Drive-throughs are synonymous with speed, convenience and not necessarily quality. That they’re often shortened to ‘drive-thru’ only serves to impress the point that, these days, we’ve not a moment to spare for a handful of extra characters, let alone to stop and smell the flowers. No small talk, no interaction – no time. Just drive in, grab your gear and get out fast.
But in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs there’s a little drive-through that’s breaking the mould. Arriving at The Robin Hood in Waverley is routine but dragging yourself away is far more difficult. You can see it in the eyes of drivers as they pull in, drinking in the contents of the curb-side shelves before their car has come to a complete stop; imperial stouts, biere de garde and gose slowly rolling by their window. At this point you could just attach the entire shelf to the car’s tow bar and send them home happy. But, of course, this is a store worth stopping for.
Robin Hood doesn’t stock every beer known to man but there’s more than enough for those just branching out into craft beer and even more for those already immersed in it. The range is slowly expanding but, more importantly, it’s one that’s focused on offering quality and interesting options. You can expect all the classics from larger local brewers like Stone & Wood, 4 Pines and Feral but there are also plenty of beers from Aussie brewers whose names mightn’t be so familiar to Sydney drinkers – the likes of South Australia’s Lobethal Bierhaus, Colonial from the Margaret River and Tasmania’s Two Metre Tall.
The international contingent is strong too; American IPAs and Belgian lambics share shelves with German pilsners and whatever style-bending beers make their way west from New Zealand. And these are available in an array of formats, from the timeless elegance of big Champagne-style bottles to the striking artwork that characterises the comeback of canned beer. The latter they’ve embraced wholeheartedly, stocking a range of tinnies the equal of most anything else you’ll find out Bondi way.
The wine side of things offers a similar approach to the beer selection in that it has something for everyone, though naturally it gets exponentially more interesting the deeper you go. When the old chiller died after 50-odd years of service, instead of just popping in a like for like replacement, they seized the opportunity to relocate it and turn the space into a climate-controlled cellar for the top end treats. This now houses big names like Grange, familiar even to those who’ve not had the pleasure of trying them, specific bottles sourced from overseas wineries which have impressed staff members while on their travels and the selection has even been topped up with the odd rarity from the owners’ private cellar collection.
The bottle store itself is part of the Robin Hood Hotel which occupies the busy corner of Bronte and Carrington Roads. Upon the expiration of old tap contracts with the big breweries, the main bar started testing customers’ interest in craft beer in 2014 and, like many venues who dabble in it, they found a willing audience encouraging them onto bigger and better things; of the 19 taps, the majority now pour craft beer from home and abroad (get in during the midweek happy hours for $5 schooners across the board).
Unlike their urban compatriots in the Inner West, Sydney’s Eastern suburbanites have been a little slower to embrace good beer on a wide scale. However, with its joint pub and bottle store, Robin Hood has created something that’s not only already good, but getting better. A trip here might well rob you of a few extra minutes browsing the shelves, but it promises plenty in return.
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