The Beresford - Surry Hills

I'm a big fan of the Merivale Hotel Group, and how inclusive they are of families with their Coogee Pavilion and The Newport properties. But what I didn't realise, was that their groovy inner city pub, The Beresford in Surry Hills, was also welcoming of kidlets!

The Beresford is one of those iconic Sydney pubs that has been operating for years. And under previous management it was probably not the sort of place that you would take the fambam. However since Merivale took ownership, and sprinkled their little bit of Merivale Magic over it, you can quite comfortably hang out here during the day with your brood.

You can enter the hotel through the front door (on Bourke St) which will take you straight into the front bar, or if you aren't comfortable doing that you can enter via Hill St, and walk straight into the lovely garden courtyard area of the Beresford. There's also an indoor dining area where you can sit if the weather isn't favourable. The loos are located downstairs from here. There's isn't a baby change table, but there's a lift in case you want to take the pram down and change your little one's nappy in the spacious toilet area. The loos are actually a bit spesh (in a twilight zone kind of way), so make sure you check them out!

So how is this place kid friendly? Well for a start, The Beresford is very easy to access with your pram, and there is also loads of space to park it (both inside and out). There are high chairs available, and also a very good kids menu, that doubles as an activity sheet. The menu has a combination of healthy and not so healthy menu items, which is also great to see. Another bonus is that kids eat for free Monday - Thursday. The young funky staff are also really good with the kids, and adults alike - we didn't encounter any hipster attitude the whole time we were there.

Monday night is movie night at the Beresford. Out in the courtyard they have a screen where they show free movies at 8pm. There's free popcorn, discounted wine and $10 pizzas! Every now and then (mainly in school holidays), they show a family movie, so keep an eye on their website for what's showing each week.

Kids Schnitty, Slaw & Fries

Those $10 pizzas are actually available all day on Mondays, and luckily for us it was a Monday when we dined at lunch time with a big group of Little Munch family members. The pizzas are seriously good - wood fired and topped with all sorts of delish toppings. You can easily share a pizza with someone else, so it makes it extraordinarily good value lunch (or dinner). 

If pizza doesn't tickle your fancy, there is a full pub grub menu available as well. From juicy sirloin steaks, to burgers, salads and of course the obligatory schnitty, you won't go hungry. And to wash it all down there is a very good wine list for the parentals. To keep the kidlets hydrated, there are soft drinks, juices and a help youself water station is located at the bar.

Just to let you know, parking can be a little tricky to find around this part of Surry Hills. So make sure you allow yourself some additional time to find a spot if you are meeting people, as you may need to do the block a couple of times. On weekends, it's normally fairly easily to nab a spot on nearby Albion St.

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merivale.com.au/theberesfordhotel
354 Bourke St, Surry Hills
02 9254 8088
Open 7 days a week from 12pm