121BC Cantina & Enoteca - Surry Hills

Amazing after work bar with interesting wine selection that you normally wouldn't get anywhere else. Good drinking snacks or for a light dinner.

I can't believe we waited this long to visit this bar/restaurant considering how much we love Italian cheese, salami and wines! The whole bar has only one table.  That's right - one large communal table fits perfectly into the long narrow shape of the venue.  It was very dimly lit and everyone was whispering under their breath due to the exposed seating arrangement, which gave quite eerier atmosphere to the place.  Both food and wine menu were written on the blackboards on the wall; we sat at an awkward angle where the view of the blackboard was obscured.  We relied solely on the verbal communication from knowledgable waiting staff in selecting our wines.  We started with two medium body reds from central Italian and then moved onto slightly heavier full body reds from Northern Italian.  All four wines were brilliant.  We had dinner elsewhere before we came here but still couldn't resist the temptation to order the salami platter which contained wild boar salami.  We didn't have the faintest idea how much those wines we ordered would cost and were delightedly surprised they ranged between $11 to $16 which were not bad at all considering this was a proper wine tasting of less known quality Italian wines. Next time we fancy a good drop of Italian wine that you can't easily find in Dan Murphys, we know where to go. thernbdiary.com

I can't believe we waited this long to visit this bar/restaurant considering how much we love Italian cheese, salami and wines! The whole bar has only one table.  That's right - one large communal table fits perfectly into the long narrow shape of the venue.  It was very dimly lit and everyone was whispering under their breath due to the exposed seating arrangement, which gave quite eerier atmosphere to the place.  Both food and wine menu were written on the blackboards on the wall; we sat at an awkward angle where the view of the blackboard was obscured.  We relied solely on the verbal communication from knowledgable waiting staff in selecting our wines.  We started with two medium body reds from central Italian and then moved onto slightly heavier full body reds from Northern Italian.  All four wines were brilliant.  We had dinner elsewhere before we came here but still couldn't resist the temptation to order the salami platter which contained wild boar... read more

Came here on a Friday evening around 5:30pm. We were seated immediately, and given attentive service by the bar staff and waiters. The service here was very personable and friendly, and the man at the bar was extremely knowledgeable about the wines and happy to make recommendations. My friend and I had 4 glasses of wine between us here, and shared the Balsamic Pork Ribs and Orecchiette. I was under the impression that 121BC was more of a restaurant, but found that it was more of a wine bar when we arrived here. It is quite small, and the only seating is a long, communal table. The food was simple, decently priced, and done well. My friend enjoyed the pork ribs the most, while I liked the orecchiette. Overall not amazing food, but good for the price. The menu is not extensive, and is designed to be shared. Nice, relaxed atmosphere, and delicious wine. Not sure if I will come back to eat again, but the wine was superb. adventureswithagourmand.wordpress.com

Nice atmosphere in this restaurant having a quite European feel with a very long smorgasbord type table for everyone to sit at. There is an extensive choice of overseas wine - which you effectively order like going into a bottle shop and pay a corkage of $15. Overall, the quality of the food was very good - I still had the nice tastes in my mouth an hour later. But possibly the only criticism is that the portions could have been a bit larger.