SOUTH on Albany

Before choosing to dine at this restaurant to celebrate a special occasion, I googled best restaurants in Berry. South on Albany was always mentioned, and the reviews weren’t wrong. We had a splendid meal at this charming little restaurant and were made to feel very special. It is a set menu but the food was outstanding. I also have to complement the staff on their excellence service. It was brilliant experience all round. They even bought out dessert with a sparkler to celebrate my partner‘s birthday. This is a very small restaurant and tables are spaced far apart, making it very intimate. The staff are very knowledgeable and friendly and a waitress was really lovely. I would have no hesitation recommending this venue for a special occasion. Well done.

We quite literally stumbled into South on Albany for lunch today while exploring Berry, fully expecting to be turned away as we didn’t have a reservation. To our pleasant surprise, we were warmly greeted by Sonia, who let us know that a table for two had just become available. What a stroke of luck that turned out to be. Taking advantage of their Sunday offering, we opted for the set menu , and from the very first bite it was clear we had landed somewhere special. The slow-cooked pork Pork brisket entrée, paired with a crisp cabbage coleslaw and bursts of pomegranate, was beautifully balanced and an excellent way to begin the meal. It was both comforting and refined, showcasing thoughtful flavour combinations without overcomplication. The highlight for us, however, was the pan fish of the day. Served with a silky cauliflower purée and sautéed baby spinach, it was cooked perfectly, delicate, fresh and incredibly satisfying. A dish that speaks to confident, well-executed cooking. Dessert was a fitting finale, coconut and lime cake accompanied by brown sugar roasted pineapple, passionfruit and coconut ice cream. Bright, tropical and not overly sweet, it wrapped up the meal in the most delightful way. Had we not been driving back to Sydney, the wine pairing would have been the perfect accompaniment to such a well-curated menu. A special mention must go to Audrey, the lovely young lady who looked after us throughout lunch. Her attentive and warm service made the entire experience feel relaxed, welcoming and genuinely memorable. We also extend our thanks to Chef John Evans and the kitchen team for delivering such an exceptional meal. If you ever find yourself in Berry and are lucky enough to secure a table, and you appreciate food that is thoughtfully prepared and beautifully executed, make sure South on Albany is on your list. You won’t be disappointed. We’re already looking forward to returning soon, hopefully with the whole family next time.

Delicious fresh food! Nice spacious seating. Nice wines. Everything was perfect and well thought out on the menu. We loved the poached cherries in the desert. Lovely handmade ceramic plates and sweet table flowers.

Naive art depicts the proprietors—husband-and-wife John Evans and Sonia Grieg—in front of the pointy-roofed restaurant. I last saw the pair in 2008 for a Balmain Rozelle Food Week dinner, back when they were running The Restaurant at 3 Weeds. Despite doing two sittings—the first with a strict 5.30pm start—SOUTH on albany is the kind of spot that inclines you to unwind. The other four couples we share the small dining room with, also look relaxed. Wine—you can BYO ($15/bottle) Wednesdays and Thursdays—and craft beers, include many from the local area. With a fortnightly rotating menu, anything I talk about here is unlikely to be what you’ll be eating. It’s a three-course affair ($95/person) with no choices to be made—bar for whether you’ll add on a dozen ($60) of Shane Buckley’s Wapengo Rocks (you should). The opener is a generous casarecce that brings in the verdant countryside with asparagus, baby zucchini, pesto, cherry tomatoes, goat’s curd and toasted pine nuts over a bed of artichoke puree. Gold band snapper, its crisp skin telling it was pressed into the pan with a fish weight, comes with an obscenely smooth cauliflower puree, sweet, juicy baby peas, charred baby corn, and perfect rounds of kipfler potato. The generous fish fillet hides sautéed baby spinach, helping to ensure you leave feeling like you’ve had adequate vegetables. Dessert is never an afterthought in Evans’ hands. For us it was a finger of chocolate brownie dusted in wattleseed crumb, a flavour echoed in Brookie’s Mac ($12) liqueur. Evans has poached the first cherries of the season in brandy, dabbed around lemon curd and the poaching liquid, and finished it off with vanilla sour cream ice cream. Even my non-chocolate-eating dining companion liked it, probably for the caramel buried within the brownie’s fudgy interior. The only sticking point for diners will be not eating something on the no-choice fortnightly menu.

Five stars with Michelin standard food! The best duck salad appetiser ever! My wife and I celebrated our anniversary and were impressed with the generous portions, superior service and food variety, the flavours of which were outstanding. I warmly recommend this establishment to prospective customers!

Can’t think of a better place in Berry to celebrate a special occasion. The three-course set menu is exquisitely crafted, beautifully presented, and full of amazing flavours. Outstanding value for money.

Beautifully prepared and presented food. A wonderful place to celebrate a special occasion. The wine pairing was on point 💯 Definitely recommend and we will return

A very good dinning experience. The food was delicious and very well thought through. Service was 5/5 no complaints. The only thing I thought could make it feel more cosy would be table cloths . But other than that It was terrific . We will go back.

Excellent food with great mix of flavours. Great service & attention to detail. I'll be recommending it to my friends who are absolute foodies. I'm sure they'll be thrilled by the experience of South on Albany.

The lamb salad was lovely. It had a very wide range of greens as well as a generous amount of lamb. It had a good nutty crunch. The service was really good and they provided complimentary bread which was nice. There was plenty of roadside parking nearby. It was a cosy restaurant but book early as it is small and gets booked out.