After the closure of Gilroy’s Hotel last year, the St Leonards corner pub reopened its doors yesterday as The Belroy Hotel. Led by Garry McGrath of Sonenco Hotels, owner and proprietor for the past decade, the pub has undergone a major renovation to evolve its offering.
McGrath, whose portfolio includes Barangaroo pub The Sussex Hotel, led the redevelopment of the venue which included an expansion into the neighbouring building, making it twice the size of its prior incarnation.
“After a decade we wanted to evolve the current offering in line with the evolution of the St Leonards area – which has changed considerably over the past 10 years – providing a venue that caters to families, friends, office colleagues, and locals alike,” McGrath told Australian Hotelier.
“The renovation took 18 months, which involved expanding into the adjacent building to double the size, full fit out of the venue with new interiors, and creating a new ground floor Sports Bar and first floor Terrace Bar and Bistro.”
The vision for The Belroy Hotel was brought to life by French-born designer Emilie Delalande of design studio Etic, known for Barangaroo House and House Made Hospitality venues Martinez and Easy Tiger. Delalande conceptualised two contrasting yet connected spaces within the venue.
Downstairs, the ground floor Sports Bar is the go-to for sporting events, classic pub grub and tap beers from local breweries. Upstairs, the Terrace Bar and Bistro is an airy conservatory-style space leading onto an expansive wraparound balcony and separate outdoor terrace.
The vision for the first floor space was to bring a sense of the outside inside, featuring timber furniture, original lead light windows and foliage. McGrath says the main consideration when designing the space was maintaining an authentic pub feel while also catering to a wider audience with the introduction of the new first floor Terrace Bar.
“We wanted to evolve the venue to deliver an even better pub experience,” added McGrath. “With the two contrasting but connected spaces we can continue to offer the classic community corner pub experience, but with the addition of the Terrace Bar we’ve created an oasis in the midst of St Leonards, elevated above the streets.
“It is the perfect place for a relaxed drink with friends, a date night on the balcony, or a delicious lunch with the family.
“From the charming ground floor Sports Bar to the sun-drenched rooftop atrium, The Belroy Hotel has indoor and open-air spaces throughout its two levels, for patrons to enjoy drinking and dining across all seasons.”
Food from the bistro will be served across both levels of the venue. Guests can choose from pub classics such as gourmet burgers, steaks and chicken schnitzels, alongside home-style dishes such as chicken and leek pie, lamb ragu pappardelle and roast chicken cooked on the in-house French rotisserie.
The Belroy Hotel’s drinks offering includes beers on tap and a considered wine list, complemented by a menu of signature cocktails. Summer highlights include Northside, made with gin, fresh lime juice, raspberry and mint, Rhubi Spritz, combining rhubarb liqueuer, grapefruit and a splash of soda, and Lemon Sherbet Spritz, comprising Absolut Citron, Limoncello and lemon.