joec15

The Dalrymple Hotel, better known as the Dally to locals is one of Townsville's oldest pubs. The sports and gaming bar of the Dalrymple is regularly filled with blue collar working patrons as it services a large industrial part area of the city. Patrons are able to relax while having a bet at keno, TAB or pokies. The Dalrymple offers standard pub style meals with above average portions in their restaurant area. The Dalrymple is well known for its steaks, with the rib fillet medium cooked regularly melting in my mouth. The Dalrymple also plays host to some trade shows and small concerts. One Friday night I was lucky enough to be entertained by Jimmy Barnes. The Dalrymple hotel also offers accommodation and sits next to a big Dan Murphy's outlet which provides cheap takeaway alcohol. The bar service is generally good and meal wait times are reasonable.

The West End Hotel is one of my favourite places to grab a counter meal at lunch or dinner. The West End Hotel has all of your normal pub meals plus a few extra and also has a salad bar that you can add/comes with your meal. I have found the portion sizes of the meals to be one of the biggest serving sizes in Townsville, with the cost of the meals being below the average prices for meals as well. Dining areas are available indoor and outdoor depending on what you wish. Meals are collected by the patrons freshly cooked. My particular favourite meals when at the West End are the chicken ptarmigan, reef and beef and steak sandwich. Also always keep an eye on the board as the chef regularly has some different specials available for even further below prices. The staff have always been well mannered and courteous when taking our orders and serving us at the bar. The West End Hotel also includes a small public bar area and a poker machine room for those who want to try their luck.

Irish Finnegan's or just plain old Finnegan's as us locals know it has a pretty good night life on Friday's and Saturdays and a pretty decent restaurant with good pub food every day. Finnegan's has a beer garden smoking area outside which is quite popular on most evenings along with the main public bar area where you can have a game of pool and there is also a dancefloor area. I've been out at Finnegans heaps of times when they have had either a live band or dj operating. Cowboys home game nights also pack Finnegans out as the footy crowd drops in on the way home to either celebrate or commiserate. Finnegans also has a restraint which serves your basic pub meals which are always full of flavour and had a pokermachine room out the back. The staff are always friendly and offer service with a smile. I always enjoy myself when heading out to Finnegans with friends.

The Great Northern is a really traditional old style type of pub that gives off a very Aussie vibe as soon as you walk in. I have been to the Great Northern on more than a handful of occasions over the last couple of years with Friday evenings always being a great way to start the weekend. There is regular live music and plenty of TVs to watch the footy or cricket depending on the time of year. These guys do a basic cheap pub lunch which I've had on a few occasions before heading up to the cinema which is just a two minute walk away. The general crowd at the great northern is a bit more of a blue collared worker one which is a bit rough around the edges but entertaining. The bar staff are always good for a chat and make you feel welcome. A solid Townsville pub.

The Vale Hotel has had a make over in the last few years to try and increase its marketability with a family friendly approach. They have been pretty successful in doing this with the Graziers Steak House and Bistro restaurant, a kids play area and dining options both inside and outside which cater to a family atmosphere. The main public bar still draws a working type blue collar crowd most evenings with the locals lining up to have a bet on the pub tab or game of pool. The Vale also has a poker machine room and accommodation available behind the hotel. The last time I went to the steakhouse I had a nicely cooked piece of rump with chips and salad that was fresh. The prices are a bit above average for the steak but in keeping with the more upmarket feel of the steak house. Lighter lunch options are available in the public bar and I generally enjoy a fish burger when in there earlier in the day.

The watermark hotel is a very upmarket bar and restaurant. It sits literally a stone's throw from the beach and you can sit and look over the ocean while you sip your beer or enjoy an appetizer. The bar and restaurant provide both open and closed dining/drinking options making it a viable option on most days. The menu while it has some eye catching dishes is quite small and the meal portions were not the biggest. It can also take a fair while for you to get served at the bar when it is busy, particularly when some bar staff look after their friends out of whom has been waiting there the longest. A great view to sit and relax with a beer but both meals and beers are more expensive than most other bars close to the area.

The Newmarket is probably one of Townsville's more upmarket restaurants as far as steak houses go and charges like it. The beer is cold and it is easy to see the footy game on TV, while the meals are pretty good. For me this is more of a place to take a visiting client, or a date or if you aren't on a budget. It does have a nice comfortable but a bit exclusive atmosphere and being close to the cinema is a bonus if you're wining and dining someone special. The outdoor dining area is particularly nice in the evening when things cool down. Nice steaks and mashed potatoes and suitable for a special occasion for the average local.

I was lucky enough to dine here on three or four occasions over the last twelve months with some friends from out of town. I was extremely impressed with the freshness and portion sizes of the meals with. The prices are on the lower side of average and provide good value. The pub itself is pretty old school with an inside public front bar and pokies room with the main attraction being the eating area (indoors) and the beer garden type area out the back. The proximity to the beach is really good to and its probably the cheapest bar to have a pub meal at along the strand compared to the other bars. I thought my steak was cooked to perfection and I really liked their chips and gravy . Hotel Allen is a really decent place to go for a good value meal that wont hurt the hip pocket to hard.

I have been to Tom's plenty of times over the last half dozen years and it definitely try's to be a lot of things but doesn't always quite get there. The front bar with the TAB is generally frequented by your blue collar workers who come in for a few (or a lot) of beers after work. At the back there is a restaurant, gaming room and kids play area. The kids play area is a nice touch for familys and is definitely something that a lot of other pubs don't offer. The food itself is pretty standard with the prices being a bit more on the expensive side. The gaming room is always pretty busy. Not a bad pub for a change of venue but there is plenty of competition for a beer drinker's patronage in the Townsville area.

The highlight of the seaview hotel has to be their beer garden area which sits just opposite the ocean. It is a great place to have a beer with friends and the atmosphere with the sea breeze just makes you feel thirsty. There are plenty of evenings/afternoons where live music is played and there is also a juke box for other occasions. The pool tables are old and have a bit of lean on them but are always fun for some friendly banter. The Seaview regularly helps out local community groups by letting them sell raffle tickets there. One time I even saw them host crab races which drew quite a crowd. There is also a steakhouse, gaming room and bottleshop attached to the hotel. The steakhouse meals are quite nice but pretty expensive compared to other places I feel. For me the Seaview is always great place to have a beer.