Overview
Mainstay Waterloo pub The George is the next Sydney pub in line for a major revamp, thanks to new owners who, collectively, are behind The Duke of Enmore, Ghostboy Cantina and natural wine retailer Drnks. Together, they'll relaunch the Elizabeth Street pub as a new-age venue with three faces: a late-night pub, an authentic taco joint and a natural wine bottle shop.
Co-owners James Wirth and Michael Delany are known for their epic revamps — previously, they bought and made over The Norfolk, The Flinders, The Carrington and The Oxford Tavern, before selling them all in 2016. Most recently, they overhauled the The Duke on Enmore Road.
The George, on the other hand, has never been renovated before. "I had my eye on [The George] for over a decade — I always liked the kind of ugly look of it, it's almost like a Commonwealth Bank from the outside" says Wirth. "It's a rare pub because it was built in the 60s, unlike the typical 1800s or 1920s era you see in Sydney."
To keep some of the pub's history in-tact, the team will focus on reupholstering and repurposing the pub's original features — including vintage wood panelling found in the basement, which will now adorn the walls. Apart from that, the place will get a new coat of paint and the concrete beer garden will get a refresh.
For this venue, Wirth and Delany have got chef Toby Wilson (Bad Hombres, Ghostboy Cantina) and Drnks founder Joel Amos on board as co-owners, too. Amos will head up a brand new natural wine bottle shop. That means lots of natural wine from independent producers and "interesting stuff that people would bother travelling for". The bottle-o's labels will be available for both takeaway or dine in, with an additional $20 charged for the latter. And if you don't feel like dropping $35 on a bottle pét-nat, Wirth says that cheap cases of beer will be available for takeaway, too.
Otherwise, at the bar, there'll be eight taps with Aussie classics like VB and Resch's alongside local craft brews from Grifter, Philter and the bar's own Waterloo Lager.
For food, Wilson has created a new concept, Taco King, which promises to be one of the chef's most expansive offerings yet. "We've wanted to do a natural wine bar and taco joint for a while, so when The George came up, we decided to just plug in the concept there," says Wirth. "Mexican is kind of everywhere in Sydney but there's not heaps of great Mexican, and Toby is really committed to making it authentic."
At the centre of the food offering is the al pastor, a Mexican specialty that's based on the Lebanese immigrant version of shawarma spit-grilled meat — and is a rare find in Sydney. Other specialties include spicy kingfish ceviche tostadas, battered fish tacos and zucchini flower quesadillas with salsa verde, along with Mexican-style sandwiches and hamburgers.
The cocktail list will also have a South American edge, like the Mexican French Martini made with tequila, the Brazilian-style caipirinha and the michelada, made with Mexican beer, tomato juice and lime. And it'll all be available until late on the weekend.
These hospitality heavyweights aren't stopping there, either — the same crew has also snatched up The Old Fitzroy in Woolloomooloo. The team has already begun rolling out a new English-style pub menu, but will fully relaunch the pub in about 6–8 weeks. We'll keep you updated on that one.
The George will reopen in early April at 760 Elizabeth Street, Waterloo. We'll keep you updated you with an exact opening date soon.