The Verdict
Clam Bar is the third Sydney restaurant from Dan Pepperell, Andy Tyson and Mikey Clift, the team behind Pellegrino 2000 and Bistrot 916. They opened it on Bridge Street in May 2023 as a love letter to the great New York steakhouses, from Peter Luger to Keens to 4 Charles Prime Rib.
The kitchen, led by head chef Sam Galloway, starts with an opulent raw seafood bar and runs to bone-in steaks cooked in a Josper charcoal oven and finished with anchovy butter, sauce bearnaise or sauce diane. The dish everyone orders is the spaghetti and clams, diamond-shell clams tossed through fresh pasta with chilli, garlic and white wine. A burger runs $35, and set banquet menus are $120 and $160 a head.
The Kitchen
Head chef Sam Galloway, who came from the group's Bistrot 916, runs a short New York-steakhouse menu. The signature is the spaghetti and clams, diamond-shell clams through fresh pasta with chilli, garlic and white wine, and the steaks are the other reason to come: bone-in cuts seared in a Josper charcoal oven and served with anchovy butter, sauce bearnaise or sauce diane. The meal opens with a raw seafood bar of oysters, clams and crustacea. A burger is $35, mains sit in steakhouse territory, and set banquet menus run $120 and $160 a head. The wine list is deep and built for the room.
The Room
Clam Bar fills a corner of 44 Bridge Street in the Sydney CBD with the look of an old American chophouse: dark timber, white tablecloths, banquettes and a long bar, drawn from the fit-out at Keens and the mood of 4 Charles Prime Rib. It runs lively and social rather than hushed, which makes it work for a celebration, a client dinner or a seat at the bar alone. The raw bar anchors the front; tables and booths sit behind it, and the banquet menus bring larger parties together over a set list.
Best for a CBD Celebration or Client Dinner
Book Clam Bar for a birthday, a deal dinner or a night that wants energy and good steak. The banquet menus at $120 and $160 take the ordering off the table for a group, the raw bar and Josper steaks read as an occasion, and the Bridge Street address suits an after-work client dinner. The bar also takes solo diners who want oysters and a martini.
Not For
Not for a quiet, hushed dinner or a vegetarian-led night. Clam Bar is a loud, meat-and-seafood steakhouse where the room runs social, the focus is bone-in steak and a raw bar, and a full dinner climbs past steakhouse prices once you add wine. Skip it if you want calm or a plant-based menu.
Reservations
Clam Bar takes bookings on its own site and fills fast for weekend dinners and the bar, so reserve ahead and ask about the $120 and $160 banquet menus if your table wants them. The restaurant is at 44 Bridge Street in the Sydney CBD, open Monday to Saturday for dinner with lunch later in the week. Walk-ins can try the bar for oysters and a steak.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Clam Bar worth it?
Yes, if you want a New York-style steakhouse with a serious raw bar in the Sydney CBD. It comes from the Pellegrino 2000 and Bistrot 916 team, who opened it in May 2023, and head chef Sam Galloway's spaghetti and clams and Josper-grilled steaks are the draws. Expect steakhouse prices and a lively room rather than a quiet one.
What should I order at Clam Bar?
Order the spaghetti and clams, the namesake dish, diamond-shell clams through fresh pasta with chilli, garlic and white wine, and a bone-in steak from the Josper charcoal oven with anchovy butter or bearnaise. Start at the raw seafood bar with oysters and clams. For a group, the $120 and $160 banquet menus cover the highlights.
How much does dinner at Clam Bar cost?
Clam Bar sits at steakhouse prices. A burger is $35, the bone-in steaks and raw-bar platters push a full a la carte dinner higher, and set banquet menus run $120 and $160 a head before wine. The wine list is deep and priced for a CBD crowd, so a dinner with drinks and a steak lands well past $100 per person.
Is Clam Bar good for groups or a client dinner?
Yes. Clam Bar suits a birthday, a team night or a client dinner: the banquet menus at $120 and $160 simplify ordering for a group, the room runs social and energetic, and the Bridge Street address is central for an after-work table. Book ahead for larger parties, and use the bar for smaller, walk-in seafood-and-martini visits.
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