Any pub with the name of the Bard is going to grab my attention, and I made an effort to come here…read more Unfortunately it wasn't as great as I expected, though it was still a nice place where I could grab a drink. In fact I found it rather quite and peaceful, which is also a good thing when it comes to a pub, especially when I don't want too much noise. They even had some nice beers on tap, which was a bonus.

I am not really the pub crawl type so it is not that surprising that I had never been to the…read moreShakespeare Hotel. A friend of mine Nathan wanted to go for the $12.50 steaks (they actually serve a wide range of meals all for $12.50) When I went inside I was not impressed at all, it was a pretty daggy looking place. However upon going upstairs my first impression evaporated. It is fantastic up there. It is like a smoky 1930's saloon with big, old furniture much of which is falling apart, it is dim and is pure atmosphere. I loved it. Suddenly the name Shakespeare's made sense as it really was like entering some kind of time warp, has anyone seen my Tardis? The food was very ordinary but for $12.50 who really cares, I would definitely go back, the atmosphere makes it entirely worthwhile.

Amazing wonderful and lovely staff amazing and great food and would always consider this placeread more

I can't tell a lie, I luuuurves me an old man pub and Courthouse is one of the best. The beers are…read morerelatively cheap (for the area), the bar snacks are limited, the decor is tired, the pokies are plentiful and the atmosphere is pure, concentrated, stale booze soaked carpet. What makes this place is the regulars. Like crazy moths to an insane flame they come from all over Sydney to regale you with tales of their upcoming brain surgery, a result of them falling off the balcony of the Midnight Shift. But then you find out they have also had cancer and every other ailment imaginable and the Midnight Shift doesn't even have a balcony. Hey... Others will just ramble at you in a thick Croatian accent. Im looking at you, Jumbo. Upstairs is the Bistro with some of the best, reasonably priced pub grub around. $25 for a 1 kilo steak. Wow. You can also rent a room for $50 per night. You have to share facilities with a collection of randoms and old people who are down from the country visiting a relative in St Vincent's but an overnight stay in Sydney for only a Pineapple? Come on... This place also has the best view of the numerous equal marriage and climate protests that happen on a regular basis up and down Oxford St. Greeeeeat people watching.

Oh, the Lord Wolseley Hotel, you stalwart Ultimo institution. May you live for another hundred…read moreyears, keeping up mysterious old traditions, boozing up old men and backpackers. As a former Ultimo local - and representative authority on all things Ultimo, AND all things related to the former NSW Government Printing Office - the Lord Wolseley has at times been the focal point of my world, both social and academic. What a mad, crazy thing to say about a pub. That's probably not very helpful for YOU, is it, since you want to know about the pub itself. Right. The Lord Wolseley has a great history. Built in 1881, the Woz was the drinking hole of the infamous Sydney crim Neddy Smith, and company ... and also the favoured pub for the letterpress printers at the NSW Government Printing Office. At five minutes to 1pm on a weekday, the publican would line the bar with 30 cold schooners, and at 1 minute past 1, the printers would rush in. 5 minutes later they were all heading back to the bar for a second shout. In recent years the Lord Wolseley has changed hands a fair bit. For a while we were worried it would close down. It is now owned by TV mogul Errol Sullivan, who has allegedly promised to keep it as a "good old pub" and not ritz the place up. His sons might be running it, and they might be twins. (For probably inaccurate details on Errol Sullivan's hilarious party, bringing in the change of ownership, see http://penultimo.tumblr.com/post/13470430184/errolwolseley) The reason the Lord Wolseley has changed very little is that it's on a small bar licence (or something like that) and it's heritage listed. It's also a little off the beaten track, so not attractive to developers and the big-bar owners of Sydney. What to expect? It's a bit run down, and rather narrow. You can drink outside in the village green, if you behave yourself. The drink price is average, and you might get some raised eyebrows if you try to order a fancy cocktail or an upmarket wine. There are plenty of old locals milling around, happy to engage you in conversation or tell you what a wanker you're being. Oh yes -- one of the best things about the Lord Wolseley is that it HAS NO POKIES. Ok, I think I need to repeat that. THIS PUB HAS NO POKIES. Wait! I'm sort of wrong. Technically the Woz has pokies, but they are decommissioned and turned off, shoved into a room in the basement. It makes me grin whenever I see those dead machines - they look like dead daleks. Victory to the Dr! The kitchen at the Woz has in the past been pretty dire - very greasy stuff with a bit of a Thai twist. But with the new ownership, things may change in the back, we shall see...

Despite this being one of those hidden pubs, when I arrived here one saturday afternoon it was…read moreliterally bursting at the seams. In fact it was pretty difficult actually finding a place to sit down (though I did eventually find one in the corner). While I would say that the patrons had even spilt out onto the road, there were a number of barrels out the front where they would consume their beers and chat with their mates. As a pub it is actually really nice, and has quite a lot of character. There is even a really nice restaurant out the back. Okay, it is pretty small (and really crowded when I was there), but it is still one of those pubs that I would definitely want to visit again.

Good Pub food done well. Chicken Parmy really good!…read more Go for the Raffles! Daily Specials change.

As soon as I saw the building I knew that I was going to love this pub. Okay, it did actually…read moreextend beyond the fact that it was located in an awesome building, which happens to be the original building that the pub was located in. The thing is that upon going inside I discovered a rather good selection of beers on tap, and when I have to spend time attempting to choose a beer, then I known I have found a pub that I like. However, they also have a beer garden, and a pretty decent one at that, so yeah, this is definitely one of those pubs on my list of going back to again one day.

Always a fun place when back in Sydney. Great family bistro. For what it is they do a great job…read morewith service at the bar and great tasting food for a pub.

What I remember…read more.. What I remember is a very high ceilinged space decked out in some kind of faux Roman motif, ionic pillars and a decidedly out of place astro turf patch in the middle of the room. What I remember is a wooden bar, that looked like it had been dropped into place, pop-up style, as an afterthought to service thirsty drinkers. What I remember is tall bar stools and round tables at which those thirsty drinkers sat, talking loudly amongst themselves whilst they imbibed Yaks and Rabbits. What I remember is the Rabbits were White, in bottles, not tapped as my companion prefers. What I remember is those fake fanned flame ribbons set in sconces on the wall. Dancing mesmerisingly. What I remember is artwork, displayed and on sale via consignment. Too rich for my tastes. What I remember was we had a good time but this was a pit stop not a destination. .

I made the reservation online (just 4 hours before the dinner), I requested a high chair for my 3…read moreyear old nephew. An hour later, the manager called me, saying that there was only 1 high chair available at the restaurant and a family was using it. Since we were running late, I told him that it's ok and we would roll up late, hoping that the family would be done dining then. When we showed up at the restaurant, the manager told me that he had borrowed another high chair from Hilton hotel (next door) just in case. That was a decent surprise! The service at the restaurant was superb ! Food was very good as well. The dinner special - Homemade linguine with grilled prawns was delicious. (highly recommended! they should put this on the main menu !). The linguine was cooked to perfection and the sauce was really good. For dessert, I had the warm chocolate cake with cream & strawberries. Two thumbs up ! worth every penny! I would definitely revisit this restaurant to try other items on the menu.

This was, well, what I would consider to be an okay pub. I might sound a little harsh, but the…read morething is that when you are dealing with pubs in Newtown, then unfortunately there is going to be some pretty stiff competition out there, and competition that is going to be hard to beat. Don't get me wrong, I liked this pub, and it certainly met the criteria of being what I would consider to be a good Newtown Pub - there is no doubt about that - however a part of me felt that it really didn't go that extra mile to basically make it what I would consider to be a great pub, or at least one that I would regularly return to.

THE TOWNIE! What can I say? This place has long been the epicenter of Newtown…read more It's diversity and inclusivity has found it the home to many different of Sydney's co existing communities. I returned here after a hiatus and very much enjoyed the new layout. The same Townie vibe. I have long enjoyed one of the coldest beers in Sydney, meat raffles, a good shnitty & Chicks with Pics on a Sunday. With pool tables, and food, TAB & pokies, a back beer garden and upstairs cocktail bar- not to mention the 5am close this is a Sydney must see and do. I'm proud to have called this my local for years!

This was actually a pretty cool pub, especially since I really didn't expect something like this…read moreplace as I was wandering along Parramatta Road. I guess it had something to do with the countless number of suburban pubs that I had been visiting that I simply did not expect to actually find a pub that I really liked. Well, this one turned out to be such a pub, particularly due to quite a decent selection of beers on tap, a selection that made me pause to actually decide what I would like. Oh, and they also have a beer garden, and a beer garden that is actually quite a decent size, as opposed to the smokers cages that a lot of them seem to insist on having.

As is now my preferred method of review ...... short and sweet !!! ...... let's face it .... all…read moreyou want to know is should I pop in or not ??? ........ YES !!! ....... this is a visit worthy place for sure. It's been very well renovated....... modern clean lines ....... well maintained....... has great space and play areas for the children ....... the food is modern and very proudly presented........ lots of great wines ..... spirits ....... beers ..... local and craft. If you visit and don't think it's up to scratch then i must be blind as a bat!