Mercantile Hotel Irish Pub
Editorial
There is a niggling debate over which is actually the oldest pub in The Rocks - the oldest building, the longest continuous license, the first this or that. The Mercantile was completed in 1915, so can't really qualify, but it may lay claim to being one of the oldest Irish pubs around, and certainly it contributes a good deal to the general ambience of The Rocks.
On the National Register of Historic Places, this is a heritage must-see for the tourists and is more or less a mandatory episode in any Rocks pub crawl. Its location and the tourist factor are, fairly obviously, reflected in the prices of food and drink, and it also serves as a major gathering point for backpackers, many with somewhat tenuous links to Ireland.
The outside looks a little like a Victorian urinal with an alarmingly green-tiled dado, a theme continued inside, but fear not, it smells OK. This is a bit of a dark and gloomy pub, well suited to Eeyore or nervous spies (and possibly drunken German backpackers wearing leprechaun hats). The interiors are mainly original and well worth a look, and the staff, several of whom are the genuine Irish article, are uniformly charming and efficient. It also has a gallery devoted to that cherished national treasure of inspired unreadabilty, James Joyce, but this is forgivable when you take into account the great views and a truly superb Irish breakfast.
Weekends are always packed and the leprechauns, German or otherwise, spill onto the pavement. St Patrick's Day will be heaving. Elbow through, and you might find Eeyore in the corner grumbling into a small Guinness and wearing a green hat.
Austin Harrison, January 2008
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isabel
September 14, 2010
The best pub 89/90. Mercantile is not the same now but I will always remember the good times I had on my first trip to Australia.
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