Best Pubs, Nightclubs, Discos and More

I know this is an old thread but I can't believe noone's mentioned The Ambassadors in King William St- I spent practically every Friday night and most Saturdays for a year or two. Also loved The Venue, Jules, Lennies (on a Thursday or a Sunday were my fave nights), McMahons (although I lived closer to Salisbury I went to the Tonsley one with uni friends) and Heaven. Also being a trots girl I did go to the local (Chases at the Whitehorse) a few times.

IATH
I've had a beer or hundred in all those places all those years ago[except Heaven]
Jules was my most frequented of your list
It was a very glitzy trendy bar when it first opened

I would also venture to the Whitehorse Inn  after the trots
Question is, where you one of the women that used to ask me to dance at the complex ?

Also if you were a Lennies girl , you must have bumped into Bayman
Bayman used to go to Lennies
I used to go to The Bay Disco
There simply and literally was no room for both of us at the same club on the same night in our younger strutting nightclub daze

I worked across the road from the Ambassadors
It was just a pub for a while, but it did turn into a decent later night venue

Well Scrappy I would assume if I had asked you to dance you would never have forgotten so probably not!! ;-)

I may have bumped into Bayman at Lennies once or twice but I think we might have crossed paths at the races before that.

50c glasses of champagne at the Ambassadors from 5-7pm on a Friday... Delicious!!

On the nights I wanted to go a bit more upmarket I used to enjoy jazz in the lobby bar at what's now the Stamford Plaza- can't remember what it used to be called.. But I do remember one night when Imran Khan and Wasim Akram were also there... Imran in particular just had such an amazing presence.

OLD LION
Old Lion late 70's or early 80's
My car didn't start
Flat battery
A Limo was passing in the car park
I motioned the driver to stop
" I asked for jumper leads."
He said , words similar to
"No , sorry, I've got schedule to keep."
One of the passengers over ruled the driver , and after a couple of minutes was jump started.
Who was in the car , the band members of Sherbet , howzat !
I think it was Garth Porter who instructed the driver

I thanked Daryl Braithwaite and his crew
Earlier in the evening I watched the boys playing at the Old Lion

Old Lion was a very popular nightspot last century

My grandparents lived around the corner (about 1 minute's walk) so I avoided the old lion most of the time. Went there a few times but never loved it.

What about the other clubs nearby the Old Lion ?
Brewery Bar
Underground
Bogarts

They were goods night spots

Had my bucks party at the Old Lion (Underground) in the mid-80s.
Still there but alas, not used now.
There are a whole bunch of tunnels running under the Old Lion and when they did some major structural renos a few years ago, they had to avoid the tunnels.

Anyway it used to be a hell of a pub back in the 70s and 80s.
The Underground had a bit of a Beatles-esque Cavern Club feel about it.
Hot and sweaty and closed in.

The big function room had some great bands like the Glenn Miller Tribute Band and Tommy Emmanuel among a host of decent sized name acts.

Pity it is a much more cut down version of its former self and I must confess to loathing the semi-retro space age inside fitout that quite a few pubs have adopted in the last decade.

One of my favorite lines towards the end of my disco daze was:
Going up to gals and saying
" Would you like to come to my place."
In those rare instances where I was knocked back , I did explain that my place was actually My Place disco

My Place disco was in Hyde Street a one way street between Flinders and Pirie Streets
The place was run in the early daze by Afro Doug
It was predominantly a midnight to late club

A few days ago I was awaiting for an appointment to roll up
I sat on the steps of where this once magnificent night club stood
The building is now For Lease

Remember it.

You walked in the door and they thrust a plate of spag bog in your face as the licence must have demanded food be served. Then you passed a table of piled up spag bog plates.

The good ol' 80s.

I remember at Lennies on a Sunday night you used to have to take a plate as well. I could never work out why drinking on a Sunday would be different to drinking on a Thursday when I don't recall the buffet.

These are some of the late night eaterys I used to frequent
Desert Sands
Grecian BBQ or any Yiros establishment
Marcellinas Pizza Bar
Glenelg Pizza Bar
Hanson Pizza Bar
North Adelaide Fish shops in Oconnell Street
Pancake Kitchen

And yes, I can recall the pastas at My place

IAmTheWarrior wrote:I remember at Lennies on a Sunday night you used to have to take a plate as well.  I could never work out why drinking on a Sunday would be different to drinking on a Thursday when I don't recall the buffet.

Did you ever meet the Lennies Legend there ?
The one and only Bayman

Think I mentioned that I did bump into Bayman once or twice at Lennies, Scrappy. However I generally went there with my footy friends (fellow Warriors) or uni friends so we didn't actually cross paths that often there. I think Bayman might have moved on from Lennies by the time I started going there regularly.

IAmTheWarrior wrote:Think I mentioned that I did bump into Bayman once or twice at Lennies, Scrappy. However I generally went there with my footy friends (fellow Warriors) or uni friends so we didn't actually cross paths that often there. I think Bayman might have moved on from Lennies by the time I started going there regularly.

not sure about that, i was going there until it closed (last day was a Sunday) & i've got the souvenir T-shirt floating around in a draw here, for me it was a 3 minute walk, free entry, free drinks (only soft drinks though) & the food they put on, on Sundays & off course ''Staffies'' after it closed, i would hardly go anywhere else

you're right Bayman- thinking back I don't remember going to Lennies much after I turned 18   so maybe I had moved on to city venues by the time it closed.  

PORT ADELAIDE PUBS
The following pubs have been closed in recent times
I've been to most of these defunct pubs

Black Diamond Hotel
Clubhouse Hotel
Colac Hotel
Golden port Tavern
Port Admiral Hotel
Railway Hotel

The most recent the Railway Hotel on St Vincent Street
Last drinks were served 28/2/2014
This ends a long run of 158 years [1856] when it was first built

Shame

Scrappy wrote:PORT ADELAIDE PUBS
The following pubs have been closed in recent times
I've been to most of these defunct pubs

Black Diamond Hotel
Clubhouse Hotel
Colac Hotel
Golden port Tavern
Port Admiral Hotel
Railway Hotel

The most recent the Railway Hotel on St Vincent Street
Last drinks were served 28/2/2014
This ends a long run of 158 years [1856] when it was first built

Shame

I've had a few in the Railway Hotel, it's a pity it has closed but you know small pubs struggle without pokies. The scourge on society that they are. Hardly going to make money pulling beers out of a tap.

The Colac was lost well before it shut the doors, pity as it had atmosphere.  

even i'd been to the Colac

LAND OF PROMISE HOTEL
Port Road Hindmarsh
On this day 19/3/1840 it was opened By George Roberts
About 140 years later I had a counter meal in there

Scrappy wrote:LAND OF PROMISE HOTEL
Port Road Hindmarsh
On this day 19/3/1840 it was opened By George Roberts
About 140 years later I had a counter meal in there

i know a couple of girls that work there

I notice that WWT are reviving the "Peckers' Disco" next month. Sadly I won't get home for it but I used to love the Warrior's Discos of the 80's. (I'm a little too young to have attended the Peckers Version)

IAmTheWarrior wrote:I notice that WWT are reviving the "Peckers' Disco" next month. Sadly I won't get home for it but I used to love the Warrior's Discos of the 80's. (I'm a little too young to have attended the Peckers Version)

if you can somehow organize a trip to Adelaide i would think you'd love it, only going on the basis that Glenelg had a couple of ''Bay Disco'' nights in the last few years, they sold out quickly & everyone seemed to be having a great night out, perhaps a few sore heads the next day though

I think you're right Bayman. Have been discussing it with a couple of friends today and we're all keen. I could get over fairly cheaply with Tiger but there are a few things I'd have to sort out at home to make it happen.

start sorting