There’s a lot to love about The Workers in Balmain — especially if you fancy a slice of political history served up with a splash of kitsch fun and a twist of inner-west spunk. The building was a trades and labour hall in the 1890s and was headquarters to the first Labour Electorate League. The name is a respectful nod to the area’s rich Labor history and the theme is reflected throughout the bar with images depicting party greats and a very bromantic portrait of Hawkey and John Singleton.
Our brother James and sister-in-law Claire joined the Pubably team this week and the four of us had a blast exploring every curious corner of this Balmain boozer. The main bar is eclectic with a vivid green living wall, oversized lounge chairs atop tartan carpet, a white picket-fence-lined dance floor, pinball machines, a photobooth and an old-school Pacman game table straight out of the 80s.
Towards the back of the building there’s a room housing pool and foosball tables. Another three rooms sprout from the winding hallway and we all exclaim at once, “it smells like Nan’s house” (a four-story townhouse in Belfast that held a world of mystery and magic for us as children) — making it feel more like a house party than a pub. One room is taken up with a ping pong table and lush old Chesterfield armchairs for spectators to lounge on. Another is called the ‘Locker Room’ and has a timetable of sporting matches that are screened in there — an intimate spot to yell at the tele with your mates.
Atmosphere This one is a late starter but once it gets going the vibe is electric. You can take a group of pals to a nominated nook or you can get your party mingle on in the cute rooftop beer garden or whilst pulling shapes on the main bar dance floor. There were posters for a rockabilly swing dancing class, Wednesday nights are dedicated to comedy and Sunday Funday delivers $10 burgers, live music, foosball, giant chess and giant jenga. Service The staff are the kind of friendly that makes you want to invite them to your next birthday party. They are warm, don’t mind a chat and were super helpful with no sign of the dreaded VER (Vegan Eye Roll) when asked about dietary options.
Beer Garden The rooftop garden is a charming astro-turfed spot with cute furnishings and walls adorned with artwork and an edible garden. Plus plenty of warmth coming from the heaters for the chilly nights ahead.
Grub There’s a school canteen/neighbourhood fish’n’chippy nostalgia lacing the menu with potato scallops, Chiko rolls, Bubble O Bills and Golden Gaytimes making an appearance. There are a few options for the gluten-free (GF available for all burgers) and vegetarian crowd and the kitchen was happy to take the dairy off the mushroom burger to veganise it.
Eamon had the Workers Burger and declared it “juicy” then started waxing lyrical about the merits of shaved beetroot over sliced — but I can’t tell you the rest because I fell asleep. James had the Buttermilk Chicken Burger and said it “hit the spot” then he started discussing the digestive challenges of deep fried chicken and included the words ‘bowl’ and ‘slider’ — but I can’t tell you the rest because I put my fingers in my ears and went to a happy place. Claire and I had a vegan version of the Mushroom Burger and we enjoyed it but would have loved a more shroomy slant on the bread to mushroom ratio. This is simple tucker. It won’t blow your hair back but it gets the job done. Perfect fuel for a night on the DF.
Tap beers You’ll find the usual crowd being poured — Resches, Pure Blonde, Dirty Granny and Coopers. But there’s plenty of room to go exploring with 32 bottled beers and ciders and seven taps.
Kid friendly? This one requires a babysitter I’m afraid. Although we didn’t check that with management.
Canine friendly? Nope, the upstairs nature of The Workers means Rex has to stay at home.
Music They kill it on the music front — lots to love from David Bowie to the Jackson 5. When the DJ spins Roll Over Beethoven the dance floor erupts into a swing frenzy and it’s a delight to watch. The manager also informs us there is a ten-piece jazz band on Sundays from 4.
Chips Like we said last week, there’s nothing wrong with a shoestring, aside from the fact they go cold quickly, they’re just not very exciting. These chippies get 2.5/5 spuds. The Swedges on the other hand were absolutely delicious 4/5 sweet spuds.
The Yard Stick A schooey of Coopers is $7.00. Standard.
All up, this Labor-lovin’ taphouse gets an 8 outta 10 fluorescent former Aussie PMs.
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