In my opinion, this is what it takes to be a great pub:
* Cheap pub grub
* A good courtyard
* Good ciders on tap
* Good trivia night
* Relaxed atmosphere
That's five points for a good, stock-standard local. If they decide to do something interesting with their décor then that's a bonus.
The AB in Glebe ticks off most of these, but it's the important few that it leaves empty that prevent it from kicking it with the best.
Here's what the AB does have: it's got a good, sunny courtyard. Whilst it's not very big, Glebe-ers are more than happy to share their table with you, and it's a pretty nice place for a Sunday arvo cider. Which brings me to my second point.
The AB does have cider on tap. In fact, they quite a good cider - Pipsqueak. But whilst this appears to tick a box, the fact of the matter is that I'm not willing to pay over $8 for a schooner of cider - at least not at my local.
The AB also rocks a good Music Trivia night. Whilst last time I contributed only a handful of correct answers, a good trivia night is an inexpensive and relaxed way to hang out with your friends on a Wednesday night. The atmosphere here is pretty chilled (that's another tick), and with the potential prize pool including a keg party, it's always worth a try.
But the one place where the AB fails to impress is with its menu. Yes, I do have a few friends who think the food here is ok, but I'm yet to be impressed. These days I tend to duck across to Fish On Fire for my dinner between ciders. The menu at the AB is neither cheap (average meal $22) nor can it really qualify as typical pub grub, as it opts instead for your classier Asian inspired dishes. Whilst some may view this as a positive, it fails to meet my 'good pub' criteria. What's more, there's not really much on offer if you're not into meat.
The AB does tick many boxes, and I wouldn't say no to meeting a friend there for a drink. But if asked for other options, I could think of many. read more