Royal Hotel Euston

After the three different states we traversed to get to Wentworth, we decided to stay in NSW for a little while and headed down the road to the Royal Hotel Euston.

Pulling up to the Royal Hotel Euston, it definitely didn’t look like most of the other Royal’s we’d been to. It certainly wasn’t one of those ‘Grand Old Royals’. Nor was it one of the done-up RSL-feeling Royals. If anything, this one kind of looked like a couple of shops that someone combined by knocking out a few walls. But we’ve been massively deceived by exteriors in the past (Ryde I’m looking at you). So in we went to see what the Royal Hotel Euston had in store for us.

We walked in to the semi-curious glances of the few locals around for lunch on the Saturday and got ourselves some schooners. Anthony also bought a hat, which would become a significant topic of debate. The hat claimed that the Royal Hotel Euston, had been around since 1850. This would predate any Royal we’ve yet found in Australia (Leyburn in Queensland at 1863 is the oldest one we had previously identified). The barman was unable to shine any additional light on the pub’s age, nor did a fair amount of googling.

Complicating matters even further, the Royal Hotel Wentworth (est 1867) claimed to be the oldest pub in the Sunraysia region (that also includes Euston). And I trust that publican much more than Anthony’s hat. So, even though I know the majority of people who read this blog are primarily concerned with the historical accuracy of pub headwear, I’ll leave the matter there and move on to talking about the pub itself.

The first thing that strikes you about the Royal Hotel Euston is the amount of brick around. It’s the only wall covering in sight. The ceilings also felt a bit low for some reason. Nothing necessarily wrong with either of those things, just an observation. Walking around the back of the bar there were a couple of big pool tables, some long tables, and, off to one side, what looked for all money like a 90’s era Italian restaurant. That last bit was the pub’s bistro, which does serve some Italian dishes. But jeez the historical restaurant vibes extremely strong.

We had a bit of a wander to get a full read of the pub. There was what appeared to be a short hallway to nowhere that ended in two claw-game style arcade machines. There was also a small outdoor beer garden area with a small playground. Nothing giant or over the top or overly noteworthy, but still nice.

We grabbed one of the long tables, ordered up some lunch, and got stuck into both the beers and a couple of rounds of pool. The food ended up being really good. I had a lamb pizza which was as tasty as it was massive. And the pub, for its quirks, ended up being a good place to hang out for a beer or two and a feed.

I’m not sure I’d induct this one into the increasingly crowded category of ‘pubs we could’ve stayed all day at’. But it was a good place for a couple of beers, a feed, and a game of pool. And at the end of the day, that’s pretty much what you want from a pub.

Royal Stats

• Town/Suburb: Euston, NSW
• Population: 822
• Date Visited: Saturday, October 19, 2024
• Visited By: Cory, John, Jordy and Anthony
• Beer Sponsorship on Sign: Carlton
• Beer Consumed at Pub: Carlton
• Price of Schooner of Said Beer: $9.50
• Unique Award: Royal Most Resembling a 90’s Italian Restaurant
• Tour Progress: 49.6% (69/139)