Lord Wolseley Hotel

Editorial

It's a rare day when a pub prides itself on being the narrowest in New South Wales, but that's the dubious honour they cling on to in here. It's also pretty damn poky in size, so to be worth your time and effort, it would really have to be something special. Thankfully it is! 
For one thing, it's about as genuinely old as Australia allows, dating back to 1881. By the looks of them, some of the locals may have been around when it first opened. It's that sort of place, where the guys propped on the end of the bar seem like they're actually holding the thing up. Always the sign of a real watering hole if you ask me.  

This cosy corner of Quarry and Bulwara is never quiet, so expect to have to thrust your way indoors and pray for some elbow room. For such an traditional old haunt, the bistro menu is surprisingly modern, with the usual Asian fusion influences you get in most Sydney pubs these days, but that's the end of the modernisation. There are standard counter meals for the less adventurous.  

The Wolseley prides itself on the cleanest taps in the country, as well as being so surprisingly narrow, so you'll never get that gross chemical tang in your pint. And it will be a pint, thank you very much. No ordering nancy cocktails here, it's not that sort of place. There's a pseudo-beer garden plonked out back in the park and a general sense of years gone by in a grand old way here.

Stephen Russell, February 2011