Twin City Hotel showcases Downtown Bar and Kitchen and Herveys Cafe

An exciting new sports bar and bistro has opened at Townsville’s Twin City Hotel, one of the largest pubs in Australia. See what’s coming next.

Twin City Hotel, Townsville’s contender for Australia’s largest pub, has hit another exciting milestone after opening its second stage - the state-of-the-art, sports-focused Downtown Bar and Kitchen.

When completed, the $50m hospitality precinct at the former-Sunland Plaza site will feature multiple bars, coffee shop, lounge bar, gaming room, three kitchens, and 1200sqm large-format function and event space - employing 250 staff.

Its staged openings began in November with The Garage, a “quirky, crafty burger joint” at 12 Hervey Range Rd, followed by January’s opening of the large-format Star Liquor warehouse, and gaming room with a bar, featuring 45 poker machines, Keno, and TAB.

Seating 120, both indoors and outside, Herveys Cafe and Lounge Bar, began serving a wide variety of cafe fare, including a delicious bagel menu, from late January.

Twin City Hotel general manager Chris McNeill said they had a good team assembled and were excited to reveal their “big sports bar” alongside a relaxed, family, “bistro a la carte vibe”.

Twin City Hotel general manager Chris McNeill at the Twin City Hotel's gaming room. Picture: Leighton Smith.

Twin Cities Hotel. Picture: Evan Morgan

“We’ve just had our final tick of approval from the council to open the kitchen, we are now advertising that we’re opening and we expect to see some serious numbers through this weekend,” Mr McNeill said.

“In the Downtown Bar and Kitchen, we’ve got the TAB, the beer garden, which is still just in the finishing stages, nice sprawling bar seats, booths and then a bistro setting as well.

Twin Cities Hotel. Herveys Cafe. Picture: Evan Morgan

Twin Cities Hotel. Herveys Cafe. Picture: Evan Morgan

“We have the capability right now to seat 120. Once we add the big garden (to be completed next week), that’d be another 100.”

Mr McNeill couldn’t wait for visitors to witness their state-of-the-art audio visual system, featuring “one of the biggest LEDs on this side of town”, along with an array of massive 85 inch screens, and private TVs in the booth section.

Twin City Hotel Downtown Bar. Picture: Evan Morgan

Twin Cities Hotel. Sports bar next to Downtown Bar. Picture: Evan Morgan

“We definitely have the tools to put on good live sporting events, (like the) Melbourne Cup, (and) the UFC on Sunday, for example,” he said.

“I think right now we’re at close to 40 per cent (project completion overall).”

Residents have been eagerly anticipating the hotel’s next stage, which was expected to open mid-2024.

Twin Cities Hotel. Dining area next to Downtown Bar. Picture: Evan Morgan

Twin Cities Hotel. Sports bar next to Downtown Bar. Picture: Evan Morgan

It includes a 450 seat all-you-can eat buffet featuring Australian classics, Asian and international cuisines, a sushi train, pizza bar, and dessert bar, along with dedicated gelato shop Nancy’s Gelato, and Plaza Bar - a 100 seat cocktail bar with a stage for live music.

Also in the planning stages was a Music Hall, which has an estimated capacity of over 1000.

A sign in Twin City Hotel hints at future stages to open. Picture: Leighton Smith.

New signage appears for Twin City Hotel. Picture: Supplied.

“(The buffet is) definitely going to be the central hub of the hotel, very family friendly and an offering for absolutely everybody,” he said.

“Gelato seems quite popular on The Strand side of Townsville, and we want to recreate something a little bit similar just for this side of town. The gelato is going to be made in house ... we’re taking it seriously.

“You could literally spend almost every hour of the day at the hotel from 6.30 in the morning ... all the way through to the late hours.”

For more information, visit: www.facebook.com/twincityhotel

Originally published as Twin City Hotel showcases Downtown Bar and Kitchen and Herveys Cafe