The Duke of Enmore

The Duke of Enmore has changed hands a few times over the years. Happily, Odd Culture Group (The Oxford Tavern, The Old Fitz, Odd Culture Bar are the pub’s current custodians, giving it the reboot it always deserved in 2020 with local beers, natural wines, “stiff and strong” cocktails and menu of non-traditional pub fare.

In the front bar, there’s a stage for live music and a sleek concrete bar running the length of the space. The back room’s eternal retro carpet remains, and all the pokies were ditched long ago in favour of proper games, with Big Buck Hunter and other arcade titles buzzing alongside the pool table.

Despite the Duke’s longstanding pub credentials, this isn’t the place for a no-frills feed. The kitchen turns out fancy small plates such as chickpea croquettes with romesco and ricotta, and chicken liver pâté on toast with pickled plums. It’s also doing puffy, woodfired breads stuffed with mortadella; potato, curry sauce and kale; and more. The cheeseburger and the steak – served with bone marrow, herb salad and fries – are the closest things you’ll find to pub grub at this otherwise grungey dive.