The White Horse Hotel at 381 Crown Street, Surry Hills, is a three-storey pub that has cycled through identities as a piano bar, brasserie and live-music venue since its 1930s construction. After a reported A$6 million renovation, the venue reopened in April 2024 as a chef-led gastropub with a ground-floor restaurant, upstairs public bar and rooftop terrace. This article draws on the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food review published May 2024, official tourism materials and secondary sources to separate verified facts from reported claims.
Last checked: 2026-10-24
Compare the lowest rates and guest reviews. Many options with free cancellation.Check rates
Bundle flight + hotel and compare deals and rewards in one place.Check ratesThis link contains affiliate advertising. Prices and availability may change on the destination site.
Name: White Horse · Address: 381 Crown Street, Surry Hills, Sydney · Type: Pub with restaurant, public bar, and outdoor terrace · Hours: Dinner Tue-Sun, Lunch Fri-Sun (reservations recommended) · Website: thewhitehorse.com.au
How we researched this
Last checked: 2026-10-24.
Sources reviewed: official tourism website (Visit NSW), local journalism (Sydney Morning Herald Good Food), neutral review platform (TripAdvisor via secondary aggregator), encyclopedic reference (Wikipedia), social media (Instagram).
No on-site visit, no phone or email interview with staff, and no independent menu price verification were conducted. Some historical claims rely on secondary Wikipedia summaries or a third-party aggregator and are marked accordingly.
Snapshot: White Horse Surry Hills in 4 Facts
- One of Surry Hills’ oldest remaining pub structures, built in the 1930s (Sydney Morning Herald Good Food)
- Reviewed by Sydney Morning Herald Good Food on 23 May 2024 (Sydney Morning Herald Good Food)
- Three-storey public hotel at 381 Crown Street (Visit NSW Sydney.com)
- Reopened April 2024 after multimillion-dollar renovation; interior by Farago Han Studio (Visit NSW Sydney.com)
| Name | White Horse |
| Address | 381 Crown Street, Surry Hills, Sydney |
| Type | Pub with restaurant, public bar, and outdoor terrace |
| Hours | Dinner Tue-Sun, Lunch Fri-Sun (reservations recommended) |
| Website | thewhitehorse.com.au |
| Construction | 1930s |
| Latest renovation | April 2024 (reported A$6 million) |
| Interior design | Farago Han Studio |
| Chefs | Jed Gerrard and Jun Hwang |
| Drinks program | James Audas (Lo-Fi Wines) and Michael Chiem (PS40) |
What is the White Horse Tavern famous for?
The White Horse is known for its pedigree restaurant, which occupies the ground floor and is led by chefs Jed Gerrard and Jun Hwang. The menu, described by Visit NSW as progressive and ethically sourced, features dishes such as marron with sweetcorn and ice plant (A$58 at the time of the May 2024 Good Food review).
Pedigree restaurant
Good Food’s Michael Harry called the White Horse a “highly tuned pub-restaurant with fine-dining chops”. The venue’s dining room seats up to 80 and operates dinner Tuesday through Sunday, with lunch Friday through Sunday. Reservations are recommended.
Public bar and outdoor terrace
Upstairs, a public bar serves drinks curated by James Audas and Michael Chiem, featuring around 100 wine bottles with an emphasis on Australian and European organic and regenerative producers. The top floor houses a rooftop bar with terrace views over Surry Hills.
Standout dishes
Beyond the marron dish, Good Food noted “exciting, clever and most importantly, delicious plates of food”. The menu changes seasonally, anchored by ethically sourced Australian produce.
The bottom line: The White Horse’s fame rests on its combination of a serious chef-driven restaurant within a historic pub setting, backed by a considered wine program and rooftop exposure.
What is the story behind the white horse?
The current building was constructed in the 1930s when Surry Hills was still a working-class and industrial suburb. Over the decades, the White Horse has operated as a piano bar, brasserie, and live-music venue, once frequented by bikers and police officers, according to Good Food.
1930s construction
The three-storey hotel at 381 Crown Street was built in the 1930s. No primary heritage register entry has been retrieved for this article, but multiple sources agree on the decade.
Previous incarnations: piano bar, brasserie, live-music
In 2004, a refurbishment added a new bar and brasserie, and the rooftop silver stallion sculpture (attributed to Scottish artist Andy Scott) was installed, per Wikipedia. Precision Group reportedly purchased the hotel for A$7.5 million in 2005. A further 2014 refurbishment updated lounges, restaurant and rooftop. The venue was temporarily branded “The Horse” around 2017, a period said to include artwork by Sindy Sinn.
Before the 2024 redevelopment, the format had settled on craft beer, whisky and pizza. Craig Hemmings and partners took over the lease in early 2023.
2024 renovation
After a multimillion-dollar renovation – reported by secondary sources at approximately A$6 million – the White Horse reopened in April 2024. The redesign by Farago Han Studio placed the restaurant downstairs, the public bar on the first floor and a rooftop terrace on top.
What to watch: The renovation is the most dramatic change in the pub’s recent history, pivoting from a casual craft-beer venue to a highly polished chef-driven operation.
“The pub’s most delicious iteration yet.”
— Michael Harry, Good Food reviewer, Sydney Morning Herald, May 2024
White Horse Surry Hills menu
The current menu is progressive Australian, with an emphasis on ethically sourced produce.
Dining hours
Dinner is served Tuesday through Sunday; lunch is Friday through Sunday. The upstairs public bar and rooftop terrace are open for drinks during the same periods.
Sample menu items
Good Food’s review mentioned marron with sweetcorn and ice plant (A$58) as a standout. Other dishes rotate seasonally. The wine list runs to about 100 bottles, predominantly Australian and European organic or regenerative producers.
Happy Hour offerings
No official menu or pricing for happy hour was confirmed in the sources reviewed. Call the venue or check its website for current specials.
The catch: While the dining menu and wine list are well documented in the Good Food review, specifics like happy hour deals were not publicly available in our sources.
The White Horse Surry Hills reviews
Professional and user reviews paint a positive but still limited picture of the 2024 relaunch.
TripAdvisor feedback
A secondary aggregator (Hotel Australia) reports a TripAdvisor rating of 4.6 out of 5 based on nine reviews. That sample is small, so the rating should be treated as indicative rather than statistically robust.
Instagram presence
The official Instagram account @whitehorse.sydney showcases the venue’s interior, dishes and rooftop views. It provides a visual taste of the atmosphere but not a systematic review.
Sydney Morning Herald review
Good Food’s May 2024 review by Michael Harry awarded strong praise, calling the White Horse “the pub’s most delicious iteration yet”. The review highlighted the precise cooking, thoughtful wine list and the seamless blend of pub informality with fine-dining precision.
“The venue is now one of the most stylish, tasty eateries in the city.”
— Visit NSW Sydney.com, tourism publisher
What this means: The professional review literature is strongly favourable, but user-generated reviews remain sparse. Travellers should weigh the Good Food verdict as a credible reference point while acknowledging the thin user-data layer.
Pricing band: what to expect
Based on the May 2024 Good Food review, dinner for two excluding drinks was estimated at about A$180. A premium dish (marron) was listed at A$58. The wine list covers a wide range; no bottle prices were published in our inputs. The upstairs bar and rooftop likely offer lower-priced drinks. This places the White Horse in the upper-mid to fine-casual bracket for Surry Hills.
Location and getting there
381 Crown Street, Surry Hills, is a short walk from Central Station (10 minutes) and bus routes along Crown Street and Elizabeth Street. The area is dense with restaurants, bars and cafes. Paid street parking is limited; the nearest secure parking is at the Wilson Parking on Goulburn Street.
The neighbourhood has gentrified significantly since the White Horse’s 1930s origins, now forming part of Sydney’s inner-city dining corridor.
Our pick: who should visit the White Horse?
The White Horse is best suited to:
- Foodies seeking a pedigree restaurant with a changing seasonal menu and strong wine list.
- History buffs interested in 1930s Sydney pubs and the Surry Hills gentrification story.
- Local pub-goers looking for a relaxed but elevated drinking experience in the upstairs bar or rooftop.
- Tourists exploring Surry Hills dining who want a single venue that combines a historic setting with contemporary cooking.
Timeline of the White Horse Surry Hills
- 1930s: Building constructed as a working-class pub.
- 2004: Refurbishment adds bar and brasserie; rooftop horse sculpture installed (attributed to Andy Scott).
- 2005: Precision Group reportedly buys the hotel for A$7.5 million.
- 2014: Further refurbishment updates lounges, restaurant, function room and rooftop.
- 2017: Venue briefly operates as “The Horse”.
- Early 2023: Craig Hemmings and partners take over the lease.
- April 2024: White Horse reopens after multimillion-dollar renovation by Farago Han Studio.
- 23 May 2024: Sydney Morning Herald Good Food publishes review calling it “the pub’s most delicious iteration yet”.