Firefly Bar & Dining

The verdict

If there’s one thing worth going OTB for, it’s Firefly. Tucked away in Neutral Bay, this hidden gem is loved by locals for a reason. Whether you’re popping by for birthday drinks, impressing the pants off your date with a delicious dinner or kicking back for a classic weekend long lunch, there’s no doubt about it—you’re in good hands.

This is the spot for a group lunch with allll of your mates, especially because they’re famous for a little thing called—the unlimited sangria long lunch. Yes, you read that right. Unlimited. Sangria. For two glorious hours, you can drown yourself in endless amounts of red, white AND rosé sangria, while stuffing yourself with a tasty AF sharing banquet featuring the best of the best Firefly dishes (think zucchini fries, wild mushroom arancini, haloumi and watermelon salad, their damn tasty drunken pancakes and that lamb gnocchi we mentioned earlier). The best part? It will only set you back $59 and you can book here.

If you’re coming here for the cocktails, it’s obvs hard to look past the Rye’n Gosling Sour (think Beam Rye, Goslings rum, popcorn syrup and lemon) but start with the lychee and watermelon mojito and sailors coco daiquiri before hitting the hard stuff. They’ve got all your fave spritz as well as a whole lot of quality wines, so take a seat at the bar and make your way through the whole menu.

If you’re here for a date, you’re in luck. From the snapper ceviche with coconut, lemongrass and wasabi peas, to the crispy drunken chicken pancakes stuffed with shallots, bean sprouts, hoisin sauce and kewpie, you can’t go wrong. The pan-seared gnocchi topped with drool-worthy 12-hour braised lamb, capers and pangrattato is our fave, but if you’re after a second date order the hay smoked pork jowl with a side of zucchini fries to share and thank us later.

Perfect for any occasion, Firefly gets a big fat thumbs up from us (just in case you hadn’t noticed).

Firefly is hosting an Alice In Wonderland-themed party on 29 and 30 July. There’s a five-course menu of down-the-rabbit-hole delights (including the Jabberwocky of lamb with potatoes dauphinoise), teapot cocktails, bottomless beverages for an hour-and-a-half, and an absinthe fountain (yep). If that’s not enough for you, there’s also a magician who’ll be doing the rounds of the tables. 

Tix are $95/110pp, more info here.

Image credit: Firefly