Enter The Wild West At Shady Pines Saloon
Another bar has opened in Darlinghurst!! I love living in the east! Shady Pines Saloon opened three weeks ago and is the latest addition to the Darlinghurst small bar craze. We recently went to check it out and here’s what we think.
Location: Like all good bars popping up right now this one is also hard to find. Tucked away down a small lane the bar is unmarked and noticeable only by the man standing out front welcoming patrons and the flow of people flooding in. If you’re standing on the left hand side of Crown St facing up the hill towards Oxford St it is located in the first laneway to your left.Theme: As the name suggests the minute you walk into the bar you feel like you’ve stepped into an old country western film set. Sitting in the saloon I kept expecting to see cowboys walk in and start shooting up the joint or a working girl in petticoats to come down the stairs and start playing the piano.
Atmosphere: Cool, relaxed and comfortable. We got there at about 7pm and were able to get a table, by 8pm all the tables were taken and the place was packed.
Drinks: There’s no drinks menu you just ask the barman “what’s to drink” and he rattles off the beer and wine list from memory. It’s impressive he remembers it all but I prefer to ponder a menu. They do have a large array of beers and ciders. They also serve freshly squeezed juice as mixers and enticing cocktails.
Food: No food as yet but they will soon be serving homemade pies. They do have fresh peanuts in the shell at the bar to munch on while you drink.
Crowd: Your typical cool Surry Hills/Darlo crowd of good looking, eccentric people. It’s the perfect place to people watch and check out new statement looks. That said I did see a few people in shirts who came straight from work. It’s very laid back and has the feel of ‘whatever goes’.
Biggest Woo: We both loved the vodka with freshly squeezed apple juice. This is because it was freshly squeezed right there in front of us. It would have been even better if they had vanilla vodka (love that combo…yum!). I don’t know any other bar in Sydney that squeezes fresh juice (maybe I just haven’t noticed before). It made me feel healthy despite the heavy pouring of vodka mixed with it.
Biggest Boo: We ended up leaving after one drink because Blondie was hungry and went to Pocket Bar instead. We planned to go back to Shady Pines but got stuck at Pocket drinking Watermelon Martinis and doing shot with the French Bar staff. It was a really fun night but a shame Shady Pines didn’t serve food because they ended up losing business to Pocket.
I suspect this new bar will be a great place to go during winter and when they serve food. I’ll definitely be heading back to the Saloon soon.
Shady Pines Saloon
Shop 4, 256 Crown St
Atmosphere: Cool, relaxed and comfortable. We got there at about 7pm and were able to get a table, by 8pm all the tables were taken and the place was packed.
Drinks: There’s no drinks menu you just ask the barman “what’s to drink” and he rattles off the beer and wine list from memory. It’s impressive he remembers it all but I prefer to ponder a menu. They do have a large array of beers and ciders. They also serve freshly squeezed juice as mixers and enticing cocktails.
Food: No food as yet but they will soon be serving homemade pies. They do have fresh peanuts in the shell at the bar to munch on while you drink.
Crowd: Your typical cool Surry Hills/Darlo crowd of good looking, eccentric people. It’s the perfect place to people watch and check out new statement looks. That said I did see a few people in shirts who came straight from work. It’s very laid back and has the feel of ‘whatever goes’.
Biggest Woo: We both loved the vodka with freshly squeezed apple juice. This is because it was freshly squeezed right there in front of us. It would have been even better if they had vanilla vodka (love that combo…yum!). I don’t know any other bar in Sydney that squeezes fresh juice (maybe I just haven’t noticed before). It made me feel healthy despite the heavy pouring of vodka mixed with it.
Biggest Boo: We ended up leaving after one drink because Blondie was hungry and went to Pocket Bar instead. We planned to go back to Shady Pines but got stuck at Pocket drinking Watermelon Martinis and doing shot with the French Bar staff. It was a really fun night but a shame Shady Pines didn’t serve food because they ended up losing business to Pocket.
I suspect this new bar will be a great place to go during winter and when they serve food. I’ll definitely be heading back to the Saloon soon.
Shady Pines Saloon
Shop 4, 256 Crown St