Royal Hotel Euabalong

It was with some reluctance that we departed the Royal Hotel Mount Hope. But with merch in hand we loaded ourselves back into the car and set course for the next Royal on the Tour: the Royal Hotel Euabalong.

Euabalong is another small town in the west of the state. Although coming from Mt Hope and it’s bustling population of 19, Euabalong was a comparative metropolis. Fun Euabalong fact: it turns out it’s the home town of NSW Rugby League’s first ever Indigenous captain, Ron Saddler.

We pulled in right around noon and headed in for a couple of schooners and some lunch. Walking in, we discovered ourselves to be the first customers of the day. The first impression is that the Royal Hotel Euabalong looks like exactly what you’d expect from a country town Royal. Fairly standard furnishings with a pool table in the back and a fireplace in the front. The local touches like the bricks covered in chalk dedications (some clearly done in varying states of inebriation) gave the place some good character.

All in all it was a pretty decent, but standard country Royal. What certainly wasn’t standard, however, was the playlist pumping when we walked in. This has to be the first time I’ve walked into any pub and been serenated by Tool coming over the speakers (I think it was “Schism” for memory in case you were curious). As we enjoyed our schooners the playlist continued on to include Metallica, Audioslave, pre-Smash Offspring, and a bunch of others. For me personally, it was easily the best music of any Royal on the Tour. And to be honest there wouldn’t too many better pub playlists I can remember full stop.

So we settled in and ordered up some lunch as Chris Cornell belted out Like a Stone. And that’s where the Royal Hotel Euabalong once again exceeded expectations. It looked fairly standard pub menu. And to be fair, it was a pretty standard pub menu with burgers, schnitzel, and just a couple of other items. But when the food came out, the portions sizes were giant and the food was simple but really well cooked and just really really good. I had a pizza that I only managed to make it halfway through. And I don’t think anyone else at the table managed to finish theirs either.

The Royal Hotel Euabalong is a solid Royal. It’s another one that feels like it would’ve been a completely different vibe if we had been there for an evening session. Regardless of when you show up, it does an excellent feed. But if you happen to show up at the right time, you might be treated to one hell of a killer playlist as well.

So with full stomachs we climbed back in the car and got started on the two hour drive to our next Royal with the dulcet tones on Metallica still ringing in our ears.

Royal Stats

• Town/Suburb: Euabalong, NSW
• Population: 2,698
• Date Visited: Saturday, February 10, 2024
• Visited By: Cory, John, Jase, and Bert
• Beer Sponsorship on Sign: Toohey’s New
• Beer Consumed at Pub: VB
• Price of Schooner of Said Beer: $6.80
• Unique Award: Best Rock Playlist
• Tour Progress: 39.4% (54/137)
  • Editor’s Note: recent research has discovered 3 additional Royal Hotels bringing the total to 137. The Tour Progress has been updated accordingly