Reputedly Sydney's oldest pub (it's advertised outside!), the Fortune is a pretty popular stop. A casual passerby may think it's simply a small, workmanlike bar, however the Fortune is actually a lot more spacious than it looks from outside on George Street.
We're fans of the upstairs bar more than the lower floor, so it's to this section we normally head. The layout is unusual, an L-shaped room with a bar along the inner edge of the 'L', with a few poker machines nestling around the corner, out of the way. just to the right is a smaller area with a large window overlooking the walk which runs behind. The atmosphere is normally friendly, and the bar seems to get a lot of blow-throughs on their way elsewhere (we suspect to the
Orient).
Historical maps and charters line the walls, underlining the pub's claim to 'Oldest in Sydney', and i certainly has something of an old-time feel. For a real historic feeling though, we'd recomend the
Hero Of Waterloo, which has retained the older look much more strongly.
review by: pubguide staff