There are now almost 200 Hard Rock Cafés scattered around the world, but this rock’n’roll-themed chain of restaurants hasn’t changed its tune since its inception in the ’70s. Hearty American food with a Southern bent, tropical cocktails and wall-to-wall music memorabilia are the hallmarks. Happy hour starts at 3pm, there’s an open mic night on Mondays, and all-you-can-eat ribs every Tuesday. All other times you can order crowd-pleasing American favourites including cheeseburgers, nachos, pulled pork sandwiches, cobb salad and New York strip steaks. You may be more surprised to find an extensive vegetarian offering that is no less hearty – there’s buffalo style cauliflower ‘wings’ for dipping in blue cheese sauce, and a quinoa and portobello mushroom patty burger. Spoon your sugar hit via hot fudge brownies and apple cobbler, or sip it through a straw in bright and punchy cocktails like the Bahama Mama with coconut rum, banana liqueur, pineapple, orange and grenadine.
Costumes, guitars and memorabilia from stars such as Beyoncé, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Nicks, the Rolling Stones and Elvis adorn the walls, or you can sit by the windows for waterfront views of Darling Harbour.
