Endeavour Tap Rooms, The Rocks

Endeavour Tap Rooms in The Rocks is a classic pub with a few modern twists and a brewery on site.

Endeavour Tap Rooms is the brew pub of Endeavour Vintage Beer Co., a brewing company that’s been active in Sydney for a number of years.

Enter from Argyle Street and you might walk into the pub via the brewery. A narrow corridor with a small bar separates punters from the fermenters. There’s a small amount of seating but the more comfortable areas are either outside where you can soak up the sun or inside the larger bar area. Like other traditional pubs in The Rocks, such as Harts, there are rooms connected by winding corridors.

Suited To The Rocks

The decor is impressive, making it one of the better looking beer venues in Sydney. Plush bar stools, stained glass windows, reflective surfaces, hanging plants and marble effect bars lend some weight and regal class to the outfit.

It fits in well in its location. And while the location means it’ll be more appealing to tourists than locals, if you’re spending a sunny Saturday in The Rocks or are looking for drinks before a show at the Sydney Opera House then it’s a very good option.

Endeavour Beers

Beers are accessible as you’d expect from Endeavour Vintage Beer Co., with their Growers series taking centre stage. There’s also room on the tap list for “something dark” and “something different” as they refer to them. The something different is a rotating tap featuring different small batch or seasonal beers.

They serve midis, pints and tasting paddles. You can leave it to the bar staff to select you a mystery paddle or they’re happy to talk to you about your preferences.

There isn’t a ridiculous number of taps and most of the beers are pretty approachable. That said, there’s enough variation to tick boxes and quench a thirst. From fresh, clean lagers, to their Aussie IPA or well known amber ale, there’s a breadth to the tap list that will satisfy most beer drinkers.

Modern Brew Pub

Combined with a menu featuring sharing plates, burgers and smoked meats, it’s a brewpub that’s more closely comparable to a high end foodie pub than to a nano brewery “pub” such as Staves.

Perhaps the closest comparison is to that of All Hands Brewing House at Darling Harbour. Both brew on site and serve up comforting food in an elegant and well designed venue, geared towards tourists. Such stylish pubs, providing a clean and welcoming environment, combined with good beer are a welcome addition to the Sydney beer scene.

Brew Bar

In August 2018, long after I’d written about the brewpub, I was invited to take a closer look at the Brew Bar at Endeavour Tap Rooms. During my visit I was provided with lunch and a couple of beers free of charge.

As mentioned previously, the entrance on Argyle Street leads you into the Brew Bar. This is the area where the stainless steel brewing equipment is clearly visible. It’s a space that they spruik as an events space but it’s also suited to sitting near the bar with fermenters in clear view.

Staff are happy to talk you through the different beers on tap and provide tasters to help you make up your mind. A good place to start is by asking what’s new and different.

The Brew Bar area is also close to the meat smoker so if that’s your thing you can position yourself so that the aroma of smoking brisket, pork and sausages wafts towards you on the breeze. It’s a nice accompaniment to a dark, malty beer.

This part of the venue is cosy and compact and it soon fills up with young people making their way round a few pubs, alongside tourists popping in for some respite.

Have you been to Endeavour Tap Rooms? Leave a comment to share your experience and the beers you enjoyed.