Knopwoods Retreat

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
Located in one of Salamanca’s lovely old sandstone warehouses, these doors have been open since 1835 when it was called the Whalers’ Return. Now named after the colony’s first Minister and lash-happy Magistrate, the not-so-reverend Reverend Knopwood, the pub has happily avoided gentrification retaining much of the charm and character of its colourful, sometimes bawdy history. There’s still a curved wooden bar with footrests, patina’d wooden panels, a large open wood fire and plenty of intimate spaces. If only the walls could talk……

With ten beers on tap, another forty or so different varieties stacked in the fridges and a good selection of reasonably priced wines and top-shelf drops, this is one of the city’s most popular watering holes, especially on Friday nights when it bursts its seams with a mixed after-work crowd spilling out in its hundreds into Salamanca Place. At other times it’s just busy serving sidewalk and inside tables with coffees and drinks or food from chef Christian Allen’s much better than pub-grub menu ranging from bangers and mash to real food like corned silverside and eye fillet burgers to more up-beat numbers like chilli-steamed mussels and excellent Thai and Indian curries – all good stuff.

Graeme Phillips