Surly's
182 Campbell St
Surry Hills, Sydney
Dreaming of going to America? Or have you already been and miss the amazing food? Surly’s does a damn good job of bringing great American food, with large portion sizes, to Surry Hills. Tucked up on Campbell Street, Surly’s has a great vibe with its neon lights, large sports TVs and games area upstairs. And topped with super friendly staff, you’re bound to have a great night.
We kicked off our menu with a couple of cocktails - a campfire espresso martini and a smoky old fashioned. The Viscountess is picky with her espresso martinis - but this was a great cocktail! With strong coffee, the addition of sweet caramel and the smoky marshmallow on top, this was extra decadent and delicious.
The Smoky old fashioned was strong and definitely packed a punch! The menu said it was bacon infused and there was a subtle smoky flavour with cinnamon hidden in there as well. Overall, both were really great cocktails to start our menu.
Next up we order the Miss piggy loaded fries, which definitely lived up to their name. Crispy fries, covered in delicious liquid cheese and topped with crispy American style thick, crispy bacon - how could you go wrong? The liquid cheese was the absolute standout here, it was so creamy and full of flavour, we considered asking if they sold it by the bottle!
The buffalo hot wings were the next to hit the table. A staple on any American style menu, the smoky marinade, with just a little bit of spice, made us glad we ordered these. They were juicy and sticky, and we ate every last piece, left licking the sauce off our fingers. We paired this with the creamy ranch dressing, which let’s be honest - do you ever really need ranch dressing? Regardless, it was delicious and we were glad we did.
Next up we ordered some sides - green beans and Mac and cheese. The beans were a nice, fresh addition - they were juicy and crispy, cooked in garlic to add another element of flavour. The Mac and cheese used the same liquid cheese and we were so excited for its reappearance! This is a dish which is easy to do but few places do it really well. Surly’s was definitely up there with the best. The pasta was cooked just enough and the creamy liquid cheese took this dish to another level.
We shared the Cowboy burger between us, we were getting full already. The meat was juicy and tender, with a super soft bun, delicious cheddar cheese and caramlised onions. The relish on this burger was packed full of flavour and made this a really outstanding burger that we ate every bite of. Served with shoestring fries, the Viscountess would gladly come back to Surly’s just for this burger!
We were pretty stuffed full by this point, but the waitress encouraged us to try their deconstructed cheese cake for dessert. We were so glad we did - it was such a refreshing way to finish our menu. Light and fresh and fruity, with frozen lemonade on top, dollops of cheesecake filling, fresh cream and crushed gram crackers, this was such a unique and impressive dessert.
A huge thank you to the team at Surly’s for showcasing their amazing food. We’ll definitely be back for the smoked meat on the weekend!! The Viscountesses dined as guests of Surly's. Special thanks to Chrissy Symeonakis from Creative Little Soul for arranging this visit.