The Little Snail Restaurant

While the $ 60 for three courses was appealing, I would prefer to pay more for better quality. The entrée was best described as mushy. The main was rare instead of medium rare. The dessert was nice. Service was ok only. I wouldn’t go back.

I really like the little snail. We went there on Friday without too many people. The food tastes good and the waiters are all nice. We enjoyed our lunch so much.

What a gem! I’ve driven past this place numerous times but never tried until today. We used the Groupon voucher and boy was very impressed with the service and food. Everything was just spot on and they are very generous with their serving sizes. Service was super fast and friendly. We had the snails and bouillabaisse Marseilles for entrees. The snails were bigger than I’ve had at previous French restaurants and were very nicely cooked with garlic and butter. The seafood soup had a delicious broth which was fantastic with the mussel, salmon and prawns. We both selected the seafood platter as our main. This was the lightest out of the mains and we were glad we both had this. Everything was cooked perfectly! Wasn’t too much of a fan of the lettuce salad but that is the only point to deduct. The cheese dessert was really nice however the sticky date pudding was my favourite. I completely polished off this dish. This is one of my fave desserts and this has to be one of the best I’ve had. The sauce wasn’t too sweet and with the combination of the ice cream, pudding and sauce — delish way to finish off the meal! Definitely a winner for me.

Went on a discount voucher (so 2 for $ 60 instead on $ 60 for 3 courses) –was a lovely meal ! — The duck breast with raspberry sauce was really excellent and the 2 desserts we had showed the difference between gifted amateurs and a real chef. Will be going again.

One of my favorite restaurants, have being going on a regular basis since 1996, when they were on Broadway. Can’t beat the value, a 3 course meal for $ 38, for lunch, dinner is more. I had pâté, kangaroo and profiteroles and my wife, escargots, seafood platter and mouse, with a bottle of Riesling. As always food was superb, & the service attentive. Recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Pretentious. Nice view. Classy.
Calamari was the highlight. Firm not chewy. Thick cut. Delicious in the sauce.
The escargot was very buttery, cooked well. However I have had better.
Pâté was plentiful. Too much we couldn’t eat it all. Great flavor. Requested extra bread.
The veal was so good! Topped with a creamy mushroom sauce, enough to cover every nite. Very rich. Meat was tender.
This is the type of establishment that waits till you’ve finished your course before they move on to the next. Be sure to tell your server you are ready if your plates still appear to be full. The server had a French accent. There was conversation amongst the table if it was real or not lol. I believe it was, and really did add to the authenticity of the restaurant.

Went on Boxing Day with the in-​laws and purchased the set lunch menu. 3 courses included.
The food was nice and the dessert the most impressive. I would say it is not really a French restaurant, while some menu items resemble French cuisine such as snails and duck breast, they are more along the lines of mod oz.
My snails in garlic smelt amazing and the texture was dine but the actual garlic flavor did not really match the aromaS the duck was tender and sauce substantial, and the dessert was divine.
Would definitely go again if I wanted to take someone out in the area for safe food that everyone can eat.

A pleasant experience. The quality of the food was near top notch and the service was similar.
The only gripe I had with the meals was the garlic used was so weak, I couldn’t taste any of it. I could see it and chew the garlic pieces but there was no garlic flavour in the Escargot.
The leak crépe was amazing, as well as the seafood plate and the duck breast. The salmon was cooked perfectly as well as the beef.
The desserts were all perfect. The best in my opinion was the sticky date pudding.

So I got a little bit of mixed reviews here!
First the restaurant itself and the atmosphere was lovely and we were sitting facing darling harbour :-) the service was great and they were all very friendly and all smiles.
The entrée came out quick but it took a little long for the main.
We had the escargots for entrée. I loved them, for me it was seasoned and cooked well the garlic butter was great. To my partner it was a little under seasoned. My 8 yr old also shared with us as he loves escargots and he quite enjoyed them.
The kids took calamari and chips, it’s a bit of a big serve, they really liked the calamari and finished it but the chips was a little undercooked but still they ate them but they didn’t like the sauce (I tasted it and didn’t like the sauce either).
For main, I had Magret de Canard (duck) it was cooked to perfection, tasted great and skin seasoned well but wasn’t crispy as it indicated, and I can do without the sweet sauce on top, the spinach was nice.
My partner had the seafood platter, he liked it but didn’t love it, he said it was also under seasoned.
Found a small part of a beard in one of the mussels, he loved the salmon and said the skin was crisp but he wanted a bigger portion of it! LOL
For desert the kids had the profiteroles, they loved it but didn’t really like the custard and one of them left it aside (I tasted it I just had to! lol) the choux pastry was fantastic, it was done very well.
I had the chocolate mouse. Now just to give you an idea, I have a really really sweet tooth (I have up to 4 spoons of sugar in my coffee and eat a lot of chocolate a day!!), but the mouse was way too sweet for me so I believe for a normal palate they’ll find it way too sweet to finish.
My partner had the Fourme D’ambert, which is weird as he doesn’t like blue cheese but he enjoyed it :-)
Overall the positives really outweighs the small (I wouldn’t call it negatives) hiccups. We enjoyed it and would go back.

Merci! All I can say is thank you to the wonderful staff and the fabulous food at The Little Snail.
Lunch there today was absolutely perfect. Good company, welcoming and non intrusive staff and food that was mouth watering.
The wine complimented the three course meal. Where else can you buy a three course french meal for $ 38 in the heart of Sydney. A big plus for value for money.
One of my companions asked the waiter to make the selection himself of each of the dishes. The waiter surprisingly brought out a special meal that wasn’t even on the selection.
I have always been impressed whenever I have eaten here.

Hmmmmm I am a big fan of French dining so I am very critical
Took my cousin here for a little catch up and I was craving some French food and wine! Bought a Groupon coupon and found this restaurant! What a great find! I’ve been to better French restaurants before but I would still go back to this place
Location was quite tricky and the restaurant was hard to find but of course I found it eventually tucked in at the hotel grand Mercure!
Part of the Groupon deal was a glass of wine and a three course meal! The wine that we had was soooooo nice but I totally forgot to find out what the name of the wine was called … Ppppoooooooo
So to start off with! I totally totally THIS CLOSE to trying the escargots! As a big fan of French food you would think I would have tried the snails already especially at THE LITTLE SNAIL (bad joke but ya’ll saw it coming) but I still couldn’t get myself to try it! Even though they made it sound so nice ‘…over baked in garlic butter’… Still couldn’t do it! But I swear! One day I will so instead, I tried the bouillabaisse de Marseille! Such a great traditional French soup! If you’re not into your seafood then you probably won’t like this but it definitely hit the spot on a cold Sydney’s night! perfect mixture of salmon, prawns and crab! Not too heavy before a main meal as well! My cousin, being the lover of salt and pepper squid, had the… Salt and pepper squid (ironic). The squid was amazing! So crispy! And it was served with my favourite sauce of all time… AIOLI SAUCE
Now for mains! Every every EVERYTIME there is lamb on the menu, I always get it! I’m a big lover of lamb… It was a loin of lamb served with baby spinach, glazed pommies boulangere (French potato gratins) and thyme juice! Oh my goodness! The lamb was so tender and already cut up for me (chivalry is totally not dead) however, the juice that was on top was a weird mix! It was very thick and tasted a bit like bbq sauce. I would have liked the sauce on the side but it definitely didn’t stop me from cleaning out the plate French gratin is the best way to serve awesome potatoes! I really don’t know what I would to without potatoes (can you imagine?) BLASPHEMY! It was definitely the perfect couple that night, other than my cousin and I!
Oh! I also got the lamb done medium rare! Cook it anymore than that and you will absolutely ruin the meat! I don’t understand people who eat their meat well done! Ya’ll are cray!
Ok… So the best best part of my night was ending it with the best sticky date pudding dessert of my life! I love a good sticky date pudding on a cold winters night! It’s the best combination for a winter dessert, a warm pudding with ice cream on top and covered with butter scotch! It is probably the best I’ve ever had! Prior to this, the best sticky date was at Outback Steakhouse But I’m sorry my fellow out backers… The little snail’s has hit the number one spot!
When I write reviews, I also like to talk about service! I don’t think I’ve ever been to a French restaurant where the service is not great! Very polite, very funny (at times flirty), great conversationalists… And they definitely know their wine!
Happy eating Unilocalers! If you ever go here, go during the day! I’m sure the view from pyrmont would be absolutely beautiful!

Scored the groupon deal, $ 79 three-​course dinner for two which is originally $ 60 per person
The food came out extremely quickly, which gives me the impression that it’s pre-​made and just sitting in the kitchen. They’re probably able to pull this off because of the 2000+ groupons that have been sold as of right now of their set menu. Dishes came out luke warm, so it could have been a little better.
I had the escargot as a starter, nice flavor but needed a little salt then they were perfect. I dipped the two small pieces of bread in the garlic butter sauce and I wanted more!
For the main I had the crispy duck breast, not sure if there was crisp on the skin but the raspberry sauce went extremely well with the duck! Again, had to add a little salt on the duck and some salt and pepper to the spinach and it was really good.
The highlight of my night would have to be the dessert, and I’m not a huge dessert fan. I ordered the warm sticky date pudding with vanilla ice cream and butterscotch sauce. This was perfect! Well actually it could have been warmer but the taste was perfect! Not too sweet but sweet enough.
The service was nice and friendly, although we felt a little awkward just leaving the table after we were done because they took our groupon when we entered the restaurant so there was no bill at the end.
Verdict– will be craving the sticky date pudding for a while

My husband and I had the three course meal for $ 60.00 PP. We started off with a liter of White Sangria which was very refreshing. I’m fussy about sangria’s and this one was perfect.
First course:
–Mushroom and Leek Crêpe /​Crêpe filled with baby mushroom, leek, chives, and cauliflower purée served with Breton sauce. This was very tastily and because I love leeks this was a huge hit.
–Escargot de Bourgogne /​Dozen snails marinated in herb-​infused court bouillon, oven baked in garlic butter. These were fantastic, large and plentiful.
Main couse:
–Kangaroo Fillet /​On garlic pommes purée with a Dijon mustard and honey bordelaise sauce. This was prepared to perfection and the sauce was incredible.
–Duck /​a duck breast sliced with a berry sauce. EXCELLENT! It was cooked to perfection and the sauce took it over the top. A must try for any duck lovers.
Dessert:
–Warm Sitcky Date Pudding /​With butterscotch and French vanilla ice cream. Super super yummy! A little on the sweet side, so have a cup of coffee with it. In fact, I loved it so much I plan on going back for lunch just to have this again.
–Classic Crème Caramel /​basic but made well.
I tried emailing for a reservation two times without a response, but I finally stopped in and was able to book a time the same night. I would take off a star or 2 for that but the sangria made up for their lack in this area. The friendly staff and fast service makes this a place to try again.
Good price, fast service and great food. A must try!

I love The Little Snail. The three course meal is a steal. This is my 4^th time here and it never disappoints. The food is fresh and the meat is exquisite. I would recommend this place to everyone.
Escargot was delicious and pâté was so creamy. My kangaroo was deliciously rare and cooked to perfection. I love it when they know how to cook kangaroo. The sticky date dessert to die for.

This is my 2^nd time come to Little Snail. I bought the voucher $ 69 for 2. I got in at lunch time.
But their normal price is $ 38 – 3 course lunch, $ 69– 3 course dinner
The food in overall is good.
What I had were Pâté Maison, Seafood Plate and Handmade Profiteroles.
Pâté Maison description: Armagnac flavoured duck liver pâté with marinated champignons, date chutney and port vinaigrette
This one is good. I am in bit full after that.
Main is seafood plate, I think it is normal and the amount is too big. Can’t finish up at all.
Dessert is Handmade Profiteroles. I was way too full. I don’t really want to eat. No comment on it. But if I can choose again… I prob get the Hazenut ice cream instead…
Last time I have Hazenut ice cream, it tasted very nice.

My family and I went here for my sister’s 30^th birthday. We got a deal with Groupon which was 3 course dining with cocktail for eight people for $ 276 ($ 34.50 per person).
The restaurant isn’t too large. I booked as soon as I purchased the deal (which was probably a month prior) and when we got there, we requested if we could sit downstairs as my brother had just had knee surgery and was on crutches (last minute operation). Unfortunately they could not move our table but offered to help my brother up the stairs. Lol — nice gesture, but wasn’t needed.
The seating was nice. A table on the top level. This is what I ordered:
— Entrée: Boulette de fruits de mer. Here is the description Salmon, prawns a blue swimmer crab, steamed, served on tomato and chervil veloute.
What is really was: was minced up seafood which was steamed with a tomato sauce. The description sounds nicer than what it looks, but it still tasted great!
— Main: Seafood Plate. Description — Of grilled salmon, garlic prawns, salt and pepper squid, chilli mussels, beer battered soft shell crab and mesclun salad.
What is really was: This was everything stated and more. It was a large serving, and i couldnt finish it. It was divine! I loved every thing on the plate. I didn’t even finish my grilled salmon (that’s how filling it was), and i never like to leave salmon!
— Dessert: Warm Sticky Date Pudding. Description: Warm Sticky Date Pudding with butterscotch and vanilla ice cream.
What it really was: Everything as stated and even more. Also had praline on top. This was DIVINE! It was soooooo good! I can’t express how good the dessert tasted.
By the time it came to dessert i was really full, but i managed to finish it anyway! It tasted so good and I didnt want to waste it.
The «cocktail» that you receive on arrival was medicore. A bit of orange juice and maybe cranberry (?) mixed with gin or vodka (can’t tell as it was so little). It was refreshing but nothing special.
All in all, i loved their 3 course menu. I would come back again — even at $ 59 per person for dinner (regular price).
Would highly recommend!

came here with a voucher & had a 3 course meal. entrée: snails & salmon roulette, main: seafood platter & duck confit, dessert: hazelnut ice cream & chocolate mousse. food was great — good quality, presentation & flavor. service was also good. will return.

I went there a number of times with friends and family and it has always been a good experience overall.
The quality of food and service was good.
Last but not least it’s not over priced :)

I know a big difference in stars from previous reviews, but my experience here was terrible. I think it was because they had 2 big groups on one night (which included mine) and couldn’t handle the pressure.
I was in a table of 12 and 3 of us got there a bit early so we decided to a have a drink to start. I ordered a glass of red and I kid you not, it took over 20min to get it — had to remind the waiter twice. Btw the wine was terrible. When the other guests arrived, the waiter took our orders but seemed to have issues with his electronic device and took ages. Then 5min later he returned and said he had to take it again because it got erased. What the?
However I thought ok, as long as the mains are good I’ll forgive our forgetful waiter. Again, it took ages and we were absolutely famished. When it came out, the waiter had stuffed up the order and gave my friend my medium rare steak and gave me her well done steak. Only to cut into it and finding out it was wrong again. Adding to this dilemna, two of my friends did not have any food. Again, took a long time. The icing on the cake was when our waiter split red wine all over my friend; albeit my not so nice wine was promptly replaced. Btw, it was my friend’s birthday…
In terms of food, it was very average. The only thing I liked were the escargot. If I wanted good reasonably priced French food I would prefer Bistro Papillon, Sel et Poivre or Tabou (unfortunately now closed). But they were nice about having a large birthday cake bought in, and this went off without a hitch.
But I think you can guess that I won’t be returning to this restaurant. What a night for all the wrong reasons!

The Little Snail is one of the best restaurants in Sydney when it comes to French food. Over the years, they have painstakingly built a trustworthy reputation for their quality service and food. Their Escargot is a definite must-​try, its as authentic and tasty as you can possibly get. In spite of the restaurant’s prominence, their price still remains very reasonable. A good example would be their three-​course meal which is priced at $ 36. It would be hard to beat that! If you’ve always had an inkling for French cuisine then this place is one good excuse to do so. Highly recommended!