PJ Gallagher’s Sports Bar & Bistro

Open till all hours, right in the middle of the city and ample screens to watch sport on. Pricey for the area given many, many pubs within walking distance.

The Criterion, post PJs renos, is a standard faux-​Irish pub slap bang in the middle of the city (close to Town Hall).
Being close to where I used to work, I’d frequent this place quite a bit, and before it was a PJs it was a mates fave city pub so we’d catch up over a few here from time to time.
There’s a pretty good mix of people in the street-​level bar, and PJs have converted it into more of a sports bar so there are plenty of screens for the sports nuts to check out their favourite teams prospects.
PJs typically have pretty good fare. In winter they have two absolute cracking dishes. The Guiness Pie with mushy peas, and their signature lamb shanks which is totally unctuous.
Why such a modest score?
Price kills the place. It’s not one of the cheaper places to get a beer as someone incorrectly states in their tips, it’s easily one of the most expensive places to get a beer. You’re paying over the top prices for domestic tap beer.
A cheap beer is $ 5 for a Coopers Pale Ale, which you can get on the same street about 200m up the road…
Also… As much as I enjoy a good pokie section, this one ain’t good. And by that I mean the clientelle. It brings in the undesireable types, and sours what is otherwise a sweet pub.
The snug, the downstairs den, has a great looking bar, and «snug» seating, but it’s kinda pointless down there. It doesn’t feel snug, it feels stuffy and claustrophobic — and the bar has never been manned when I’ve been down there.
Now, if they moved the pokies to the snug, and then opened up the entire bar at the street-​level to include the room vacated by the pokie section, you’d have something. But why would they do that when they can get by with what they have.

Dirty, run down, loud, expensive. The rooms are tiny and there´s nothing in them but a bed. If you are unlucky and you get a room facing the main street you will not be able to sleep.

Hubs and I popped in here for a couple pints and dinner the other night. The main area was jumpin’ with office workers during happy hour. Our pints were poured and we ordered two specials — the beef Guinness stew pie (or something like that), sat down and chatted while doing a bit of people watching. Soon enough our pies arrived and O M G they were DELICIOUS. Well worth it, peeps. Stop in and enjoy the vibe.

It is certainly hard to find a bar that has cheaper beer in Sydney. This hotel, is your average, always open, cheap beer and with a back room of pokie fun.
If you need a place to drink for a cheap relaxed environment, come on down to the Criterion Hotel!

Fair enough but theres obviously more and better bars out there in Sydney