The Elephant Hotel

Cheap and good to go with a group of friends.
Sports bar with Irish ambiance.
2 days /​week it’s 10 AUD steak and frites ^^
Band live concert every sunday and sometime during the weeks.

Steak was VERY tasty. Couldn’t believe it was only $ 12.50 for lunch. Service was also very helpful n had a cool beer garden to relax in

I’m sure the locals know more about this place than I do (and a quick glance over the reviews proves me to be correct) because when I first walked past here all I could see was a sports bar and a pokies room. In fact if it wasn’t for my desire to have just one drink here, mark it off my map, and then move on, I probably would have gone back to Melbourne thinking that this was basically a sports bar attracting sports bar type people. However, after grabbing a beer at the front, I decided to take a walk around and that was when I discovered the beer garden out the back. I must say that I was really, really impressed. In fact even though it was a Wednesday night, there was a live band strumming away on the stage, and a really relaxed vibe drifting over all of the people here. All I can say is that I am glad that I gave this place a second look, and even glader that I decided to walk out the back. Otherwise I would have been none the wiser and simply written this place off.

British themed pub & former backpacker hostel, The Elephant & Wheelbarrow on Wickham St Fortitude Valley, underwent a rejuvenation last year & it was only recently we’d realised it’s now the Elephant hotel. Minus the hostel
upstairs, the Elephant hotel has a sleek new look yet still retains it’s cosy & welcoming atmosphere. Upstairs has transformed into an eye-​catching master bar complete
with chesterfield couches, & includes a veranda for people watching as well as a breezy back deck that overlooks the downstairs beer garden. The beer garden is where everything feels refreshed, & on a clear breezy day, it’s such a great space for work lunches, social catch-​ups or afternoon drinks.
The stunning artwork, turning boring walls into brilliant features, makes the beer garden that extra special. It’s a great backdrop for the many bands & solo
artists that play at the Elephant Hotel throughout the week.
We stopped by here for a work lunch, & there’s some great deals on. For $ 12.50 you can order rump steak or chicken schnitzel, complete with chips & salad.
The portions are massive & more importantly, it’s tasty, satisfying pub-​food. Just match with your perfect beer, & you’ll find it hard to get back to the office

As it was my first time, I didn’t know what to expect. The location is great and easy to get to in the Valley. When we first walked in, the place wasn’t too crowded. A few minutes later, the band got on stage and the place started filling up! The music was pretty good and everyone was dancing.
Great place for groups to grab some drinks and dance without feeling that you need to dress up or anything. I didn’t make it to the outdoor area so I would definitely be open to going back to check that out.
A good place to stop on a pub crawl or start the night off. It’s casual and everyone is welcome!

Good for to meet up with friends for its central valley location, chilled, music… okay, but always go somewhere else to eat after.

First of all, this is nothing like an English pub.
Now that’s out of the way, you can split the bar into two halves.
Firstly, the bad. Inside is dingy, characterless and just not very nice.
Secondly, the great. The outside area is a little gem for the Valley. Ideal for after work beers, I’ve always had a nice time enjoying a few drinks outback.
A place to maybe start the night, or for a bit of live music on the weekends and it’ll do the job. Casual is what it is, and it does it well.

Elephant and Wheelbarrow was such a huge let-​down to me. I was expecting this to be a casual no-​fuss type of pub but ended up being very confused by the overall atmosphere.
I came here for a friends birthday drinks thinking it would be a cheap night out on the town (I was planning on going to a gig afterwards and planned on making the place my «pre-​drinks» place). This pub is surprisingly very pricey for drinks, not at all the prices I would expect from a pub, I think I paid around $ 9 for a basic spirit drink. Considering this is a pub and not a cocktail lounge that offers a pleasant atmosphere, I could not understand the deal.
Speaking of atmosphere, anyone who knows me knows that I love a casual session at a pub, but Elephant and Wheelbarrow’s atmosphere is a bit jaded. There is something about the dark lighting, green and mahogany tones that do not work with me.
I have been to Elephant and Wheelbarrow twice since my first encounter and my opinion of the place has not changed. I do not think I will be visiting the place anytime soon.

The Valley doesn’t have a huge range of options when it comes to your classic ‘pub’. If that’s what you’re looking, head straight to the Elephant. Sure, it’s a little dodgy, but the drinks are reasonable, the food is cheap (and good — bonus!), and there’s a great refurbished beer garden out the back. The Elephant is a great place to watch ‘the game’ and there’s almost always a raucous group gathered around the main television keeping track of the score of their favourite sport. It does attract a mixed bag of people, and you’ll probably encounter the odd douchebag, but the security team are pretty switched on and keep a close eye on things. There’s live music on most nights and different meals are discounted each night. If you’re over the nightclub scene and want to go somewhere for a laid back beer, the Elephant is your destination.

Well, the Elephant and Wheelbarrow is a pub. That’s basically the bottom line. Don’t go in there expecting another hip Valley nightclub or cocktail lounge. It’s a pub. I probably wouldn’t choose to go there on a Friday or Saturday night because it tends to be a little bit of a magnet for the kind of men who have too many beersn and then come and sit with you and spend the rest of the night drunkenly trying to hit on you and your friends. However, weeknights and weekend afternoons are an entirely different story owing to the Elephant and Wheelbarrow’s surprisingly large beer garden and cheap drinks. When you arrive, push on through the dark interior and head straight out the back. Pull up a table and settle in for afternoon drinks and chats with friends.
A lot of people might look at you funny when you suggest the Elephant and Wheelbarrow for afternoon drinks but they’ll soon eat their words (and drink their beer) when they see the relaxed environment and abundant space out the back. So, yes, a pub and a bit of a land mine at peak drinking times, but a Valley favourite nonetheless.

At the Elephant and Wheelbarrow you get the best pub experience and group atmosphere just shy of the Valley. Nestled on the Valley Fringe, the Elephant and Wheelbarrow is that perfect venue when you want a night out without too much fuss; a group shin dig without collared shirts and high heels.
Walking in, you don’t get blown away and you’re not overly impressed, but who said to judge a book by its cover? I remember all too well having a few tequila shots at the Elephant and Wheelbarrow and loving it far more than a dignified lady should.
Other than the Beach House, the Elephant and Wheelbarrow was the perfect venue to watch the Soccer World Cup, and there’s a full bar on offer to get people into all sorts of mischief.
It’s the ideal group setting because you have the drinks and the outdoor area to relax in, but you also have the sport-​driven TVs to keep the boys interested while they slosh down beer.
The Elephant and Wheelbarrow is trying to continue the tradition of classic English pubs, and it seems like it’s doing a fairly decent job to me.

Don’t be put off by the dingy interior that you encounter when you first walk in, with its carpet of 1000 fragrances and dim lighting; out back is a beer garden as big as an elephants’ graveyard. Oh, and in the defence of the inside bar, they have an extensive range of British beers and lovely Irish ciders on tap.
The drink is good and reasonably priced, the entertainment passable (and showing signs of improvement) but like an elephant, I will never forget the lumpy and gluey potato mash and inedibly salty chicken pie I received when I dined there with a friend. His grilled pork was the only decent part of the two meals we ordered. Tusk tusk, Elephant and Wheelbarrow kitchen staff.

At first glance the Elephant and Wheelbarrow looks like just another old English pub with a typical wooden interior and a carpeted floor. However there is much more to this pub than initially meets the eye. If you walk through the British style pub it leads you to the biggest beer garden in the Valley which is quite a nice surprise. The beer garden is perfect for nights out and accommodate allot of people which makes it prefect for those group nights out.
The great thing about the Elephant and Wheelbarrow is that it has something happening every night of the week. The most noticeable of these are the great food deals. This includes 2 dollar steak nights on Sundays and 1 dollar taco nights on Tuesdays. These are just some of the examples of meals for under 10 dollars every day of the week. Don’t be fooled by the cheap price however because the food is definitely up to standard. On Fridays there is also a great deal for groups of 5 people or more, this gives a group a meal platter worth 80 dollars when you book in.
The Drink prices are fairly pricey however so this is where people wanting a cheap night out need to watch out as the cheap meal deal can quickly get pricey.
There is also a wide range of live music nights such as Monday karaōke, live music on Sunday and a great range of other live local acts through the rest of the week. Personally I enjoy the Elephant Unplugged on Wednesday nights. The Web site is updated regularly and is a great way to find out more about events that are hosted by the Elephant and Wheelbarrow.

Don’t go to the Elephant and Wheelbarrow in the Valley’s Wickham Street if you’re looking for a refined night out. It’s crowded, really noisy and sometimes the queues for drinks are long, but I guess that’s testimony to its popularity.
We usually end up there after dinner and some hours out on the town and so although the regular covers band doesn’t play my first choice in music, they’re solid, and the perennial 90’s and noughties rock is appealing enough for anyone to dance to — there’s even the odd Killers and AC/​DC number thrown in to mix it up a bit.
The atmosphere at the ‘Barrow’ differs depending on where you choose to park yourself. In the front section there’s a very UK, heavy oak thing going on — I guess this is more traditional in keeping with its roots as part of the historic Prince Consort Hotel (the Prince Consort Backpackers hostel occupies the upper floor). Out back past the band the beer garden is open and modern and has big screens for those who can’t tear themselves away from sport even for a night out on it.
Drink prices are average and there’s been a promo offer on a beer or spirit when we’ve been there — the crowd’s friendly and we’re usually pretty sure we’ve had a good time.