Robin Hood Hotel, Charing Cross

LOCATION
Two minutes’ drive from Bondi Junction.

PROFILED BE DE GROOTS MEDIA
While you wouldn’t class this joint as one of the best restaurants in Sydney, it does what it does well. The Robin Hood Hotel is the local that everybody yearns for and is consistently abuzz with amiable chatter and the clinking of glasses. From the trivia nights and live musical entertainment to the sociable staff and the pool table in the corner, this pub is a reliable old friend to many who walk the Charing Cross. And the bistro is not half bad either, with good-value meals being pumped out of the kitchen at staggering rates.

It’s hard to bypass the $7 steak; served with mash potato or crunchy chippies, the only other decision to make is whether you’d like your fillet smothered in rosemary and garlic, mushroom or peppercorn gravy. Otherwise, for a couple of extra dollars you can order a salmon fillet with Asian-style vegies, chicken breast with mash or one of the many other pub grub favourites. Your meal will call you to the pick-up point by way of a buzzer, and then choose to sit in the beer garden, the upstairs dining room or the front bar with its ever-popular leather couches. It’s not a gourmet paradise but it sure does the job, especially when you throw a couple of schooners and some great mates into the mix.

Annabel Wise