The Angry Pirate, Redfern

Mention the suburb Redfern and the word gentrification comes to mind. The inner city locale is undergoing a transformation that sees the once crumbling south Sydney suburb shine with a new façade.

The Angry Pirate, Redfern

The latest small bar to throw anchor in Redfern is The Angry Pirate, wedged along a shopping strip on Redfern Street within a mere stumble from the train station.

Recycled Materials

Inside the 63 person capacity bar, the décor transports you to a pirate’s den with its maritime interior, sea green walls and a fitout retrieved from shipyards at Glebe and old wharves in Pyrmont.

Pallet Seating

Pallet seating, wood beams, old wharf timbers give the new venue a lived-in look with wood barrels doubling as tables.

The name of the bar is derived from Captain Pugwash, a children’s television series in which the seafarer had a nemesis, called the Angry Pirate.

Chart of the World

But there is nothing to stir your anger as you step into the venue. The staff in their striped shirts make you feel at home as if you’re already a regular. Peter Groom, Co-owner and Bar Manager, whose career spans 18 years across France, London and Sydney explains that the maritime idea draws on his background, having grown up in Liverpool with family members in the British marine. The Chart of the World occupying a wall was painted by his grandfather.

Cocktail List

The bar has a rum focus with a solid selection of 14 cocktails that span from the light and easy-drinking to booze hound strength.  Lighter style cocktails are popular with the women whose patronage has given the new a female-friendly status. Homemade cocktails ingredients such as orgeat and the complimentary smoked-paprika popcorn are welcome touches.

L-R: Pirate’s Tea Party, Angry and Sour

The Pirate’s Tea Party ($14) may look harmless as a cold, tall drink garnished with mint and lemon but hides a good measure of vodka, gin, rum and a hint of elderflower and earl grey tea. The Angry and Sour ($16) delivers long and lingering nutty flavours of Amaretto, rum, lime and vanilla which you sip through a fine sugar-coated rim.

Barrel-aged Spiced Rum

Aside from making some cocktail ingredients, Grog, the Angry Pirate’s version of spiced rum is also made in-house. Three different rums and fifteen spices and herbs go into the spirit which is then aged in an oak barrel at the bar. Grog is used in cocktails such as the Dark & Stormy, the Angry Old Fashioned and the popular Grog Zombie.

Captain Peter Groome

Cinnamon heavy, with notes of cloves and star anise, the spirit maintains freshness on the palate with the spices. Come winter time, you’ll want to drop in and warm up on the spicy spirit.

Grog Zombie

The Grog Zombie ($18) brings a tiki-style cocktail to the menu. Served in a colourful tiki mug with a flaming passionfruit cup with a rum float, it is not overly rum-strong on the palate, and has fruity flavours which make it a good choice to drink at any time.

Craft Beer on Tap

If cocktails aren’t your drink of choice, you’ll find local beers on tap such as Newtown’s Young Henry’s Real Ale, The Grifter Pale Ale and Young Henry’s Natural Lager. Beer by the bottle includes Lord Nelson, Stone and Wood, Kosciusko Pale Ale and Little Creatures Bright Ale. A concise selection of wines is all available by the glass, and the Cartena Zapata Alamos Malbec from Argentina goes down too easy with the pizzas from the galley.

Mural

The Angry Pirate is the only bar in the area that offers food with Italian style-pizza and toppings to satisfy carnivores and vegetarians alike. In keeping with the theme, the pizzas are all named after pirate ships. The pizza base is thin, light and tasty topped with San Marzano tomato and fior di latte cow’s milk mozzarella.

Golden Hinde Pizza

Golden Hinde ($15) comes with spicy roasted peppers and chevre as well as the aforementioned ingredients.

Hispaniola Pizza

The limited edition Hispaniola ($15) delivers a strong, spicy and addictive kick of Spanish chorizo that you won’t want to share.

Additional photos of the venue:

Entrance to the Angry Pirate

Interior

Resident Parrot at the Bar

Yaarrr

The Angry Pirate has all the ingredients of a good small bar that will have you come back with your friends. The vibe is fun, welcoming and friendly with good bar chat. The cocktails are approachable and do the various rums justice without overpowering the palate with sweetness. There are different nooks in which to enjoy a drink alone, as two persons or in a small group.

The Angry Pirate is what small bars are about, having fun times over a drink in safe surrounds and enjoying Sydney’s small bar culture.

The Angry Pirate is featured in our guide to Sydney’s Best Rum Bars.

Photography © by Kevin Burke for Gourmantic – Copyright: All rights reserved.

The Angry Pirate
125 Redfern St
Sydney, NSW 2016
facebook.com/theangrypirateredfern
Tuesday – Saturday: 5:00pm-12:00am
Sunday: 5:00pm-10:00pm