Sydney's leading publicans were honoured at the inaugural Time Out Sydney Pub Awards at the Glenmore Hotel on Monday.
The Pub of the Year award went to the Welcome Hotel, as did the gong for Best Pub Food. The Four in Hand was also Highly Commended for its pub food offering.
The Vic in Enmore will have to make some space on its walls for the award for Best Entertainment, as will the Newtown Hotel, which was Highly Commended.
Minskys Hotel in Cremorne was awarded the Revival Award for an excellent revamp that brought new life to an old venue and the transformation of the Oxford Tavern was rewarded with a Highly Commended gong in this category.
Pyrmont’s Quarrymans Hotel received the gong for Best Beer List for its spectacular range of craft beers on tap, with the Royal Albert Hotel in Surry Hills getting Highly Commended.
Publican of the Year went to Ray Reilly from the Henson, with Highly Commended going to Dan Ryan at the Dove and Olive. [continues below]
The Welcome Hotel team with Time Out Australia CEO Michael Rodrigues
The Henson also scooped up the Family-Friendly Award for a pub that values inclusivity and caters to those with small humans in tow. The Woolwich Pier Hotel garnered the Highly Commended for this category.
To reward years of consistent service, the Legend Award went to Darlinghurst’s Green Park Hotel for always being a place where the Time Out team wants to sink some beers.
And it was the people of Sydney who ensured that the Balmain Hotel went home with the People’s Choice Award under their arm. All winners went home not only with pub award glory, but also with gift vouchers from Cargo Crew.
"Time Out has long flown the flag for excellent bars and restaurants in Sydney, but we thought it was high time we acknowledged the truly excellent pubs that are an essential part of the social fabric of this city," said Time Out Sydney Pubs Editor Emily Lloyd-Tait.
“Tonight was all about celebrating the staunch love Sydneysiders have for their local watering holes.”
Time Out Australia CEO Michael Rodrigues thanked the industry for supporting the awards in their first year.
"We’re now looking forward to keeping our readership up to date with the latest and greatest, as Sydney’s pub scene as a whole continues to improve its service offering. And with this year’s awards event sold out, we’ll definitely be upscaling things next year."