P.J. O'Briens, Sydney

57 KING STREET, SYDNEY

Reviewers: BB O'Donoghue & JB O'Neill
Review time: Friday o'lunch

Finally made it to PJ's for lunch. As it's one of the city Irish pub mainstays it was well overdue for a review.

How was it? Well, any place that pours both Guinness and Kilkenny is off to a good start in our book, but we believe you've got to pick the right time. For us, it's a perfect 'shitty weather, comfy afternoon' pub if you're looking for somewhere like this in this area of the city. Not our choice for a lunch session though.

KB Hotel, Surry Hills

26 FOVEAUX ST, SURRY HILLS

Reviewers: Bot & Blogs
Review time: Friday Lunchtime

KB, it's still a pub! Yeah! Take that pubs that aren't pubs! In your pub face!

Yes the KB is "still a pub" according to their signage, and we think that's great. However, it's a pub that we all spend more time walking past than actually stopping in and grabbing a beer. Why is this? Too much competition in the area? Yesteryear charm not cutting it any more?

St James Hotel, Sydney

114 CASTLEREAGH ST, SYDNEY

Reviewers: Bot & Blogs
Review time: Tuesday lunchtime

St Shames?

We really have to start only going to places that are actually good. Ticking these ordinary establishments off our list is reducing us to whinging reviewers who appear to not like any pub in existence! On the plus side, it certainly makes the better places stand out!

Parlour Bar, The Morrison, Sydney

225 GEORGE STREET, SYDNEY

Reviewers: JB, Bot
Review time:  Wednesday lunchtime

"xxxxxxxxx xxxxxx Bar"

Generally if you have nothing good to say about something, don't say anything at all. We're keeping this fairly short. Parlour Bar is not really a pub anyway, in fact neither is The Morrison (The Morrison Bar & Oyster Room) that Parlour is a part of so not sure why we bothered. It sold beer and we were thirsty.

Hollywood Hotel, Surry Hills

2 FOSTER STREET, SURRY HILLS

Reviewers: Burger Bot, Joe Blogs
Time of Review: Friday lunch time, 1pm

 

"Golden Olden"

 
Tucked away in the backstreets between Museum and Central train stations stands the golden-trimmed Hollywood Hotel. While just a hop, skip and stumble away from The Macquarie Hotel, the two neighbour pubs are worlds apart.

CBD Hotel, Sydney

52 King Street, Sydney
Reviewers: Burger Bot, Joe Blogs
Review time: Friday lunch

"CBD Hotel. City Burger Diner?"

Big arse 5-floor building in the CBD presents Merivale-run pub, CBD Hotel. It's located, you guessed it, in the CBD, and caters for all your corporate bar, bistro and function needs.

Newtown Social Club, Newtown

387 King Street, Netown
Reviewers, Burger Bot, Joe Blogs, Southy, Macca, FOIL LOG!
Time of review: Arvo beers, evening beers

"Stay tuned"

The Newtown Social Club is a new kid in town and takes form in the site which was once the 'Sando' (Sandringham Hotel) on King Street. The sunbaked, cracked and flakey terracotta-salmony coloured exterior is much the same but the inside is completely different. We have a look at the Newtown pub that comes from the team behind Melbourne's Northcote Social Club.

Town Hall Hotel, Balmain

366 Darling Street, Balmain
cnr Darling and Montague st
Reviewers: Miller & Blogs
Time: Friday night

"Frown Hall"

The final stop of this evening's little Balmain pub crawl, The Town Hall Hotel, is a bit of a fizza. The 1879-established pub may have been "favoured by the locals for some 130 years", according to their website, maybe even a happening place 5-10 years ago, but the impression we got was that right now this place is a dried up soul-sucking dead waste land. Too harsh? Read on.

Dick's Hotel, Balmain

89 Beattie Street, Balmain
cnr Beattie & Mullens St
Reviewers: Miller & Blogs
Time: Friday night

"Dark Dicks"

With many pubs to choose from in Balmain, what makes Dick's stand out? The reason we dropped our dicks in was for its proximity to mini pub crawl starter, Exchange, in that it is right across the road. Two pubs on one roundabout. Which one gets the bigger knob? I mean, nod. Sydney Pube List speaks below...

Exchange Hotel, Balmain

Cnr Beattie & Mullens Streets
94 Beattie Street, Balmain
Reviewers: C J Miller & Joe Blogs
Time: Friday night

"Exchange bow tie compliments with the staff"

In an effort to drink away the memories of a job he'd quit and finished up that day, Sydney Pub List member, Mr Miller, kicks off a mini Balmain pub crawl at the Exchange Hotel.

Jackson's on George, Sydney

176 George Street, Sydney
Contributors: Southy, Miller, BurgerBot, Blogs
Review time: Lunch time

Memories and that's about it

Quick stop in from Burger Bot and Joe Blogs got a few of us chatting about previous visits to Jackson's on George. Seems we can all agree on it's reputation... "Seed house of booze".

Grand Hotel, Sydney

30 Hunter Street, Sydney
Reviewers: Burger Bot and Blogs
Review time: Pub lunch

"Grand Ahoy!"

Sail on into yet another Merivale establishment, The Grand Hotel, and enjoy some beers, food and sail away to the sounds of Enya.

Sandringham Hotel, Newtown

The Sandringham Hotel / The Sando
387 King Street, Newtown
*Former pub

"Thanks! Cheers! Bye!"

Although the Sando is dead, we couldn't leave it off our Sydney Pub List. It's a pub we had been to many times but we never quite got around to writing it up here, so for the record, here is our memory of Newtown's Sandringham Hotel.

Le Pub, Sydney

Basement, 66 King St
(Stair entrances from both King St & York St)
Sydney NSW 2000 Australia

 

"Aperçu de Le Pub!"

Although Le Pub is not quite a "pub", it is quite enjoyable, and that's why we've included it here on our Sydney Pub List. Enjoy a little Paris in the heart of Sydney.

Forbes Hotel, Sydney

30 York Street, Sydney
Reviewers present: Burger Bot, Joe Blogs
Time of review: Friday Lunch

Is this Sydney's Worst Burger? So far, yes.

It's Friday lunchtime, Bot and Blogs are looking for lunch and come across this inner-city Sydney pub, Forbes Hotel. Everywhere else was full and unfortunately for them, they felt obliged to tick it off the list. It was regretful.

Australian Youth Hotel, Glebe

63 Bay Street, Glebe
Reviewers present: Millerkands, Robot Simone, Joe Blogs, Burger Bot, Frau
Time of review: Saturday Lunch

"A wooden gooden"

Glebe seems to have a certain style of pub, a bit different to some of those in nearby Inner-west suburbs, one of which is the Australian Youth Hotel tucked away in the backstreets. Backstreets back alright!

Warren View Hotel, Enmore

2 Stanmore Road, Enmore
Reviewers present: Burger Bot & Frau, Millerkands, Simojoe
Time of review: Saturday lunch, Australia Day

"Who is Warren? And what is he looking at?"

Lovingly decorated out the front with traffic lights and a giant 'Canterbury >' sign. The Warren View (or "Wazza") is probably Enmore's greenest pub. What else?

Hotel Coronation, Sydney

The Park Street Bar / Hotel Coronation
5-7 Park Street, Sydney
Reviewers: Burger Bot, Joe Blogs
Time of review: Friday lunch

"Cheap, or is it?"

(schmiddy)

After a long hot walk half way around the city, Bot and Blogs eventually found themselves grabbing a high stool at the "Park Street Bar", the pubic bar of Hotel Coronation on Park Street. Not exactly a stunning looking bar but that said, they weren't turned off immediately and a cold brew satisfied their thirst. But what was it that left the reviewers with a bad taste in their mouths?

Wynyard Hotel, Sydney

107 Clarence Street, Sydney
Reviewers present: Burger Bot, Joe Blogs.
Review Time: Monday Lunch

"Grab a spot up front, avoid Toilet Tunnel"

As the name suggests, the Wynyard Hotel is located in the Wynyard area of the CBD - ie, the area nearby Wynyard Station. This corner pub, on the Erskine and Clarence intersection, was founded in the later half of the 19th century and currently operates under the Merivale umbrella.

Foreign Correspondent: Amble Inn, Corindi

1 Tasman St Corindi Beach, NSW
Reviewers present: Frau & Burger Bot
Time of stop in: Rainy lunch

“Amble in to the Amble Inn”

A country pub in Corindi, not to be mistaken with Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII. You might know Corindi as the blueberry capital of New South Wales, located about 40 minutes north of Coffs Harbour.

Foreign Correspondent: Adelaide Pubs, Part 5

Following on from The Exeter, and a quick visit at the infamous Crown & Anchor, I next find myself at The Franklin Hotel. Worldsend Hotel came up later and Friday was a string of closed pubs. So for the last part of this Adelaide stint, I'm covering all the remaining pubs in one big public house blog spew.

In this episode... Franklin, Worldsend, Historian, Union, Marble Bar, Colonel Light, Grace Emily, Hotel Wright Street, Crown & Sceptre, Queens Head

Foreign Correspondent: Crown & Anchor, Adelaide

196 GRENFELL STREET, ADELAIDE

"Review" by Joe Blogs
March afternoon, 2013

Cranka ; Adelaide Pubs Part 6

The Cranka. Kranka. Crankerrrr. Kranky Crown. Skanka. Crank & Ankle. Crank-handle. Stink & Stanka. I just made a few of those up.  If I was still living in Adelaide, I would be happy to call The Crown & Anchor Hotel one of my locals. Although it wasn't in easy walking distance to my house back then, it was always welcoming, comfortable and only a shortish bus ride away. (I did walk home form there many a time though (even run a couple) but that doesn't count when you're drunk out of your mind.)  Swinging by for a revisit earlier in the year was a bit strange, especially considering it was in broad daylight and the place was near empty, it didn't take long before the familiarity and memories came back.

Foreign Correspondent: Exeter Hotel, Adelaide

Exeter Hotel
246 Rundle Street, Adelaide
Time of visit: 4pm on a Thursday

Thankfully, some things don't change ; Adelaide Pubs Part 4

Just down the road from the Austral is where you can park your arse at the Exeter Hotel. Arse-parking options are in the following locations: front bar stools, side bar stoolage, front box (I mean, room) - especially good for watching a live band in front of the front windows, undercover beergarden (used to have live bands out here but sadly no more - inner city dwelling spoil-sports), dining room, out side in the laneway and out the front by the road! Super!

Foreign Correspondent: Austral Hotel, Adelaide

The Austral Hotel
205 Rundle Street, Adelaide
Time of review: 3:30pm afternoon beer

Up My Nostril ; Adelaide Pubs Part 3


A quick trip across town from the Ed Castle and I'm in the 'East End' at The Austral Hotel, an establishment first opened in 1879, then known as "The Family Hotel". The Austral, or "the Nostril" to some, had been a popular lunchtime destination for me for a little while (and a little while back) and still continues to be for many others, with prime position arse-parking out front between the footpath and roadside. 40+ degrees is probably getting a bit hot for outdoors this day but still spotted a few loving the out-front vibe. I pulled up a perch by the bar and snuck a few drinks in from a $12 jug of Pale Ale. Slurp.

Foreign Correspondent: Edinburgh Castle, Adelaide

233 Currie Street
Adelaide, South Australia
Reviewer: Joe Blogs
Special guest: Spoz Spozington McSpozface of Spoz's Rant
Time of review: 3 January 2013

Ch-ch-ch-Changes! ; Adelaide Pubs Pt 2

Heading back to my old stomping ground, Adelaide, earlier in the year was a good opportunity to catch up on how some of the pubs were doing and to make note of the changes. It was a nice time to chill/cook in the 40+ heat with a beer and reminisce about some pretty crazy nights out. I've also asked Adelaide music scene blogger, Spoz of Spoz's Rant, to contribute his thoughts about some of the venues, including The Ed Castle.

Foreign Correspondent: Duke of York Hotel, Adelaide

Adelaide, South Australia
Reviewer: Joe Blogs
January 2013

Front bar, Exeter Hotel, Rundle St

The mini-tour begins; Adelaide pubs Pt 1

Having spent most of my pub years in Adelaide, I was keen to get back and check out how some of the establishments were doing since my migration to the east coast over 18 months ago. My trip back to the South Australian capital was brief so there was little time to dive into each establishment with the gusto I would have when I was a local. The resulting Adelaide reviews here are based on my brief yet enjoyable January visits, as well as my memories from years gone by.

Stardust Hotel, Cabramatta

84 Broomfield St, Cabramatta
Reviewers present: Robot Simone & Joe Blogs, guest bloggers Hydings
Review time: Lunch, New Years Day

"TAB Airport Lounge for Iron Chef"

The Stardust Hotel, right by Cabramatta train station, seemed to be simply a waiting lounge for the diners of Iron Chef restaurant. The mission on New Years Day 2013 was lunch. We came for the lunch, didn't stay for the pub.