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?

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.

Royal Albert Hotel, Surry Hills

140 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills
Reviewers: Robot Simone, Joe Blogs, Burger Bot
Time of review: Lunch / evening drinks

"Hot Buns at a Cool Bar" 

Located in Surry Hills, The Royal Albert is a back-street corner pub only a hop, skip and cartwheel from Central station and a handful of other Surry Hills bars. The Bamboo Dumpling Bar is a bonus.

The Bat & Ball, Redfern

495 Cleveland Street, Redfern

Reviewers present: Southy, Macca, Simone & Blogs

Time of review: 6pm feed with batty bingo/ Sydney fc first home game 2012/13

"A pub on the mend. 4 runs!"

The Bat & Ball Hotel, standing on the corner of Cleveland and South Dowling streets, overlooks Moore Park and attracts all those on their way to and from the sport nearby. Like many pubs in and around Sydney, it has it's fair share of history and stories to tell. Built in 1929 and then known as the Duke of Cleveland, the B&B has gone through a few changes over the years. Whether before a game or after, win or lose, or for a drink, feed, or catch up with mates, The Bat is welcoming like an extension of your own loungeroom. Southy, local of the area and frequent pub-adventurer, tells us a bit about his experiences, good, bad and Pie.....

Cricketers Arms, Surry Hills

106 Fitzroy Street  Surry Hills
Reviewers present: The Family Blogs & Family Burgman
Time of review: Dinner and drinks 

"Unassuming backstreet gem" aka "Backstreet's back, alright!"

Some of the Sydney Pub List crew embark on a Surry Hills mini-pubcrawl, making their way from Excelsior Hotel, to Carrington Hotel, then onto dinner-scheduled location The Cricketers Arms, a little rippa.

Carrington Hotel, Surry Hills

563 Bourke Street, Surry Hills
Reviewers present: Mr and Mrs Blogs, Burger Bot and Fraulein Burgman
Time of review: Pre-dinner drinks

"Swan about at The Pig and Squid"

Sydney Pub Lit crew find themselves passing through The Carrington tonight on a quieter spot of Bourke Street. While the front bar area is fairly busy it's not overly packed. Yet. Burger Bot reports that on a previous pass, the place was shoulder to shoulder with patrons spilling out the door.

Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills

64 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills
Reviewers present: Joe Blogs, Burger Bot and special guest Fraulein Burgman
Review time: Late arvo beverage

"Pub meets Mexico in the Eastern Suburbs"

Food is good, food is cheap.
Beer is good, unfortunately beer is not cheap.

I think all the reviewers may have been to the Excelsior at some point, both while in it's current all-the-rage Mexican/Spanish-fad bar incarnation as well as back in the day when it was the place to go for live music. There's an old relic kick drum to be spotted in the front bar but I think that's about it for it's gig history these days. A shame. 

Crown Hotel, Surry Hills

Cnr Crown & Cleveland Streets, Surry Hills
Reviewers present: Miller and Blogs
Time of review: pre-gig drink

"Two different pubs in the one pub"

We were on our way to a Regurgitator gig at the HiFi Bar and we ask local Sydney Pub List reviewer, Southy, what the worst pub along Cleveland is to stop at. He suggests the Crown Hotel and we soon find out why.

Schwartz Brewery Hotel, Surry Hills

42 Wentworth Avenue, Surry Hills
Reviewers present: Southy, Macca, Miller & Blogs
Time of review: The midnight hour

(Old rating: 2.5 rubber chickens plus some extra rubber chicken feet)

"It's about the beer. Good beer."

Also known by it's former name, The Macquarie Hotel, the Schwartz Brewery Hotel offers up some very fine beers made onsite within the hotel's microbrewery.