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Sydneys Oldest Continually Licensed Hotel and Microbrewery. Brewers of fine natural ales, purveyors of delicious pub and restaurant fare and boutique accommodation. Established 1841.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Business
Mid-range
Location
Cnr Kent and Argyle Sts. The Rocks, Sydney, New South Wales 2000 Australia
The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel
4.5 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
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The oldest operating hotel in Sydney is a rare experience. The hotel was charming, the rooms nicely sized and very comfortable. The staff was very courteous and most helpful. The hotel is close to many attractions and sites; walking distance to the SOH (Sydney Opera House), the Harbour Bridge, and ferries to all of the Harbor area. There is a restaurant and, of course, the pub (great fish & chips). The only one drawback for me was that there is no elevator and the rooms are all on the 2nd & 3rd (US: 3rd & 4th) floors, so not accessible to some. Hauling luggage up is a challenge but usually a staff member was available.
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Date of stay: February 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We walked here from Circular Quay through the Rocks area, nice walk. A hotel with a lot of history, reputedly the oldest hotel in Sydney. It looked very quiet on the outside but when we entered it was like another world, very busy, we arrived about midday with lunch in mind but any empty table was reserved so we thought we were out of luck. Disappointing as the place had been recommended by a friend back in Victoria. Anyhow on closer inspection we noticed one table was booked for 1.30 pm. So on approaching one of the staff he said no worries you can sit there for lunch, you will be finished before they arrive and we will reset the table, it was a table for about eight and a couple of minutes later another four customers sat down , good thinking on the staffs part , we were all gone shortly after one. Had a lovely lunch of Beef Pie, mashed potatoes, mushie peas and lovely gravy. It was very tasty and lovely and hot. A very enjoyable lunch in an old world type pub. So lucky we didn’t just walk out when we saw every table was reserved, keep that in mind if you go there to eat.
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Date of stay: May 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Went on a whim and was glad we did. Super friendly staff and good craft beers. It's not like Portland good, but still pretty good.
Stick with the light stuff. They still need work on their porters and stouts. Typical pub food, tasty, filling and fried.
Can get crowded pretty much any day of the week, so go earlier rather than later, but it also empties out about 9.00pm on weekdays.
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Date of stay: April 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Although this hotel was conveniently located near the Rocks and Circular Quay, it seems to be mainly a pub and restaurant venue which also hosts private functions. Our room (202) was located directly above the restaurant and the pub outdoor seating. It was extremely noisy both Saturday and Sunday nights till about 11:00PM, with noise continuing after those hours on the street nearby. Our room also seemed to get smoke from the outdoor seating. Management did not reply to messages about the noise, and we were not offered an alternate room. While the bar staff were sympathetic, they were not able to offer any solution. Guest accommodation seems to be an afterthought here with no consideration given to hotel guests who are there mainly to sleep. Despite the convenient location, we would recommend finding other - quieter - accommodation in this neighbourhood.
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Date of stay: April 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Do not book a room in this hotel if you want a good night’s sleep.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Really enjoyed our room. The location is nice and the food was good. Probably not for you if you can't handle stairs! We did find communication with the hotel to be not very responsive however. Emails with the staff were slowly answered. I also missed that they don't do late checkins. I didn't complain about because when I went back to look the information is there, it just is not easily noticed. Our flight into Sydney was delayed and we arrived around 11:00 at night. We had a day's notice about the delay so I emailed the hotel twice about coming in late, but there was no response. We scrambled to find a hotel at midnight when we arrived here and found it locked up tight. Not ideal, but we did get something figured out. Delays and late arrivals are normal, so I was surprised that they were so unresponsive about it. If you are flying in or have some form of transportation to the hotel that is outside your control, I wouldn't recommend this for at least the first night in the city.
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Date of stay: June 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:No late check ins! Make sure you can plan around that.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The day we chose to visit this pub was unfortunately the afternoon of the Melbourne Cup so the place was fairly crowded with all of the tables inside reserved by large groups. Fortunately, all of the outside tables were open for anyone that showed up without a booking. I liked all the different beers that were on tap and enjoyed trying several of them while we were there. We ordered a meat pie along with our first round of drinks and were told it might take up to 30 minutes due to how busy the were. After about 45 minutes, we noticed nearby tables that sat down after us started getting their food. We asked two different employees that were delivering food and got assurances they would check on our food. After we asked one them a second time, he admitted they had lost our food order, but would get us a replacement one very quickly. About 5 minutes later, we finally got our food (only an hour and 20 minutes after we ordered it!). Fortunately, the pie, mashed potatoes, gravy and peas were all good, and we enjoyed every bite of the food.
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Date of stay: November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed here for 2 nights, got there early in the morning so obviously room wasn’t ready, but I had emailed twice a few days before to let them know but got no reply, told room would be ready 1pm, when I returned my bags were still outside the office, I asked if my room was ready which the manger said yes, I asked why my bags were there, he replied I had to take them up myself and I was on the third floor, thankfully a member of staff offered to help with my case which was 40kg, I mentioned I was tired and had not long had a double knee operation and he said it will keep you fit!After settling I went down for a pint, I had to wait a fair time as the place was packed with tourists wanting to eat as well, the barmaid didn’t know who was next and so I left after stand there for over 10 minutes, I went a few yards over the road and found Cooks Bar?there I had some good conversation and few nice beers. On returning to the Nelson I was told at 10:32 I could not be served as last orders were at 10:30pm, I mentioned I was a a guest staying and was told this made no difference, the barmaid then asked what I wanted, but by this time I had a bitter taste in my mouth regards Lord Nelson, earlier I had witnessed an American lady struggling up the stairs to her room on the 3rd floor with a walking stick. If you struggle a-bit with stairs or carrying cases up 3 flight of stairs this might not be the best place to stay. Most sociable person in the place was the little Italian cleaner. Overall I felt this place was for the tourists not the patrons. Not for me, but as said Cooks Bar a few yards away was great.
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Date of stay: December 2022Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Lord Nelson is Sydney’s oldest continuously operating pub and has a more upscale restaurant located upstairs along with the hotel. It is located in the Rock’s District that is very quaint with a number of other restaurants in the area. I’m giving this a 3 star because of our experience in the Pub only. In the pub you place your order at the bar and they will bring you your food and drinks. You can eat inside or outside. We ordered beer that was good and for our meal we ordered the fish and chips and hamburger. I enjoyed the fish and chips but the hamburger was extremely dry. My husband asked for ketchup (tomato sauce) but the server never came back. It was obvious that he was ignoring us and had no interest in bringing the condiment. Since the bar area was extremely busy we did not want to get back in line to request ketchup and have our food get cold. Definitely worth stopping by the pub for a drink and to see the interior of the building, but suggest you skip the Pub’s food.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Went here with my wife to catch up with a friend. Really lovely old traditional pub. The beers here are amazing and worth visiting to try on their own. Had some snack food plates too and they were very nice (bread with anchovies, chicken wings, and cauliflower pakoras). Would recommend a visit.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Lord Nelson is in a beautiful old sandstone block building in the heart of The Rocks section of Sydney. The roomy and inviting bar on the first floor is open and roomy. Casual and friendly, the Nelson offers some excellent beers, we tried the Victory Bitters and Three Sheets ale…both were great examples of Aussie dedication to craft brewing. They brew right on the premises, and the freshness shows in the glass. We also grabbed a brisket sandwich to share and it was excellent as well. Lots of flavor and excellent fries (or chips). The Lord Nelson is Sydney and Australia’s oldest hotel from 1841. The walls are loaded with historical pictures, photos and memorabilia, so look around while you enjoy great Aussie brew.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jasmine X, Other at The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel
Responded 23 Feb 2020
Thank you very much for joining us John. Glad you enjoyed your time with us and we look forward to welcoming you back.
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Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hi there - we do have accommodation available at this point and are happy to offer you the following:
Standard Queen Ensuite at a rate of $200/night
If you would like to book the aforementioned room please contact us via the email address listed on our website and we will be happy to look after you.
Thanks for your enquiry,
Ciaran Gill
Marketing Coordinator
Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel
There are more places to choose from in the Sydney area.
PRICE RANGE
AU$212 - AU$266 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
lord nelson brewery hotel, lord nelson brewery sydney
LOCATION
AustraliaNew South WalesSydney
NUMBER OF ROOMS
8
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