Elephant & Castle Hotel

Maybe it’s just me, but I found the dining experience a disappointment.
Firstly, the good points:
It’s wasn’t overly crowded. It wasn’t noisy like some of these modern cafes, probably due to the old carpet and low clientèle. Great service, very friendly and helpful staff. Parking was easy on a Tuesday evening, plenty of spots available on street. The red wine selection proved quite tasty.
Now the not so good (in my opinion).
This venue is supposed to be renowned for it’s steaks. Maybe I should have ordered Medium, not Medium rare as I thought it was a bit under cooked. I also felt the meat was not as good quality as touted. I have had better elsewhere (even when cooked on the rarer side). The (pepper) gravy was extra…$ 2, a bit on the expensive side I think. The plate was only served with the meat on a «bed» of 4 or 5 small oven roasted spuds. Veg would have been extra as well (I didn’t order any). The salad bar was all but non-​existent. It would best be described as a salad bowl, the choice was severely lacking. The anaemic bread rolls appeared to be some reheated pre-​baked supermarket rolls.
Overall I do not believe I received value for money with the steak costing over $ 30. My partner’s «Elephant Burger» alone cost $ 18, a bit much I think for a burger with a few chips.
Maybe I don’t get out enough, but I thought it was too pricey for what we received.

The Elephant & Castle Hotel is one of the few in the West End of Adelaide which has not yet been gentrified.
A cream brick and neon monstosity, complete with bistro dining and very evident TAB and poker machine facilities, the Elephant and castle is something of another era.
The ideal remedy when one has a hankering for old style pub cuisine (unlike the trendy muck they serve at most of the pubs these days) the Elephant and Castle is known for its steaks as much as for its schnitzel night (Thursdays) at which anything you can imagine is available as a topping.
The bottle shop connected with the Elephant and castle is open late, well stocked and much cheaper than the only other I know of near by (Bar on Gouger). However, it is a bit of a treck out of the way as the Elephant and castle is right on the outskirts of the city proper.

There’s an ongoing joke here from the bottle attendants. Ask them If they sell spirits and they’ll point to the graveyard across the road and say «You can find them there»
In saying this, the view of the graveyard from the bottle shop is much better than the beer garden, which happens to overlook a carpark.
The Bistro is much more upmarket, but the prices are expensive if you are looking for a standard meal, but the steak menu here are fantastic.
If you need some extra luck, there are loads of elephant statues here, and they all have their trunks up.
It’s all about the vibe.