Australian Heritage Hotel
Editorial
Nestled comfortably in a wedge of high-saloon, this is one Edwardian bar you'd happily wet your whistle in after knocking your DeLorean through downtown Sydney, circa 1915. Today the wood-panelled innards of the Australian Heritage Hotel still rattle with the burly humbug of the beer drinker. The split-level bar service glints with bottled promise, and the walls sing testament to ??Australia's Drinking Champions'. Although there is more competition nowadays - tourists spill out onto the sunny seating outside, which has a convivial caf?? feel to it.
But beer is still taken seriously. While the fading oak Beer Drinkers Hall of Fame panel ran out of room last century, a selection of boutique beers has picked up the slack. Most are Australian, including Burragorang Beer, Beez Neez, Little Creatures and the Picton Valley's Scharers Lager selection. The tradition is carried on by the yearly Australian Beer Festival, which is held here each year as part of Sydney's Good Food Month, showcasing over 90 varieties of local brews. There is also a good selection of wines.
The food is good, compensating the focus on pizza by ladling assorted national emblems over the crust. In the gourmet section you'll find the pepper kangaroo, BBQ emu and salt water croc, and duck pizza served with Spanish onion and plum sauce is a hit. Accommodation is also available upstairs. There is something comfortingly eternal about a pub that respects its heritage, but still leaves a hint of the careworn. Thankfully, the Australian has managed to retain a vibrant essence without becoming kitsch.
Geoff Stanton, September 2008
Event Listing
Australian Beer Festival
Australian Heritage Hotel 100 Cumberland St, The Rocks 2011-10-29Start:29-Oct-2011
End:30-Oct-2011
2011-10-30User Feedback
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