In this episode... Franklin, Worldsend, Historian, Union, Marble Bar, Colonel Light, Grace Emily, Hotel Wright Street, Crown & Sceptre, Queens Head
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Franklin Hotel
92 Franklin Street, Adelaide
Time of visit: 6pm Thursday
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| Franklin Hotel, Adelaide. Image courtesy Google Street View |
Normally I would upload a Sydney Pub List taken photo of the establishment but I missed out on this occasion. Looking back at it now, photo courtesy of Google Street View, I recall thinking I didn't mind this place, and I still think the same now. Wouldn't mind a revisit on my next Adelaide trip (Robot Simone, November?). The exterior is fairly common of an Adelaide pub of its era - although not exactly an 1855 colour scheme - corner, pub, first floor balcony, hard lines, kind of boring, but right.
The interior is a different story, updated and open. Thankfully they didn't try to update the outside too much. I hadn't actually ever been to the Franklin Hotel before and it was a pleasant experience. Kudos goes to my friend, Jacqui, for introducing me to the place.
The new renno has a bit of everything. Literally. A lot of good use of recycled materials on the bar, the walls, the table tops, light fittings, etc. The mix of old and new (recycled world meets new retro) extends to the beverages as well. There were two sets of taps, one for the "basic man" and one of "special beers". Beers included VB, Draught, Coopers Pale Ale, Pure Blonde, Miller Draught, Fat Yak, Stella, Bulmers, Hills Cider, Vale Ale, Lobethal Bierhaus and Little Creatures. Not bad! For prices my notes read "two ciders 15", whatever that means, and "mystery beer for 7 dollars!"
All in all, and based on what I saw, not a bad little pub. Thinking about the interior style, I can't help thinking about what the Newtown Social Club have done more recently, or that is, maybe what they should have done. Well done, Franklin
Frank's site: www.thefranklinhotel.com.au
Worldsend Hotel
208 Hindley Street, Adelaide
Time of visit: 10pm Thursday
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| Bar fit-out with recycled materials, all jazzed up and stuff |
The interior is a different story, updated and open. Thankfully they didn't try to update the outside too much. I hadn't actually ever been to the Franklin Hotel before and it was a pleasant experience. Kudos goes to my friend, Jacqui, for introducing me to the place.
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| Mix of new and old |
The new renno has a bit of everything. Literally. A lot of good use of recycled materials on the bar, the walls, the table tops, light fittings, etc. The mix of old and new (recycled world meets new retro) extends to the beverages as well. There were two sets of taps, one for the "basic man" and one of "special beers". Beers included VB, Draught, Coopers Pale Ale, Pure Blonde, Miller Draught, Fat Yak, Stella, Bulmers, Hills Cider, Vale Ale, Lobethal Bierhaus and Little Creatures. Not bad! For prices my notes read "two ciders 15", whatever that means, and "mystery beer for 7 dollars!"
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| Space Invaders, Franklin style |
Frank's site: www.thefranklinhotel.com.au
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Worldsend Hotel
208 Hindley Street, Adelaide
Time of visit: 10pm Thursday
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| Non-corner pub Worldsend. |
Worldsend Hotel, is not much to look at in my opinion. What it does offer is a place to drink out front, plenty of space in the front bar, a beer garden (although feels like a red brick prison), live music, and beer.
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| Look! Beer, bottles and mirrors! A bar, a bar! |
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| Holographic Charizard playing to a packed Worldsend crowd |
Worldsend Web: www.worldsendhotel.com.au
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Friday was freakin' hot so I was desperate for a beer, two beers, three beers, however many were required to stay on top of the heat. However Adelaide in the first week of January had other ideas, with most places being closed. My Friday pub crawl quickly turned into a sight seeing tour with no stop offs.
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The Historian Hotel
18 Coromandel Pl, Adelaide
*Closed on visit
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| Historian Hotel. Ye ol lookin pub |
The first pub I drop in on being closed was probably a bit of an omen for the rest of the day. Wasn't too phased about this one though. Been to The Historian a few times in the past although not for a long time. Hard to find too much information on the history of this one but apparently heritage listed from what I've read. This pub is busiest after work on a Friday but if a packed bar of corporates isn't your thing, try to get in some other part of the day and enjoy a quiet beverage around one of the old wine barrels. They also serve food upstairs, popular with work lunches.
www.historianhotel.com.au
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The Union Hotel
70 Waymouth Street
*Just passin'
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| Suits pub, Union Hotel |
Back in the day some might have considered this place a bit of an old dive with its (then) aging carpets, paint and bar. Back then before the renovations (I'm thinking about 1998 or there abouts), a couple of my friends and I dropped in on this then English-feeling pub (the Union Jack was once in their signage out front) and enjoyed cold beers and some old guys playing some jazz in the back corner. Those days are definitely gone. Now the place is full of walking suits (some with lawyers and accountants within) paying for overpriced drinks and getting blasted by repulsive DJ doof shit as the evening wears on. If you're going to go, avoid the crowds and hit it during the day. Take extra money.
www.theunionhotel.com.au
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Marble Bar
109 Waymouth Street, Adelaide
*Another passer
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| Purple Marble Bar, now closed. |
*Since my January visit, this one has apparently shut up shop. Is this still the case?
Set up more like a bar than a pub, as the name suggests, Marble Bar is fairly boring on the outside and in. Going from my past experience (some years ago) waves of tables for lunch and arvo feeds are cleared in the evening for DJ (dancing optional), 2-for-1 cocktails and beer special carnage. I have a few memories of hitting it up with friends for some quick alcohol fueling, walking across the dance floor with my pants around my ankles, playing jenga with cocktail glasses, and being kicked out by security for being too drunk. Oh dear.
www.facebook.com/MarbleBar
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Colonel Light Hotel
141 Currie Street, Adelaide
*Also closed although didn't cry about it
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| The front of the Light Hotel, where the $2 vodka carnage used to go down |
Another pub closed lunch time on a Friday. Adelaide, you suck.
Years back I knew this place as The Heritage Hotel when they had live music upstairs. Even played there myself a few times. A little later the place was reworked and took its old name back of The Colonel Light Hotel, which is fitting given its location. The Colonel Light Hotel looks out over Light Square, named after Adelaide's city planner, Colonel William Light. The old Colonel happens to be buried beneath the monolith/memorial in the square. In the days of the Colonel Light Hotel I knew (circa 2006), you would find a bunch of people heading in on a Friday evening, myself included sometimes, to load up on their $2 vodka drink specials. Always sat outside though as there was something kinda dodgy about inside. Fast forward a few years and the place goes through an overhaul again. They probably wanted to flush out the memories of nearby shootings and bikie/drug crime. The interior was brightened up with white everywhere (boring!) and gone were the cheap CHEAP drinks. The pub simply calls itself The Light these days and by the looks of their website, is aimed at more of a club crowd. Again, BORING! According to their website, "the Light Hotel has been renovated to become Adelaide’s premier party experience." NO THANKS!
www.colonellighthotel.com.au
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Grace Emily Hotel
232 Waymouth Street, Adelaide
*Opens at 3pm. It was 2:30pm and 44 degrees.
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| Adelaide Alternative Grace Emily Hotel |
Of all the closed pubs on this 44 degree Friday, this was the one I was most upset about. After passing a number of other closed pubs and starting to feel the heat, I arrived at the front of The Grace Emily (aka Gremily) at around 2:30pm. Sign on the door says "Open at 3pm". Devastated. Coming to the realisation I wouldn't be waiting around, I regretfully made my way onto the next pub. Unlike the previous day, this crawl wasn't going so well.
The Grace Emily is most certainly an individual in the Adelaide pub scene. There is no pub like it that I can think of. You'll find a fairly diverse crowd at the Gremily, but one that mostly revolves around the live music scene. There's plenty of things to look at while sitting at the front bar, with the walls and shelves decorated with the most bizarre items, and the friendly staff are a bonus. A pool table can be found around the back of the bar along with the cozy band room and stage. There's also a beer garden out back and an exhibition space upstairs.
No pokies, no TAB, Billy Bobs BBQ Jam, free gigs, lots of Coopers on tap. Great pub.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Grace-Emily-Hotel/193450917377780
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Hotel Wright Street
88 Wright Street, Adelaide
Time of visit: 2:45pm Friday arvo.
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| Hotel Wright Street, was once the Queens Arms. |
Finally! An open pub! After an unsuccessful walk from near one end of the city to the other, I was finally rewarded with somewhere that was open and serving coldies. Hotel Wright Street has had a series of changes over the years. My first experience with it was an underage adventure with a few guys (fellow SPL reviewer, Mr Miller, included) on a "20 buck chuck night". My older brother got us in using a fake a stamp and we were into free drinks! Back then when it was known as the Queens Arms Hotel, the place went through being a folk music pub, a gay pub/night club, stingey cheap booze hole, and then a more up-market bar that never really saw any patronage.
Then out of nowhere the place has a massive overhaul and is transformed into what is now the open flowing, slightly rough edged and quirky yet neat and definitely more interesting, Hotel Wright Street. With what I believe is the same owners as at The Franklin, the place has a similar "old-and-new" feel, using a lot of recycled material. Like Franks, the bar and tables, and various light fixtures and wall ornaments have been brought back to life from recycled and salvaged materials and it works quite well.
My only complain about the place was the price of a beer. I paid $7 for a pint (NSW schooner) of Coopers Pale Ale. Eeeek! I did really enjoy it though, while sitting at the bar made of old half wooden doors listening to Paul Kelly on the sound system overhead. If I had stayed longer I might have pulled a board game from behind the bar and headed for the new beer garden area but it was time to move. I'd be keen for a revisit if I get the chance but will probably stick to an afternoon session. A night-time visit on a previous occasion was not as favourable due to the amount of beats pumping via the DJ. On this arvo occasion though, not bad!
www.hotelwrightstreet.com.au
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Crown & Sceptre Hotel
308 King William Street, Adelaide
*Closed. Kaput. Shut up shop. Done and dusted.
Heading to the Crown & Sceptre, I had actually forgotten that it had closed down since my move to Sydney. Yes, apparently mismanagement ran it into debt and liquidation, but there was no doubting that for the patrons, The Crown & Sceptre was a great pub. A great selection of tap beers, wine and top shelf spirits were on offer to enjoy while enjoying the live sounds of this live music venue. The Tropeano Group bought the place in 2012 and who knows what they're doing with it. Being the same group who run the "adult entertainment" venue, The Palace, and Red Square next door to that, one can only imagine. And cry.
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Queens Head Hotel
117 Kermonde Street, North Adelaide
Time of visit: Saturday arvo/evening wedding reception
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| North Adelaide's Queen's Head Hotel |
My final pub on this tour is North Adelaide's Queen's Head Hotel, quietly tucked away off the main drag between Adelaide CBD and North Adelaide. Couple of different areas in this little pub, each area flowing into the next. Fairly modern interior here, which is nice, but lacks a bit of "character" (some might call that skungey old filth). Wonder what it would have been like back in its earlier days. Grab a beer from the cosy front bar, sit in the lounge or side room with the TV. There's a dining area through the back and further through opens to a nice little beer garden.
www.queenshead.com.au
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A good range of pubs in Adelaide, with only a small handful covered here. Looking forward to getting back to check out a few more.
This Adelaide pub journey:
Pt 1: Duke | Pt 2: Ed Castle | Pt 3: Austral | Pt 4: Exeter | Pt 5: above | Pt 6: Cranka
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