Cold beer. Meat raffles. Ancient verandahs. Good dogs. How great are country pubs? Especially those which boost a community through top-notch food sourced locally (rather than deep-fried imported squid, say), cater to multiple generations and accommodate tourists. Like their city cousins, regional pubs are also changing. While there are still plenty of beaut yellow-tiled public bars with a choice of two to three taps, young gun hoteliers are increasingly selling just as much craft beer and cocktails as Tooheys, and we’re all for the shift. (Word around Jugiong way is that the Sir George has even introduced linen napkins.) Here are 10 of NSW’s best old and new-breed boozers.

Billinudgel Hotel

They don’t make them like the Nudge anymore. The self-described “last of the good ol’ country pubs” is 20 minutes north of Byron Bay, but could be 100 years in the past. A place of faded photos, creaking floorboards, Chesterfield lounges and old logs fashioned into furniture. The beer garden can lift off with Anzac Day-level energy on the weekend.

Best for: Tall tales and cold ones on the back deck.

1 Wilfred Street, Billinudgel, billinudgelhotel.com.au

Budgewoi Hotel

In 2021, members of Sydney Restaurant Group’s Drakopoulos family bought the pub formerly known as the Coast Hotel. It recently reopened with a massive beer garden and Italian-inspired restaurant where it feels like aperitivo hour all day long. Hawkesbury-caught calamari fritti is a hit (it’s still a pub, after all), plus porchetta and beef ragu rigatoni.

Best for: Antipasti at the end of a Central Coast day trip.

169 Budgewoi Road, Budgewoi, budgewoihotel.com.au

Buds Tavern

It might be a new bar designed to look like a pub from when Paul Hogan was at his peak, but if it looks like a duck, and there’s cold beer, that’s good enough for us. Wedged between the cafes and takeaways of Husky’s main drag, Bud’s young team also spruiks coast-friendly cocktails, natural wine, and a “nan’s plate” loaded with cabanossi and cheese.

Best for: Melbourne Bitter with a meat pie and a big helping of nostalgia.

68 Owen Street, Huskisson, budstavernhusky.au

The Eltham

In the lush hinterland halfway between Byron Bay and Lismore, The Eltham stands proud, and sometimes loud, in a tiny village. Live country rock is a regular feature in the beer garden, while inside is all wildflowers, weatherboard and vintage paraphernalia. Chef-in-residence Alanna Sapwell-Stone serves elevated pub dishes such as white pudding with duck egg and lentils, and five styled short-stay rooms complete the package.

Best for: Modern country cooking and old-time Australian rock’n’roll.

441 Eltham Road, Eltham, elthampub.com.au

The Globe Hotel

A good pub should serve the community first, and The Globe looks after its locals with aplomb. There are badge draws and members specials’ in the timber-heavy front bar, of course, but there are also regular markets hawking locally made cakes in the beer garden, darts competitions for charity, and Central West reds on the wine list. Kids can meet pub ducks (named Gin and Tonic) in the on-site vegetable garden.

Best for: A yarn and a Young Henrys with locals.

46-50 Louee Street, Rylstone, theglobehotel.com.au

The Imperial at Clifton

There are pubs with views, and then there is this grand old Illawarra boozer, perched on a narrow, curving coastal road and overlooking the ocean in all its majesty. After a recent renovation, many of the pub’s original features have been saved or brought back, including the marbled-honey tiles, and five (five!) original working fireplaces. The steak sandwich with chimichurri isn’t bad either.

Best for: Prawn rolls and counting ships on the horizon.

315 Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Clifton, theimperialclifton.com.au

The Milton Hotel

It could just churn out schnitties and let the magnificent view to Green Island do the rest. But The Milton doesn’t just prop up the local restaurant scene. It adds to it. Take a seat in the breezy dining room and enjoy smart cooking that leans on local produce, such as kingfish served first as sashimi, then barbecued and perched on corn veloute with pickled mussels.

Best for: Local seafood and a sour beer from house brewer Dangerous Ales.

74 Princes Highway, Milton, themiltonhotel.com

New Ivanhoe Hotel

New owners took over the art deco “Ivy” last year, and relaunched the hotel in February after a sympathetic refurb. The original terrazzo flooring has been spruced up, they mix a decent negroni, and you can scoff sticky date pudding by the fire. It’s what a weekend in the Blue Mountains is all about.

Best for: Red wine in the ladies’ lounge on a chilly afternoon.

231 Great Western Highway, Blackheath, thenewivanhoehotel.com

The Sir George

There are few better ways to break up a road trip from Sydney to Melbourne with a spell at the George. Just one minute off the Hume Highway, the 1850s-built tavern is open to all travellers happy to part with $435 to stay in one of the smartly renovated boutique barn rooms, or just drop in for a fireside pork cotoletta and Canberra District pinot.

Best for: A road trip burger made on bread from the on-site artisan bakery.

320 Riverside Drive, Jugiong, sirgeorge.com.au

Southern Railway Hotel

This ancient local may well be home to the best Sunday pub roast in the state. Recent specials on the weekend menu have included stuffed lamb saddle, beef cheek hotpot and roast pheasant with duck-fat spuds. The new British chef, Paul Carr, is leading this roast revolution, and his “proper” fish and chips are worth a detour too.

Best for: “Butcher’s block” specials and the Sunday roast.

188 Sloane Street, Goulburn, thesouthernrailwayhotel.com.au

With David Matthews and Lenny Ann Low