The Guildford Hotel has been a beloved local icon since the 1880s. The heritage-listed watering hole has been sitting proudly on James Street, until it was gutted by fire in 2008, sitting derelict and decaying until 2016. It’s doors finally reopened two years ago and we paid a visit on its 2 year birthday!
I was blown away by the stunning restoration. The hotel is contemporary, while also being sympathetic to the old building’s character.
Features from the original building can be seen everywhere. Exposed convict-made bricks, old fireplaces and even the giant charred jarrah beams that once supported the second floor, still remain as a reminder of the not so distant past.
Sit in the light and airy main dining area inside or in the large outdoor courtyard. There’s plenty of space upstairs too, where there are endless nooks to explore and you can enjoy a wonderful view of Guildford from one of the many verandas.
Guildford Hotel – The Food
Being a pub, beer lovers are spoilt for choice with 18 beers on tap. There’s a good selections of wines, ciders and sprits too. The menu offers lots of pub favourites, with a focus on BBQ, burgers and share food. To start we chose the Guildford’s famous cheeseburger spring rolls, which sound a bit odd, but they are delicious! Served with a creamy “awesome sauce” – goodness knows what’s in that (but it does taste awesome!).
My carnivore Dad chose the sticky Albany pork butt ($27) from the pitmaster menu which also features low n slow brisket, ribs and more. I was eyeing that up, but happened to be also going to a BBQ restaurant for my tea that night. Dad let me taste a bit of the pork, which was incredibly tender and was smothered in finger lickin’ Carolina sauce. All Pitmaster dishes are served with slaw, potato salad and pickles.
I opted for something lighter, but no less delicious, the Jerk salmon Nicoise salad ($28). It was brimming with crisp green beans, chunks of potato, boiled egg and zingy capers. The salmon was nicely cooked and not as spicy as I’d expected it to be.
Little Chef chose Southern Chicken strips, chips and salad from the kids menu, mainly as I’m a meanie and won’t let him have KFC! haha
We worked off our lunch with a vigorous game of ping pong!
The Guildford Hotel is an impressive venue. Generally you can walk in, but bookings are recommended for larger groups of four or more. We had no problems finding a table on a Saturday. Though we did arrive a little before the noon lunchtime rush. It’s a beautiful spot, with delicious pub fayre. I’ll be back again I’m sure.
Find more info on The Guildford Hotel here.