Ever since my gay wingman* defected to Melbourne, all the while taunting me that the bars are better there and I’m a sucker for running a Sydney bar site, I’ve abandoned the old bars we used to haunt together – and our favourite was the Green Park Hotel.

With an almost equal mix of gay and straight punters (depending on the day – there are times when it feels like an Oxford Street gay club only with better music and older customers) the GW and I decided this was the only fair place to drink without disadvantaging the other’s pulling power – and we liked the look of the place as well.

The front bar has a huge, blue-tiled middle bar that hasn’t changed in decades, as well as windows that peer out on Victoria Street. The backroom has a great old painting of a tree that’s as barren as my sex life as well as a pool table (it’s free pool here on Saturdays) plus there’s a smokers courtyard to the side that’s not harsh on the eyes (the lungs, however, might suffer a bit) and, according to the owners, the lighting here is Willy Wonka-esque. I suspect they may have been indulging in their own brew when they came up with that description.

The music here varies but as I return to the Green Park for the first time since the GW’s farewell (in which he tearfully called me a sleazy old drunk who needs a haircut and a makeover – ah, the good times we used to have!) the song playing on the sound system changes from an indie track to a Tom Jones number. Hey, just because I said the music here was better than the average gay bar doesn’t mean it’s cutting edge.

The beer selection is good – I have a Little Creatures Pale Ale that’s on tap, plus they also have a few James Squire beers, and a blackboard lists a variety of mojito-style cocktails. I’d order one but it just wouldn’t be right – the GM and I only ever had beer and, when we really felt rejected, whiskey and bourbon. A cocktail would betray his memory.

* Loyal readers of Bar Zine need not fear: I promise this is the last email in which I pay homage to the mighty GW. Besides, applications have been pouring in from prospective wingmen and wingwomen and my army of assistants are sorting through them as we speak. A note to future applicants: please include a headshot (sassy women with attitude preferred), bribes of more than $50 will be accepted, and remember that we do not offer health insurance, pay, superannuation or respect. Now to think of it, no wonder the GW was so shirty with me.

Green Park Hotel, 360 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst. Phone 9380 5311

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Now it’s your turn – how do you rate Green Park Hotel?

The Green Park Hotel - Darlinghurst, 3.0 out of 5 based on 4 ratings

 

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