The Royal Hotel – is Canberra’s newest hot spot actually in Queanbeyan?
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This is the very question we ask ourselves as we drive along Canberra Avenue and glide across the border to Queanbeyan.
We are headed to the Royal Hotel, once an establishment people would cross the street to avoid, but which has now been given a multi-million dollar refurbishment that makes it the jewel in the crown of our near New South Wales neighbour.
The owners took a gamble in 2010 when they purchased the historically significant building which holds prime position on the main street corner between Monaro and Crawford Streets.
A major renovation in 2012 to the ground floor completely transformed the bistro, main bar and gaming rooms. The installation of huge bi-folding doors opened the entire corner of the hotel onto the street. Elegant cane seats came onto the pavement, along with tables and potted plants. Unsurprisingly, the Royal won Best Redeveloped Hotel Award from the Australian Hotels Association as a result.
Decor was one thing, but the biggest challenge was to create—and cement—a reputation for superior food.
“In the end it comes down to the food,” say the owners Anthony and Sandy McDonald. “You get that right first and the rest will follow.”
The couple brought in a new culinary team—most recently joined by Swiss executive chef Beat Ettlin—and rebuilt the kitchen, creating an extensive menu which has all the pub favourites but takes the food to a new level, with dishes as diverse as Japanese salad bowls, salmon poke, Duck leg confit, and wagyu.
Of course, if a pub atmosphere makes you want a craft beer to wash down a chargrilled scotch fillet burger then who are we to argue?
The Royal offers an extensive range of beers and ciders on tap, but its extensive cocktail list sets it apart from other traditional hotel offerings, as does its reserve wine list and French Champagne—all of which is delightfully priced for a Queanbeyan, not Canberra, budget!
Anthony said the Royal’s rebirth had the effect of buoying other Queanbeyan establishments rather than competing with them.
“We have upped our game and everyone else has too. It has had an overall regenerating effect across the town.”
“The best bit is we are drawing clientele from Canberra—from Kingston and Barton and Manuka and Braddon.”
Anthony and Sandy have taken their cues from the great establishment pubs of Sydney and Melbourne, knowing they can offer something the full pub experience—something simply not available in the nation’s capital.
“In Canberra you have the Kingo, and the Statesman—you’ve got a few taverns but here, we’re not in the nanny state. It’s a 10-minute drive from Manuka, and you can have a good pint and a punt.
“You’ve got TAB, you’ve got gaming, you’ve got the full facilities of the hotel which are not matched in Canberra. So we get people coming over for that experience—something with a bit of colour and vibrancy and not so homogenous. It’s real.”
And strict dress and behaviour rules have made the place a pub where everyone feels at home.
Meanwhile, in October, Sandy took true delight in revealing the part of the renovation that was close to her heart in the Hotel’s luxe first floor—the product of another year of work and a further multi-million dollar investment.
Named the Upper House, the boutique main ballroom at the top of the once sordid staircase has almost immediately become a premier wedding venue. With period feature exposed bricks, a 1920s bar and enormous sash windows, the Upper House takes people into another period and has an overwhelming New York loft feel.
Guests can walk out into a first-floor open atrium with lush greenery, trees and an outdoor bar. Large private rooms with meticulous heritage detail and luxe finishes address Queanbeyan’s previous lack of quality conference facilities. Sandy and Anthony are keen to see the Royal scoop another Best Redevelopment accolade as a result of the Upper House’s completion.
Meanwhile, the couple are now run off their feet catering to patrons new and old—the former drawn to the Royal’s growing reputation as a live music destination.
They have tapped into a niche market for eighties-loving music buffs who appreciate a smaller quality venue to relive their youth with bands like Mental As Anything, Dragon and Diesel.
Perhaps not since Canberra’s brief 17-year fling with prohibition which started in 1910 has there been so much local interest in the short drive south.
The Royal has regained its historic title of being “the magnetic corner”.
the essentials
What: The Royal Hotel Queanbeyan
Where: 85 Monaro Street Queanbeyan
Open: Seven days 10am-late, opening from midday on public holidays.
Phone: 02 6297 1444
Website: royalhotelqbn.com.au
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