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    Shady Pines Saloon

    4.4 (74 reviews)
    ModerateBars
    Closed 4:00 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)

    Shady Pines Saloon Photos

    SHADY PINES SALOON ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Live music
    Hipster
    Casual

    Recommended Reviews - Shady Pines Saloon

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    Reviews With Photos

    Alexandra M.

    Came here on a pub crawl and did not realise I was looking for a hidden bar! White door just down the ally. They have ginger beer! More places need to have it--it's delicious! I also saw Gose on the menu so that's exciting. Dark inside, and not just because they're underground. The walls and furniture are all dark in color, giving it an intimate feeling. I'm told they have music at night, if you're interested.

    Danielle P.

    Secret bar hidden down a alleyway behind Oxford Street, not sign posted just a blank white door. It has live bands and country music in this cowboy themed bar serving rum based cocktails, think dimly lit and noisy so good for a group or party vibe rather than date night. Very busy bar so be prepared for a bit of a wait.

    The best table!
    Victor L.

    Shady Pines Saloon is one of these venues where you can sense a decorative purpose, a genuine effort to give the place an atmosphere that patrons will come and look for. The vibe is that of a saloon, possibly a Canadian saloon, or an American one, isolated in the Yosemite National Park. There is warmth and chatter, candle light and dancing shadows, a piano - of course - and a long wooden bar on which you'd expect the barman to poor a line of bourbon along its entire length and set it on fire for the last call. The choice of drinks, espacially beer, is interesting. Though the place, older brother to both the Baxter Inn on Clarence St and Restaurant Hubert on Bligh St, did not go for size and a crazy world-renown portfolio like its closest sibling, it has enough choice to make a beer affectionado like me occupy a seat for a few hours without running dry. Without being pricey, it still is a Surry Hills venue and as such beers range from $8 to $15 approximately - what you'd expect really. If I had to take someone for a long chat around beer, a bustling and rumbling crowd and enough possibilites to start any kind of night, that's where I'd go. So go. Now. NOW. Sorry got excited again. Seriously though, hurry up!

    Barry T.

    Wow! This place is indeed very hard to find - literally a hole in a wall (Thanks to Ben for organizing an Unofficial Yelp Event here). I love the decorations inside too - very wild west americana style, and the variety of american craft beers they have in stock. Visiting this place is like being transported to Texas! And also love how they give you complimentary peanuts too (because responsible drinking means you should also eat something right??). Word also has it they have free wifi but I wasn't able to try it out. Which can be handy because there's little reception in this place.

    Joel Amigo H.

    Stepping into this dark husky bar brings you back to a Western Film. This bar would be humbled by the presence of Johnny Cash and then loose him in the eyes of intrigued bohemian, and potentially androgynous ladies and gentlemen who only embellish the decor with a contemporary air. This is a bar where you don't have to cross your fingers that they'll have your favorite Scotch, Whisky or even a refreshingly delicious cloudy apple Vodka concoction, served in an iced tall glass, squiggly straw and all. On the other hand, if the drink you are chasing, from the far away lands of Amitola, where only the half man half stallion roam, is not on the menu, the more than capable bar tenders will go out of their way, bribing that native Indian in the corner, for the secret ingredient, down through to the back room which is actually a cave, to inspire your creative side. If you want beer, they have that too. Forgive them for the cracked peanut shells layering the floor, splintering to a dust under those leather boots that you no doubt got the memo for RE dress code. In this bar it's a necessity to befriend the interesting Oxford Street locals, the wide eyed ones, the big haired ones, the heshen sack skinny jeans ones, and of course the 20/20-vision rimmed glasses ones. Even though they may be juvenile to the ornaments that adorn the walls in a battle scene of historical patronage, they'll still make for an interesting night.

    Marie A.

    I'm loving all things hipster (dont judge me!) So the endless hu-ha on this place just wont stop .... so after a long day brunching we trek over to the infamous Shady Pines Saloon. I just need to ask ... why do all the new pop-up bars, such a mission to find??!! I thought once that this was a novelty but when youve been boozing all day and need your next drink the last thing you need is to be trying to find a hole in the wall!!!!! So after taking the wrong turn, doing a u-turn, walking up then walking down (all in the same street I might add) FINALLY a white painted door in a narrow alley was the entrance to this dark goodness! A USA flag hanging high from the wall greeted us. God love America! It was quiet and there were WAY TO MANY beers on the menu ( a great thing) so we left it to the bartender to pick and choose all his favourites every round we got! If only I was in a state to remember what they were ...... ha! BUT what I do remember is that like its sister bar The Baxter Inn we were offered bottomless shelled peanuts. For me the highlight of this place was the vodka and fresh apple juice and when I say fresh, Im not talking that it was "so fresh out of the bottle" I mean they juice those apples right in front of you ..... mmmmmmm goodness! My final take it was A-OK but I think Im going to let this bandwagon ride on past me I will not be joining the congo dance for this one.

    Leah C.

    If Shady Pines were a dude, it would be a plaid shirt wearing, whiskey scented, bearded, banjo playing, zine creator or semi-professional beer brewer with an affinity for fixed gear bikes and rare cigars. And I would probably want to date him. Stepping down the staircase and into this saloon style cocktail bar is like a teleportation into the American "out west" in the 70s. In a land where you can rub elbows with a Cherokee Indian statue and a cow bust without moving an inch and feast on all the peanuts you never wanted, you can also trust that the mixologists here will concoct you something truly great. And if you're feeling cheap, you can also opt for a shot out of the stuffed skunk. Careful, it might seem like a good idea at the time, but the brown liquid inside is just a mixture of every kind of whiskey from the bottom of the bottles. Shady, Shady, INDEED.

    Gotta bring home one of their T-Shirts!

    This place is a hidden gem! The staff is simply all around great and friendly with excellent drink making skills, combined with an awesome juicer right there at the bar! The whiskey selection is amazing, so this is truly a place where you can take a date and they can get an amazing cocktail while you have a fine double of whiskey..... and both will be made properly. Plus live music....Sunday the 9th they had an amazing band play; and being a native Texan I Swear the steel guitarist was the best I've ever seen! Bottom line- I didn't like Sydney's night life until I found this place!

    Julie L.

    Welcome to the Wild Wild West! I think the best way to review Shady Pines is to describe one of my favourite recent visits. I'd been telling a venue-owner friend about this place for ages, how much fun it is, how it's always jumpin' no matter what time or day of the week you go there. I finally dragged him down on a Tuesday night. We approached the unmarked white door from the quiet dark alley Shady Pines is tucked away in. There was a bouncer standing at the entrance, two people smoking outside and no sign of any other life. The bouncer opened the doors for us and BAM! It was like walking into a prohibition-era honky-tonk juke joint- people were swing dancing in the middle of the room, awesome country jive was pumpin, and peanut shells were flying. This scene epitomises the magnificent Shady Pines, although I fear it's slipping away from the gorgeous hipsters and rockabillys that have always rocked out here and into the hands of the decidedly less cool types that frequent the Ivy and Establishment type of places. I am basing this solely on my last visit so I'm hoping that just happened to be an off night. The service here is always fantastic- the staff is made up 100% of hot, charming men and they've thankfully added a $6 Coopers clear to the beer list. Having beers around the $9 mark adds up over a night of rollicking country music!

    Cactus Jack cocktail
    Craig D.

    Came here for cocktail hour - 5 pm and not a soul in sight! The space is awesome. Found behind a white door in the alley behind American Apparel off Crown St. There's a small sign with the bar name but you wouldn't see it unless you were looking for it. Open the door and turn right to enter the bar, a dim space filled with Western Americana. Moose head on the wall, jukebox music, and I expect, if it was later in the night, peanut shells on the floor. Bartender was busy prepping and not too friendly, so lost a star on the service mark. A bearded bartender who came later was much friendlier and gave a smile. Specialty cocktail list is short but sweet, starting from $17 up to low $20s. Beers range in price and are nicely categorized by strength, represented in different horse icons, to go with the theme of the bar. I'd come back here again when the live band is on, but would probably stick to beers next time.

    Caroline S.

    One of this lass's favorite spots. Shady Pines has the character of Johnny Depp and the suave of George Clooney. It's the place to be for all the artistic, young, curious and fun people. It would not be so out of the norm to catch a local movie star or musician here. But nobody would bat an eye because this bar is all about being laisezz-faire. The term "hole in a wall" was coined by this place. Not really, but you know. You walk off Oxford Street and head down Crown Street, talk the first turn to your right and there it is, hidden behind an ambiguous white door. The bouncer is almost always a plain dressed fella, acting inconspicuous out the front. He will only reveal his identity if you are lucky enough to be asked for ID. I wasn't asked last time I was there so afterwards I went home and lathered myself in anti-aging cream, dammit I will be ID'd for years to come! Once you walk through that deceiving white door, you enter a land of wonder. It's like an old-school saloon from a 1930's cowboy film. Cow skin sprawled on the floor, various animal heads poking out from the walls and dim light chandeliers casting shadows over the satisfied patrons. You must try their freshly squashed apple juice and vodka, it's their signature drink and it's healthy too. Kill two birds with one stone. They also have an awesome range of beers, including Little Creatures, which is a treasure to find! Their cocktails are delicious and there is simply nothing bad I can say about this place. Ohh and to top it off, free peanuts all night! It's like I want to marry this bar.

    Seaton K.

    Unless you knew it was there, you wouldn't even know it was there. It's a hideaway, an old fashioned saloon inspired, gun slinging-peanut crunching hideaway. And in true hideaway style it is hidden away. We wander down a small alley way half a block down from Oxford Street, concern starting to pop its small slavish head up from behind the wine we had with dinner. "Where are we going?" There's nothing down here, it's an empty alley. But soon we reach the destination and can hear the music coming from within. During the day, the only thing that gives this place away as anything other than just another empty space that is so nondescript there's not even a playful metaphor I can use to explain it, is a piece of A4 paper blue tacked to the inside of the glass which bears the licensing details of the Shady Pines Saloon. Inside the crowd is pumping, there are animal heads attached to the walls and the ground crunches as you step. Free peanuts are given out in small faux wooden bowls and the discarded shells take the place of rose petals that have been laid down upon our arrival. The tables are not tables at all, but rather barrels that are being used as tables and the character of the place is reminiscent to nothing I have ever seen before. A themed bar, so stylish and hip and interesting. Shady Pines you are an enigma.

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    We walked in just after the live music had finished but it still had a great atmosphere. They have yummy cocktails also and free peanuts!

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    Review Highlights - Shady Pines Saloon

    I'm not sure where hey got all the taxidermy but it adds a nice sense of ambiance.

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    PJ Gallagher's Sports Bar & Bistro - Front of the hotel

    PJ Gallagher's Sports Bar & Bistro

    2.8(9 reviews)
    0.9 kmSydney
    $$

    The Criterion, post PJs renos, is a standard faux-Irish pub slap bang in the middle of the city…read more(close to Town Hall). Being close to where I used to work, I'd frequent this place quite a bit, and before it was a PJs it was a mates fave city pub so we'd catch up over a few here from time to time. There's a pretty good mix of people in the street-level bar, and PJs have converted it into more of a sports bar so there are plenty of screens for the sports nuts to check out their favourite teams prospects. PJs typically have pretty good fare. In winter they have two absolute cracking dishes. The Guiness Pie with mushy peas, and their signature lamb shanks which is totally unctuous. Why such a modest score? Price kills the place. It's not one of the cheaper places to get a beer as someone incorrectly states in their tips, it's easily one of the most expensive places to get a beer. You're paying over the top prices for domestic tap beer. A cheap beer is $5 for a Coopers Pale Ale, which you can get on the same street about 200m up the road... Also... As much as I enjoy a good pokie section, this one ain't good. And by that I mean the clientelle. It brings in the undesireable types, and sours what is otherwise a sweet pub. The snug, the downstairs den, has a great looking bar, and "snug" seating, but it's kinda pointless down there. It doesn't feel snug, it feels stuffy and claustrophobic - and the bar has never been manned when I've been down there. Now, if they moved the pokies to the snug, and then opened up the entire bar at the street-level to include the room vacated by the pokie section, you'd have something. But why would they do that when they can get by with what they have.

    I went for lunch here not too long ago and it was a great Irish pub. Rich Mahogany wood and a wide…read moreselection of beer on tap, with food selections that you'd find in most other Irish pubs. Being in the city, it can get quite busy very quickly and is a decently sized basement multi-storied pub. TV screens are usually are usually playing Fox sports or something similar. I order the Parmy, just to be on the the safe side. I wasn't too game to try the Pie which is supposed to be one of the best (as judged by Irish people I work with) around. The food is carefully prepared and you can tell the produce is quality and they've cooked it properly which some pubs sometimes struggle to do consistently... The chips were the standout side, crisp and crunchy! Definitely will be trying the stew or pie, that is if I'm brave enough to.

    Photos
    PJ Gallagher's Sports Bar & Bistro - Guinness stew pie thing. SO MUCH YUM!

    Guinness stew pie thing. SO MUCH YUM!

    PJ Gallagher's Sports Bar & Bistro

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    Shady Pines Saloon - bars - Updated May 2026

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