The Dolphin Hotel

It’s one of the few pubs anywhere named after a marine-dwelling, highly intelligent mammal, but that’s not the Dolphin Hotel’s only distinguishing feature. It also has a TV screen stretching across a two-storey high wall. Of course, you’d need a pretty good projector to make a crisp image that large. Most of the viewing area is also the dining area, so if you want to go somewhere for a solid bistro meal while watching 20 foot-tall rugby players (yes, it is shamelessly a rugby pub), this is your place. The Dolphin, probably wisely, leaves the cocktail lounge space to its Crown Street rivals. Instead, it covers the basics – bar, pool tables, VIP pokie lounge, big-screen - and boasts a decent bistro serving a classic pub menu, with a dining section spanning two levels and even nudging outside. A lot of thought too has been put into functions, with a few spaces and catering options available in a service area a lot of pubs seem to have lost interest in. Unfortunately, though, you can’t hire out the big-screen. Now that would be intelligent.