On Wednesday 17 April 2024, the White Horse at 381 Crown Street in Surry Hills reopened after a reported A$6 million renovation that turned the old pub into a multi-level restaurant, bar and rooftop terrace. Reviewing the relaunch, Good Food called it the pub’s most delicious iteration yet. This article sorts the verified facts from the reported figures, drawing on the venue’s own materials and independent reviews, so you can weigh what the renovation changed and which claims still need confirmation.
Last checked: 2026-10-28
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Address: 381 Crown St, Surry Hills NSW 2010 · Cuisine: American · Tripadvisor rating: 4.6/5 · Ranking: #1263 of 4794 restaurants in Sydney
How we researched this
Last checked: 2026-10-28.
Sources reviewed: official venue website and events documentation, Good Food (The Sydney Morning Herald), Time Out Sydney, Wikipedia, secondary hospitality summaries, and the City of Sydney government portal.
Limitations: no on-site visit, no staff interview, and no independent retrieval of planning or development-application records; the A$6 million figure is a media-reported cost, not a primary budget document.
White Horse Surry Hills at a glance
- 381 Crown Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 (The White Horse)
- Reopened 17 April 2024; Good Food reported the cost at approximately A$6 million (Good Food)
- Time Out gave the renovated venue a five-star review (Time Out Sydney)
- The venue describes itself as a pub with a restaurant, bar and outdoor terrace (The White Horse)
TripAdvisor: 4.6 out of 5 from nine reviews — a high score on a thin evidence base. Sydney restaurant rank: #1263 of 4794. Renovation price tag: approximately A$6 million, as reported by Good Food.
Key facts at a glance: the details below pull together the venue’s listing data and the figures reported by independent reviewers.
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cuisine | American |
| TripAdvisor rating | 4.6 out of 5 |
| TripAdvisor rank | #1263 of 4794 restaurants in Sydney |
| TripAdvisor review count | 9 |
| Building era | 1930s |
| Reported dinner cost | About A$180 for two, excluding drinks |
| Reported wine list | Approximately 100 bottles |
| Wines by the glass | Under A$20; most around A$15 at review time |
What is the history of Surry Hills, Sydney?
Surry Hills is an inner-Sydney suburb where Crown Street functions as a hospitality spine. The White Horse has occupied that strip since the 1930s, when the current building went up, according to Time Out’s coverage. The pub’s recent history is more dramatic than its early decades: a reported A$6 million renovation, a reopening on 17 April 2024, and one secondary estimate suggesting the build ran roughly 14 months.
The transformation of a landmark pub
When director Craig Hemmings described the project to Good Food, he was blunt about the scale of the strip-out:
“There’s nothing left except the horse.”
— Craig Hemmings, director of the White Horse, quoted by Good Food
The rooftop horse statue survived; little else did. Hemmings also told Good Food that “a couple of million dollars” of the reported A$6 million went to bringing the 1930s building up to code. The venue’s own events documentation describes the project as a complete overhaul led by Hemmings and a team of hospitality veterans.
“It cost a couple of million dollars to bring it up to code.”
— Craig Hemmings, quoted by Good Food
The redesign, led by Farago Han Studio, uses reclaimed oak tables, warm lighting, soft-textured walls, woven leather chairs and bold artwork, per Good Food’s review. The layout signals repositioning rather than restoration: the ground-floor bar became a restaurant, the public bar moved upstairs, and an open-air rooftop terrace sits above.
From local pub to fine dining
Time Out’s review describes a ground-floor space that no longer resembles a conventional pub. The restaurant sits there now, with a private dining room overlooking the adjacent park — a detail Good Food noted in its renovation report. The upstairs public bar keeps a pub function alive, and the rooftop horse still presides over the terrace.
White Horse Surry Hills: specification
| Venue type | Pub with restaurant, bar and outdoor terrace (official description) |
| Ground floor | Restaurant |
| Upper level | Public bar |
| Rooftop | Open-air terrace |
| Private dining | Room overlooking the adjacent park |
| Interior design | Farago Han Studio |
| Rooftop statue | Retained through the renovation |
| Reported renovation cost | Approximately A$6 million |
| Reopening date | 17 April 2024 |
| Design materials | Reclaimed oak, woven leather chairs, warm lighting, bold artwork |
White Horse Surry Hills: key dates
- — Building described as a 1930s pub (Time Out Sydney)
- — Earlier refurbishment reportedly added a bar and brasserie and installed the rooftop silver horse (Wikipedia; unverified)
- — Further refurbishment reportedly updated lounge areas, restaurant, function room and rooftop terrace (Wikipedia; unverified)
- — Craig Hemmings took leadership ahead of the relaunch (Time Out Sydney)
- — Venue reopened after the major renovation (Good Food)
- — Good Food published its review of the new-look venue (Good Food)
- — Time Out published its five-star review (Time Out Sydney)
The bottom line: the venue’s recent trajectory is documented by the operator and by two independent reviewers, while the earlier 2004 and 2014 refurbishment dates rest on Wikipedia and still need primary confirmation.
What are the 5 best restaurants in Sydney?
Where White Horse ranks
None of the sources reviewed here supplies a definitive top-five list, so the honest answer is a position, not a ranking. TripAdvisor places the White Horse at #1263 of 4794 restaurants in Sydney with a 4.6-out-of-5 rating from nine reviews. Time Out gave the renovated venue five stars. Good Food’s Michael Harry wrote that the new-look White Horse is the pub’s most delicious iteration yet.
“The new-look White Horse is the pub’s most delicious iteration yet.”
— Michael Harry, Good Food
The venue’s own website points to a Gourmet Traveller Top 25 listing for New South Wales. That claim comes from the operator, so it reads as marketing positioning unless independently confirmed.
Alternatives in Surry Hills
For anyone searching a “fine dining pub Sydney” option, the White Horse is a direct answer: a pub that now operates as a restaurant. It shares Crown Street with a dense field of pubs, wine bars and high-end casual restaurants — the competitive set Time Out highlights in its review. Hemmings’ previous general manager roles at Quay, Bilson’s and Chin Chin give the relaunch a fine-dining pedigree that typical corner pubs do not have. For the pre-renovation baseline, see our White Horse Surry Hills review and renovation coverage; for the relaunch essentials, read White Horse Surry Hills reborn.
Verification note: the TripAdvisor score of 4.6 out of 5 is computed from nine reviews. That is a directional signal, not a consensus verdict.
The trade-off: two strong editorial reviews give the White Horse a fast critical start, but the customer-review base is too thin to call the venue a proven neighbourhood favourite.
What is the most expensive restaurant in Sydney?
White Horse pricing: mid-range or premium?
The reported bill at the White Horse is about A$180 for two people, excluding drinks, according to Good Food. Listing profiles reviewed here place the venue in the mid-range ($$) band. Time Out reported every wine by the glass at under A$20, with most around A$15. None of the sources reviewed here identifies the White Horse as one of Sydney’s most expensive restaurants; the question appears in search data, not in the venue’s verified record.
A full menu with current à la carte prices was not published in the documents reviewed, so the A$180 figure is the best available anchor for budgeting.
Value for money analysis
Time Out’s five-star review praised the food, the dining room and the perceived value for money. Good Food’s review emphasized cooking precision and a wine list of roughly 100 bottles with Australian and European selections, weighted toward organic and regenerative producers. At the reported glass prices, a dinner for two with two glasses of wine would land around A$210 to A$220 — a figure derived from the two reviews’ published numbers, not from a current menu.
“The White Horse is back and better than ever.”
— Time Out Sydney
Budget tip: the wine list is the value lever. At the prices reviewed, two glasses at A$15 to A$20 each add about A$30 to A$40 to the A$180-for-two dinner estimate.
Pros and cons at a glance
What the independent reviews credit
- Five-star review from Time Out, which praised food, dining room and value
- Good Food called the new iteration the pub’s “most delicious yet”
- Wines by the glass stayed under A$20 at review time
- Multi-level layout: restaurant, upstairs bar, rooftop terrace, private dining
What to weigh before booking
- Reported A$180 for two, excluding drinks, is high for a pub
- TripAdvisor rating rests on only nine reviews
- Ground floor no longer reads as a traditional public bar
- Earlier 2004 and 2014 refurbishment history is unverified beyond Wikipedia
Our pick: who should book the White Horse
The White Horse is our pick for local Sydney diners curious about the renovation, travelers exploring Surry Hills’ food scene, fans of gastropub concepts, and readers looking for a high-quality but approachable dining room. Book it when you want polished cooking with an accessible wine list inside a heritage shell. It is not the pick if you want a traditional public-bar-only room: Time Out reports the ground floor no longer resembles a conventional pub, and the reported A$180-for-two spend sits well above typical pub prices.
Where do celebrities eat in Sydney?
Celebrity dining spots in Sydney
The question surfaces frequently in Sydney restaurant searches, but none of the sources reviewed here connects a named celebrity to the White Horse. What the coverage does show is pedigree: according to Time Out, Hemmings previously held general manager roles at Quay, Bilson’s and Chin Chin. Good Food also reported that the chef is a former colleague of Hemmings from The Star who returned from Western Australia for the project.
Is White Horse a celebrity hangout?
The private dining room overlooking the adjacent park gives the venue a discreet option for high-profile guests, and the multi-level layout could suit a low-key dinner. But no verified sighting or public endorsement appears in the sources used for this article, so the White Horse is better understood right now as a culinary destination than as a celebrity magnet.
What to watch: the celebrity question is currently unanswerable from public sources; the more useful signal is the venue’s fine-dining trajectory, which is what the reviews actually document.
What food is Sydney famous for?
Sydney’s culinary scene
Sydney’s food reputation rests on seafood, multicultural cooking and café culture, and its inner suburbs layer high-end casual restaurants on top of that base. Surry Hills is part of that dense inner-city market — the context Time Out uses when writing about the White Horse.
White Horse’s menu influence
The White Horse adds an American-cuisine listing to that mix, and its reported wine program pulls from Australia and Europe with an emphasis on organic and regenerative producers, per Good Food. The result is a gastropub concept: fine-dining cooking inside a pub’s shell, which is exactly the lane implied by the “fine dining pub Sydney” search.
Who the White Horse suits best
- Foodies seeking fine dining in a pub setting: Good Food and Time Out both rated the cooking highly, and the reported wine list runs about 100 bottles with an organic and regenerative emphasis.
- History buffs interested in Surry Hills heritage: the venue is a 1930s building with the rooftop horse retained; the 2004 and 2014 refurbishment dates are documented on Wikipedia, though not independently verified.
- Groups wanting a versatile venue: the layout spans a ground-floor restaurant, upstairs public bar, open-air rooftop terrace and a private dining room overlooking the adjacent park.
- Couples on a casual date night: the ground-floor restaurant allows a relaxed dinner, and wines by the glass were mostly around A$15 at review time.
The implication: the White Horse is betting that Sydney’s appetite for high-quality casual dining extends to a 1930s pub on a dense hospitality strip — a bet both independent reviews currently support.
Location and getting there
The White Horse is at 381 Crown Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010, on an inner-Sydney strip Time Out describes as a dense hospitality market. The private dining room overlooks the adjacent park, a feature Good Food noted in its renovation report. Opening hours and reservation terms were not published in the sources reviewed; the venue’s official contact page is the operational source for both.
White Horse Surry Hills: frequently asked questions
Is the White Horse Surry Hills a pub or a fine-dining restaurant?
Both, by design. The venue describes itself as a pub with a restaurant, bar and outdoor terrace. The ground floor now operates as the restaurant, the public bar moved upstairs, and an open-air rooftop terrace completes the layout.
How much does a meal at White Horse Surry Hills cost?
Good Food reported an approximate cost of A$180 for two people, excluding drinks. Wines by the glass were reported at under A$20, with most around A$15, at the time of Time Out’s review.
What is the address of White Horse Surry Hills?
381 Crown Street, Surry Hills, New South Wales 2010, according to the venue’s official contact page.
When did White Horse Surry Hills reopen after renovation?
On Wednesday, 17 April 2024, according to Good Food’s renovation report.
What is the Tripadvisor rating of White Horse Surry Hills?
4.6 out of 5, based on nine reviews, with a rank of #1263 of 4794 restaurants in Sydney.
Is White Horse Surry Hills suitable for large groups?
Yes. The venue includes a private dining room overlooking the adjacent park and an open-air rooftop terrace, per Good Food and the venue’s events documentation.
What type of cuisine does White Horse Surry Hills serve?
Listings categorize it as American cuisine. The reported wine program spans Australian and European producers, with an emphasis on organic and regenerative wines, according to Good Food.
Who designed the renovated interiors of White Horse Surry Hills?
Farago Han Studio led the interior design, according to Time Out’s review.