PUBS IN TOOWOOMBA
WHERE TO EAT, DRINK AND SETTLE IN ON RUTHVEN STREET
Everybody has a version of the perfect pub in their head. For some people it's a quiet corner and a cold beer after work, for others it's a long table full of people and a pile of shared plates in the middle. Search for pubs in Toowoomba and you'll find plenty of places that do one of those things. The trick is finding one that does all of them without making you feel like you've walked into the wrong room.
What makes a good Toowoomba pub
A good pub gets the basics right before it gets clever. The beer is cold and the taps are looked after. The kitchen can turn out a proper schnitzel and something more interesting on the same night. There's somewhere sunny to sit and somewhere quiet to talk, and nobody minds whether you're in for one drink or for the whole afternoon.
It also has to suit the week you're actually having. Monday lunch with a colleague is a different thing to Friday night with ten mates, and a pub worth going back to handles both without you having to plan around it.
In the heart of the CBD
The Rock sits at 520 Ruthven Street, right in the middle of the Toowoomba CBD, which means you can walk in from the office, from the shops or from a show without organising a lift. Downstairs there's the main bar and dining room, the beer garden with its heating and retractable roof, and upstairs the open air Top Bar looks out over the city.
We opened in 1911 as The Gladstone Hotel, known around town as The Happy Rock, and the place has been part of the street ever since. The fit out is newer than that, but the job hasn't changed.
The food side of things
The kitchen is led by Executive Chef Angelo Velante, who trained in some serious London kitchens before landing in Toowoomba, and the menu reads like a pub menu that happens to be cooked properly. Pub classics are there, so is a 12 hour pork belly, market fish and a wood fired pizza list. We took out Best Regional Restaurant at the QHA Awards, which is a nice thing to hang on the wall, but the better test is the Tuesday night crowd.
Lunch runs from 11:30am to 2pm, snacks carry the afternoon from 2pm to 6pm Wednesday to Sunday, and dinner starts at 5:30pm. There's a $20 lunch menu Monday to Friday if you're after something quick.
Come in and see
Walk in any time, or book a table in the main bar and dining area or the beer garden if you're bringing a crowd. Either way, the good times keep rollin'.