Bald Rock Hotel
Editorial
The Bald Rock Hotel is tucked away in the backstreets of the Balmain Peninsula. It was constructed in 1876 from local sandstone and proudly embraces its historical character. And this isn’t the ‘historical character’ of new-age gastro-pubs that have recently installed an aging feature wall – this pub is a proper throwback to simpler times and does not look like changing any time soon.
You will love or hate this pub. There’s pool tables surrounded by people smoking who probably shouldn’t be. You may see a dog walking around. The food is simple, not endearingly, not ironically. You get a burger or steak, and chips or salad come on the side. On Friday afternoons the Bald Rock Hotel put on a free sausage sizzle (they still happen – yippee!) and very affordable weekly specials change day-to-day, ranging from a 200 gram scotch fillet ($12) to fish of the day ($15).
The bar staff are great fun and refreshingly responsive. There are ten beers on tap (the usual suspects) and a surprisingly long wine list (glasses range between $5-$9). Live bands play on Saturday nights, usually a mix of dirty roots and dirtier blues – and Sunday nights feature more jazzy/folky acts. There’s a great big beer garden out back and if you’re reading this and thinking it’s your kind of place, then definitely head on over.
Meri Harli, March 2011
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