Step inside for a taste of Marrickville at its finest in a fetching line-up of no-nonsense food and drinks.
This isn’t your average local. The team here has previously launched celebrated venues in Redfern, not least Arcadia, which helped kick-start the small-bar movement in the inner south. The Marrickville Hotel has similar smarts, presenting like a pub but acting like a small bar, drawing the same kind of clued-in, dressed-down crowd, plying them with no-nonsense food and drinks, then stepping it up for anyone who wants to get a little more serious. You might kick things off with a Reschs, sure, but your next schooner could be from The Grifter, Philter or Batch Brewing. And while there’d be no judgement if you asked for a rum and Coke, it’s more likely the denim-clad, mullet-sporting bar-staff will be topping up their house spirits with fresh apple juice or mixing together mezcal, Chartreuse, Aperol and lime for a Naked & Famous.
The trick, really, is in under-selling and over-delivering. The only hot food might be toasties, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be gussied up with house-made pickles, or that the antipasto plate won’t feature mortadella from local makers LP’s Quality Meats. And with the option to have staff order in Vietnamese fare for you from neighbouring Pho Phd, you’ll find that sticking around and soaking up the atmosphere is always a good option.
