We love the “a-ha” factor of a new rooftop bar. You climb all those stairs and – a-ha! – there it is, revealed in all its astroturfed glory.
That was certainly the vibe back when the Mary’s Group opened up The Lansdowne Hotel’s rooftop for the first time back in 2020, smack-bang in the middle of a year we’d rather forget. The group ended its five-year tenure at the pub earlier this year, and the team behind the Oxford Art Factory snapped up custodianship in a move that was welcomed by literally everyone.
From the ground-floor bar to the bandroom upstairs, the whole pub has copped a refresh. And, aside from the smoking area (which now resembles a gritty Tokyo-themed alley), nowhere in the house looks more different than the rooftop. You still get the a-ha moment – but this time it’s courtesy of the eye-popping royal blue astroturf running from end to end, punctuated by frilly beach umbrellas and white weatherproof furniture. The team have even painted a cheeky “No Diving” sign to dial up the poolside energy. They tell Broadsheet it’s meant to feel like a little oasis plonked between Newtown and the CBD.
Weather permitting, space is open from 4pm Thursday to Sunday, and has enough room to fit 80 punters. The idea is to get up here for sunset, grab a Reschs or a natty wine by Doom Juice and soak up the cracking views till the bands start downstairs.
You can also order the pub’s full menu of crowd-pleasers up here: milk-bun burgers (cheese, panko-crumbed chicken or haloumi), “rockabilly” pizzas (margherita, pepperoni and cheese, or Hawaiian) and gyros (pulled pork, grilled chicken, or pulled jackfruit). Sides include honey chicken wings, fries and wedges, a grilled haloumi salad, and a zingy coleslaw.
On top of the pub’s stacked roster of live music, it’s also running weekly events and menu specials. Come on Wednesday night for trivia ($10 burgers and $15 Young Henrys jugs); Thursday night for DJs (two-for-one pizzas and $10 vodka Red Bulls); or Sunday night for lasagne and a house drink for $20.
Then there’s the deal to rule them all: the Friday and Saturday “wrappy hour” where you can wrap your hands around a gyros for just $7.
Opened on the corner of City Road and Broadway in 1925, The Lansdowne Hotel is one of the city’s most storied live music venues, with everyone from Billie Eilish to the Living End gracing its hallowed, beer-soaked stage. Oxford Art Factory CEO Mark Gerber plans to continue the venue’s legacy by providing an inclusive late-night venue in a city that’s constantly in short supply.
“Sydney doesn’t need to lose any more live music venues; it has suffered enough,” he said in a statement back in June. “The lockout laws and Covid-19 have severely impacted a once flourishing and vibrant nightlife, and I wasn’t going to let yet another music venue fall by the wayside, not on my watch.”
Lansdowne Rooftop
2–6 City Road, Chippendale
Hours:
Thu to Sun 4pm–10pm (weather permitting)
thelansdownepub.com.au
@thelansdowne
19 Jul 2023
19 Jul 2023
19 Jul 2023
19 Jul 2023