Gilroy’s Hotel

Well, after paying a visit to the rather ordinary pub across the road I decided to come and check this place out, and I have to say that I really like it. It was one of the nice and relaxing, rather laid back hotels with a bit of character. Mind you, it is in St Leonard’s so it’s not as if there is a huge selection to choose from, but if I was living here then this is definitely the place that I would choose. The bartender was pretty cool, always ready to give a hand to his customers (not that the place was overflowing with people when I was here) and the interior décor was really charming. One of the things that I particularly liked were the model ships behind the bar, as well as the words ‘like this post’ scribbled on one of the columns.

I’ve been to Gilroy’s more times than I can count, for various work drinks. It’s the best spot around in the St Leonards, especially now that Cabana is closed. It’s far better than the Tavern! We usually head upstairs, which can get pretty busy early on a Friday evening with other people also kicking back at the end of the work week. The balconies upstairs are a big attraction for those who want to smoke. Good selection of beers on tap, plus a good price for on-​tap cider, and a decent wine selection. I haven’t eaten here as often as I should, especially with some of the dinner specials, so can’t really comment on the food. Friendly staff though!

Back at Gillys again and the food has come a long way since my last update — with the introduction of the daily $ 13 specials. Was there on Friday, and due to being outvoted by the other two in the crew I agreed to get the Nachos. Well perfectly cooked, balanced with lots of fresh tomato and cucumber (unexpected) in the mix — they were epic! We then followed up with some fried chicken soft taco — delish!
Keep up the good work!

Bursting with personality and fish-​print wallpaper (way cooler than it sounds), this place is like the antithesis of the soulless St Leonards Tav across the road.
It’s red-​warm and dark-​wood welcoming, with a cruisy lower bar downstairs and the upstairs bistro which is where all the action happens, esp. on a boisterous Tuesday trivia night (team Unilocaler scored the third place $ 25 voucher last night, hey-​yo!).
As for food, sweet criminy this is some top class pub grub. The jambalaya was like a risotto packed with prawns and chorizo and served in a light broth, the fish flaky and delicious, the chicken wings suitably sticky.
It’s easy to forget this place is here, but it’s far from forgettable.

With Cabana Bar closing (I don’t want to talk about it. To emotional. The memories. Oh the memories…) Gilroy’s has an amazing opportunity and I have to say, they’re totally bottling it.
I have never seen this place so packed. They have definitely got the bulk of the St Leonards after work crowd now. They obviously didn’t see this obvious turn of events obviously occurring because they most certainly don’t have the staff to deal with the crowd. This unfortunately resulted in us being served by a rather harassed, rather surly young lady.
What I do like about Gilroy’s is that they serve in pints. I never met a pint I didn’t like. The special menu — Texish Mexish — was pretty uninspired. Even the hangry man opted out in favour of pretty average train station Indian.
With a captive audience comes great responsibility. Gilroy’s has the chance to do something great, or, they could kill the dwindling St Leonards drinking scene forever.
The drinks are fine, the venue is fine but the throw them back big bar meat market scene has had it’s day. If they don’t hire an amazing chef soon (and the staff don’t start smiling) they’re in danger of being relegated to a bygone era.

Edit: Went again recently and the menu had vastly improved. They still limit the roast to Sundays however. End edit.

Good ambiance, good food, Kilkenny’s on tap!

Decent pub, decent food — nothing that blows my mind away, but it aims to do the simple pub thing well, and it seems to do that.
I much prefer the feel of this pub to the soulless place across the road — the building has a bit of character to it. Food isn’t bad either, which is a bonus — I ordered the porterhouse steak, medium rare — and was pleased with the whole dish. Decent sauce, cooked well — what’s to complain about?

Great pub, good atmosphere. Plenty of room if you intend to have a meeting with several people. They don’t mind you sitting there and having coffee instead of alcohol during the day. I have had several group meetings and they are pleasant, the food is good. They promise a lot and then deliver it.

As I mentioned in my review of St Leonards Tavern, Gilroy’s generally attracts a more white collar crowd, largely for reasons unknown. This pub is a two storey wood panelled affair with a selection of replica vintage Guinness adverts on the exterior to help create a suitably tony vibe. Generally speaking, the food is a little more expensive than the competition across the road but the menu has more options and the servings are larger. I have been sated by a single order of hot chips on more than one occasion. Lunchtime generally sees both floors crowded, particularly on rainy days.
You’re probably not there to watch TV, but I have caught the NHL Finals and the Friday TNT NBA doubleheader a few times here over a long «working» lunch, so bear that in mind. And a late night visit once brought Steven Seagal’s immortal Nico: Above The Law. If these options aren’t on, then you might be in for a selection of poorly chosen music videos, but that’s just part of the pub scene these days.