Glengarry Castle Hotel, Redfern

182 Lawson Street, Redfern
Reviewers present: Burger Bot & Joe Blogs
Time of Review: Wednesday night roady

"A local's pub for the locals"

 

This pub oozes the smell of beers gone by and has the taste of a bit of harmless grit and grime of the Redfern backstreets. Some would call it home. Others wont call it at all. It's not a castle as such but it probably has been home to someone called Glen and probably even a Garry. Not necessarily at the same time but it certainly is possible.


On our way back from the Royal Hotel Darlington, Burger Bot and I had to get in, sus it out and mark this one off the list. Weren't really sure what to expect. It looked a bit dirty and a little scary (although not sure why) but we wanted it to be an awesome surprise. It wasn't really. It was pretty much what it looked like from the outside.

High black-peeling-paint ceilings, the front bar, pink toilets

Ok, the pub was fine, we didn't hate it. It just wasn't for us. On the night we walked in, we grabbed some beers and a seat and perched for open mic night. We felt slightly out of place amongst the feeling-totally-in-place locals present tonight but we absorbed what we could anyway.

Glengarry open mic night

The Carlton Draught was $5.30. Not really the friendly cheap local pub price we were expecting. Oh well. Also noted on tap: Kent Old Brown (bit of a rare spotting), Coopers Sparkling and Pale Ales, Bulmers and Magners cider, Pure Blonde, VB, Resches Draught.

Character toilets

The wedge shaped hotel has most of the required features. Charismatic tile work on the walls and bar, aged yet tidy floorboards, seating, cold beer, TAB facilities and pokies (blerk), and "entertaining" toilets. No kitchen was spotted.

The Glengarry Castle Hotel, Redfern

We left after finishing our only beer. We'd seen what we needed to get it marked off the list. I asked Sydney Pub List goer and Redfern resident, Southy, what he thought of the place and whether he had any cool stories to tell. He didn't unfortunately. Actually, the fact he said he didn't like it at all spoke quite loudly.

Ok, so look, it wasn't our cup of tea (or schooner of beer) but I can see its charm to the locals that love it. It may have that slightly intimidating vibe of roughness and sense of filth but it does have some friendliness about the place. It was like everyone there knew each other and that the barman would address you by first name and pour your beer before you even opened your mouth to ask for it. This is what makes it a pub for the locals and not so much for the general pub goer, especially "from outta town". It's good for some and not others, which is the way we look at all of our reviews to be honest. The Glengarry is fine, we just don't rate it.

1.5 schooners

On those Facebooks: www.facebook.com/pages/Glengarry-Castle-Hotel/13178803228