Excelsior Hotel

As I was wandering through Surry Hills looking for places to check out I found myself walking past this place and suddenly remember from the last time I was in this part of Sydney that it was a cross between a pub and a Mexican restaurant, so I immediately went inside and ordered a Corona. Mind you this isn't an ordinary Mexican Restaurant, this is a very colourful Mexican Restaurant (though silly me didn't stop by for a bit of lunch, which meant I missed out on trying some of my favourite food). While the main restaurant is out the back, the front bay still carries some very colourful Mexican murals, though I would have to say that being in an old 19th Century Australian pub does sort of destroy the authenticity of the place. However I still like this place.

Good pub. Service was a bit slow on a friday but the quality of the food made up for the delays.

Dropped in the the Excelsior on a random Tuesday night for a quick beer and bite to eat, I had heard about the new Mexican theme. It is a funky little pub, with a whole extra dining area out the back. It had a really relaxed vibe, and as the night went on we had people asking to jump on the end of our table, which is the vibe this place encourages. Drink prices are great, $5 Taco's which taste brilliant, a perfect way to wind down after work.... recommend it if you want a simple bit of tasty mexican food in a funky bar setting.

The fact that this bar has live music is the key point - old style Sydney, seven nights a week.
For some reason the vibe is a bit lacking, but that is probably because the area is yuppie central nowadays.
The drink prices are normal, the band entry prices maybe slightly too high.
Bars like this are few and far between, it is a classic.

A friend of mine recommended the Excelsior and i was pleasantly surprised to find such an unpretentious pub in Sydney. Their prices are reasonable, the atmosphere is just what a local should be like and the live bands on Friday nights are good as well. Highly recommend.