CBD venues and the #1 Seafood Chowder in town

Mr G and I cab it to Bridgeview Hotel on Willoughby Road at 6:30pm on a Friday night, expecting the usual pub chaos. What we find is something entirely different. With the Northbridge Hotel Closing down, there are very few pubs in this area (which we have just moved to). We have a high ‘inner west’ bar…So what is it like?

The Vibe

Bridgeview is a big pub. Walking in, the main area to the right is buzzing with sporting teams returning from games, ordering up feeds, footy lovers settling in for the night to watch the big screens. It’s proper Friday night pub energy.

But we’re headed to the Dining Room, and stepping through feels like walking into history. Established in September 1928, this heritage-listed building was originally founded by Tooth’s & Company, and they’ve kept elements that tie the pub to its past. The dark wooden bar anchors the space with that unmistakable old-school pub gravitas. The dining room has a more intimate feel warm lighting, paintings, little fairy lights and guess what? Real candle fairy lights and napkins! It is surprisingly quiet for a Friday night.

We grab a comfy table tucked in the corner, and settle in. No screaming over each other. No elbowing for space. Just genuinely calm atmosphere.

Brodie, the GM, is across the floor he is friendly, knowledgeable, and appears with a quick “hey!” whenever needed. It’s that perfect balance of attentive without hovering.

The Drinks

I start with a Balter XPA, though I could have opted for a reasonable Chandon Brut at $16 a glass. MR G goes for a $16 glass of 2021 Castillo de Monseran solid, easy-drinking. Mr G eyes the Shaw & Smith Sauvignon Blanc for $79, which is classy but only available by the bottle, so we stick with what we’ve got.

The Menu

We are enthusiastically informed that Chef Rob’s Brussels sprouts are a personal favourite and “absolutely mandatory”. It’s his night off tonight so we don’t get to meet this brussel sprout cooking legend. Well, who can resist that kind of conviction? First up are three luscious mushroom arancini, golden and crisp on the outside with a rich, earthy centre that gives way to creamy mushroom goodness.

The calamari arrives as super fine shavings, dusted in rice flour and fried until delicately crisp. The result is lighter, crunchier, and somehow more addictive than the usual format. Still soft and juicy inside, but with an almost tempura-like texture that makes them ridiculously easy to demolish. The pepperberry aioli with saltbush and lemon myrtle adds native Australian complement.

Onto the chowder. Having spent plenty of time in San Francisco, I’ve developed an emotional/irrational love of the real deal – seafood/clam chowder. I go to nights dreaming of it. Creamy, smoky, deeply savoury spoonfuls loaded with seafood and enough richness to justify cancelling all plans afterwards. Australia just doesn’t or can’t do it. I’ve reviewed countless Sydney restaurants, and no one has nailed it. Until now.

Bridgeview Hotel’s seafood chowder, currently on the specials menu, is hands down one of the best I’ve had locally. So much so, I genuinely plead my case to Brodie for it to become permanent. It’s rich without being heavy, smoky without overpowering and absolutely packed with mussels and chunks of seafood throughout. It tastes layered, slow-developed, and generous. At $24, it’s amazing value for this quality. My only nit pick is that a chowder this good should be served in a glossy hollowed out cob loaf.

Mr G orders the pork Cumberland sausages ($30) and they arrive as two generous bangers sitting on a doona of mash with a tower of sweet red cabbage. It all shines. The sausages are juicy and well-seasoned, the mash is creamy, the gravy is rich, and that sweet red cabbage adds brightness and acidity that cuts through the richness. As we were told, Robs Brussels are bloody brilliant. All charry and caramelised with an addictive chili caramel glaze, crispy shallots adding texture, and pine nuts bringing nuttiness.

The Daily Addict Verdict

Bridgeview Hotel, Willoughby Road, Willoughby.