GOOGLE "Cricketers Arms Hotel" and you'll be flooded with countless search results.
It's an iconic pub name and in Newcastle, Cooks Hill is home to the city's very own Cricketers Arms.
Tucked between the suburb's classic old homes, the hotel is a long-standing favourite in the neighbourhood and is as famous for its Tudor-style exterior as it is for its legendary two-up games on Anzac Day.
If it's been a little while between drinks at the Cricketers, it's worth a revisit.
Since being purchased by publicans John and Lynn Hayes in 2013, the hotel has undergone extensive renovations that complement its historic charm.
As part of those renovations, the car park was sacrificed to allow for the expansion of the hotel's outdoor courtyard which has been transformed into an inviting green-filled space that is in full bloom with jasmine during the spring months, making it a perfect spot to settle in for a long lunch or afternoon drinks in the sun.
According to the hotel's restaurant owner, Garry Murphy, the pub's history dates back to 1930 when it was situated across the road before it moved locations, but retained the name in the spot where it still stands today.
"It has been an iconic pub in Newcastle for a lot of years," Murphy says.
Anyone that has had a drink at the Cricketers will be familiar with the pub's classic wrap-around bar, but the interior has undergone a transformation in recent years under the guidance of Lynne Hayes and sister Julie Murphy, who also runs the hotel's restaurant with her husband, Garry.
Elaborate chandeliers hang from the ceiling throughout the bar and dining areas, adding a sense of sophistication matched by the restaurant's new menu created by head chef, Cayle O'Beirne, who came on board in August.
The menu includes classic pub food, but it's the chef's specials that are worth booking a table for. It's not your standard pub fare.
Port Stephens lobster served with chips, salad, cocktail sauce and seasonal fruit; 180gm pan-seared Daintree barramundi fillet on wild mushroom gnocchi and salsa verde; and chargrilled kangaroo fillet marinated in lemon thyme with kumara puree, charred asparagus, beetroot and rocket salad with blueberry jus are among the dishes recently featured on the chef's special menu, which changes fortnightly.
For O'Beirne, it's all about using high quality, fresh, local ingredients, especially seafood. "I want to know where everything on the menu is coming from, so people can know what they are eating and where it's from," he says.
There are also nods to the hotel's British roots with the inclusion of English pub staples such as the scotch egg with minted peas, mash potato, onion gravy, crisp prosciutto and mustard pickles on the specials menu.
"I like to go with those old-fashioned British pub classics to match the look of the pub. I put lambs fry on the menu a few weeks ago, done really nicely, and it sold so well," O'Beirne says. "I really want to stick to that classical gastronomic pub style of menu."
There's also shared tapas boards and more-ish entrees such as crispy chicken taco cigar with sour cream, and picture-perfect desserts which are all made in-house (try the rosewater and pistachio semi-freddo).
Those after a mid-week feed can check out the lunch specials which range from $10 to $15 (available Monday to Friday), including the beef burger with chips, house-crumbed squid with chips and salad, Caesar salad, and steak sandwich with chips.
Most of the menu is gluten-free. Vegan options available (just ask the chef).
The details
- Food: The restaurant is open seven days for lunch and dinner offering "openers" (entrees), mains (including the chef's selection menu, along with classics such as the "Bradman" - a nod to the cricket legend - schnitzels available with a variety of toppers), salads, pastas, and "tail-enders" (desserts). Kids meals all $9, including ice-cream topped with Milo.
- Tip: Crispy skin salmon with kipfler potato and avocado salad, wilted greens and fresh lemon ($30).
- Drinks: 12 beers on tap, including Cricketers Arms Lager (always $5 for a schooner). Wine list includes premium labels from Tyrrell's & Penfolds. Cocktail classics includes $10 frozen margaritas.
