Annandale Hotel Re-Opens With Focus On Food

Beloved Sydney-based live-music venue The Annandale Hotel is being revived under new ownership – but it's being re-imagined as a culturally significant inner-west local.

Although the new owners, Oscars Hotels, have asserted the rebooted Annandale will “continue to pay homage” to its live-music roots, architect and designer Elaine Richardson has taken great pains to refine the pub's food-and-beverage dimension, including the implementation of a large courtyard and bistro geared towards all-day dining as well as a casual coffee bar, in addition to its main and open-air back bars.

Fans of live music aren't completely left out in the cold, with the Annandale acknowledging its history of live entertainment by providing room for local and international singer-songwriters, unplugged and bluegrass artists to occupy the intimate stage and fill the historic rooms with their traditional soundtrack.

It may not be the exact solution donors to the venue's previous Buy A Brick and Save The Annandale campaigns were looking for, but their efforts have not been forgotten, with plaques purchased as part of the drive being incorporated into the interior design as “a constant reminder of a commitment to keeping the iconic hotel alive”.

Richardson is a veteran rejuvenator of venues, having previously tackled furbishing the Trinity and Henson Park hotels, as well as local institution the Bat and Ball. Here, her elegant touch sees the venue's heritage aspects remain intact while adorning the resurgent watering hole with contemporary touches.

The bars will boast a signature cocktail menu, as well as an array of wines from around Australia and the world, plus a healthy range of boutique and craft beers, for the connoisseurs among you. In addition, executive chef John Rankin (ex-Waitan) has gone all out with the sumptuous breakfast menu, which features special consideration for weary punters chasing a little hair of the dog, as well as crafting some salacious-looking lunch and dinner fare including grilled cheese sandwiches, nachos, southern-fried chicken burgers and roast-duck Yorkshire pudding.

The Annandale Hotel is located on the corner of Nelson Street and Parramatta Road, Annandale, Sydney. You can keep up to speed with all the fledgling reboot's movements on their Facebook page.