This perennial Eastern Suburbs favourite got a major facelift from top to bottom in 2019. The ground floor remains largely the same – a classic heritage sports bar sporting plaid carpeting, plenty of concrete textures and brass finishes, with cold beers on tap, schnitties on plates and footy on the screens.
Upstairs, at the relaunched Elephant Bar and Dining, is where the where things have gotten fancier. Coastal tones and animal prints complement a menu that leans Mediterranean, featuring the likes of burrata with heirloom toamtoes, sardines on toast, crumbed veal cutlets and spanner crab linguine. Bottomless brunches are also a drawcard.
The crown jewel, though – quite literally – is the venue’s rooftop, which somehow remains one of the best kept secrets in town. There’s now a retractable roof and rosé on tap, which means you can soak in those unparalleled city views with a glass of something nice in hand, rain or shine, all year long.