It’s a good day to be a Sydneysider, because the talented men from Mary’s, Porteño, and Young Henrys have – as of an hour ago – opened their new pub on the lockout-free side of Oxford Street in the CBD.
Jake Smyth, Kenny Graham (Mary’s), Elvis Abrahanowicz (Bodega & Porteno), and Oscar McMahon (Young Henry’s) took over The Unicorn Hotel in Paddington in September, and have spent the past 4 months making it over with a kickass food and drinks menu, reclaimed red gum bar and decorative tyres that look like swans.
DW, though: they’ve gone to great lengths to ensure it’s not a typically wanko hang-out, including pouring beer over the new floor so it has that delightfully familiar pub smell.
“It’s just a very classic Australian pub, it almost feels like we’re going for a specific age, but we’re not really,” Graham told Broadsheet.
Same goes for the menu: “No side salads – only green salads, peas and carrots. No kombu and no fancy weird things.”
You’re looking at drooly takes on classic Aussie pub food: sandwiches, schnitties, pies, weekly roasts, glazed ham, mixed grill and vegetable lasagne, steak and (duh) a Mary’s burger.
There’s a solid range of Young Henrys to get boozed on, plus other local brews like VB, XXXX, Carlton and Reschs; wines will be all-Australian, with glasses starting at a very reasonable $8.
The boys are pretty chuffed to be opening today, after months of hard slog.
~Welcome (back) to the neighbourhood, The Unicorn Hotel! Good to have ya~
You can find The Unicorn Hotel at 180 Oxford Street, Paddington, Mon-Wed 11am-late; Thurs-Sat 11am-3am; Sun 11am-midnight.
Photo: Feral Brewing.
