Down-to-earth and battered about as all good pubs should be, the Courthouse sits on Australia street not far from the main drag of King Street, somewhere in the back street maze that is Newtown. Finding a parking space was a bit of a trial but eventually we piled out of the car and walked right into the middle of happy hour. Cheers! $2 schooners all round then, apart from our designated driver of course, though interestingly the reason we're here could make the designated driver a thing of the past.
We here for a chat with Boris, the brains behind
Smartride, for a couple of drinks. The deal is he'll drive you home, safely, in your own car, then when you get home, you give him some money, generally no more expensive than a cab ride, and he zips off on a motorised scooter he's stored in your boot. A great idea, and one we'll be availaing ourselves of in the futures, since we often get landed with driving duty these days.
Anyway, back to the pub. It's a well known fact that we like pubs with character, and this place has it. It also has a good little bistro, a pool table and a beer garden that's rated as the best in the area by many. The menu features, among other things, such delights as Baked Lamb Shanks, Steaks and even Kangaroo fillets. One of our little party gets stuck into the Perch fillets and more beer as the pub continues to fill up.
There's a good mixture of people here, from workies to suits, transients and ferals, backpackers, policemen from next door and even family groups, everyone gets on and a lively atmosphere is the result. It's a classic Newtown scene and one we enjoyed. The only complaint we found is that the pool table's in the bistro area, hence no smoking around it (you have to sneak round the corner into the Pokie lounge for a sly one). More than one person was caught out by this as we looked on.
But enough of the negative. The Courthouse is well worth a visit, so get out there.
review by: JasonThe Courthouse, well the Courthouse is next to the Newtown police courthouse, but that lends no knowledge to the nature of this funky place. GREAT SEAFOOD and good pooltables, not to mention the good old Auzzie beer garden that can't be ignored. A fantastic place for those days when it's too early for a beer but you must have one when the suns up and shining.
review by Claire Banyard
review by: pubguide staff