Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel

The main bar is quite small and all timber so very loud especially when you get a large crew of drunk construction workers still wearing fluro (I’m not a snob but they had been there for hours) and drinking heavily. The security found them all amusing and no hurry to enforce responsible drinking laws even when drinks were spilled and glasses broken, it was very rowdy if thats your scene go for it.
The bar staff were more interested in people watching than serving customers, so buy up so as not to interrupt them.
The best part was the drag show that started at 10 the Girls were very entertaining and had fun the drunk boys.

My elderly father saw this place from the red double decker tour bus. We sought it out. It is a bit of a walk from the train station and bus stops but we found it. It is down hill from the train station, so not so bad. No table service: you order from the bar and the wait staff brings the food to you. You get your own tablewear and water, drinks too. They have specials, but the soda was flat and the food ok. They claim to have the best rump steak in the area, but it really was not that good. It made my dad happy to eat an Irish Pub, but it was just an Irish pub more in decoration and name than food and beer selection.

Let’s start with the context: As an immigrant in Sydney studying at Usyd, my income essentially gets sucked by my student mortgage and accommodation, while purchasing enough food to perpetrate several variations of recipes with rice or cheap noodles mixed with whatever ingredient discounted at Coles that day. And that´s in a good week.
Now that we have the context, and take into consideration that my situation it´s not an uncommon one among my fellow beloved Sydneysiders, we begin to understand the importance of venues such as Scruffy Murphy´s in this beautiful city and its role as a provider of cheap alcohol and food for some of it´s population. It gives us an opportunity to experience a brief glimmer of what´s to socialise having a beer at hand, just as it was in home.
You can have a beer and a steak with smashed potatoes and sauce for about 12 $ and stay in the second floor enjoying the show of slow, inexperienced waiters randomly roaming around the place looking for your table and an awful music selection. And in more than a way it’s completely great.
The food is more than ok for the prize, both in quality and quantity, and by what I´ve heard once a week they host a drag queen karaōke night.
I mean, how could I possibly give this place less than 4 stars?

Nice Irish pub. Had dinner and beers upstairs. The upstairs was a little more quiet than downstairs. Food was good– had the rump roast which was one of the specials for 8.95.

Good Irish Bar. Food here was really excellent. And yes I was surprised by this. $ 10 jugs of Tooheys give some good value too. Was only in the upstairs part but it wasn’t rowdy like we expected. Good pub. Would definitely go back.

Great irish pub for cheap drinks, live entertainment (music and sports), dancing (in the basement — Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturday nights after 11pm) and irish style pub grub ($ 8.95 meals with drink purchase).
Not to mention if you’re a foursquare user*, you should check in here and get a free drink (valid as of this writing) **
* = one of the reasons why I come here, because the place seems a bit dirty (but then again it adds character ;))
** = Unilocal should also run a promo here too (so we can get another free drink =P).

Scruffy Murphy’s is a legendary Sydney pub popular with uni students, sports fanatics, travellers and anyone looking for a cheap drink and a wild evening.
This was a pub we would always end up in our our Sydney night out with friends. There’s always music playing and good times to be had.
We now go there quite a bit for a cheap feed when in Sydney. The lunch special is awesome. 6.95 for a meal and a beer. We always get the fish and chips washed down with a cool ale.
Can’t beat it.

The most famous haunt of those travelling to Sydney from the UK, Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel smells like desperation at the best of times and a mixture of vomit and feet at the worst. Generally the place you go to when you can’t go anywhere else. The dance floor usually has a ratio of 10 guys to 1 girl and is generally hard to move around due the sticky floor. This place has absolutely zero redeeming qualities.

Strangely seductive foreign men, sticky floors, the smell of warm beer and bad breath. Scruffy Murphy’s is a place that gets worse as the night goes on. It seems like a good idea to head in for a round of after work drinks on a Friday night, but the appeal wears thin after a while. It is so difficult to squeeze through the number of people crammed into this place, hot, slightly sweating male bodies all pressed up against one another and one or two females, just to get to the bar. The one place of refuge is probably the gaming lounge at back which has just enough air for you to lose more money than you planned on gambling with.

Definitely not a fan of Scruffy Murphy’s– it sure is scruffy and rather rough. While the experience is certainly entertaining (who doesn’t love the Irish), the pub itself reeks of beer and its sticky floor is not appealing. Having been a few times, as a last resort, I can say I have never had a great experience here. Everyone appears to be completely pissed (perhaps you have to be to enjoy it)? The music is catchy– they have plenty of old school music which everyone gets into and has a dance and sing along to. The drinks are cheap and coupled with the lively atmosphere, the pub does draw a good crowd in. Perhaps its just not my kind of scene? Getting knocked into by drunk people sloshing their beer all over you and seedy men eyeing you up is not my kind of fun. Enter the pub as a LAST RESORT.

If any Sydneysider tells you they’ve not been to Scruffy Murphy’s, they’re either lying or boring.
You know the place; the type you never plan to go to, and never suggest. But always somehow end up there towards the end of the night; it’s the last stop on the pub crawl, that’s for sure. The exception to this general principle is the Irish — they LOVE Scruffy’s. Perhaps its a reminder of home?
It’s a great place to have a dance and have a sing, and drinks are CHEAP. Way cheap. But a word to the wise: the combination of these drinks and the fact you’ve been to Scruffy’s might mean you wake up feeling cheap too. I’m never happy to admit I’ll go, even less happy to say I’ve been… but whenever I’m there, I’m WAY happy.

You haven’t lived if you haven’t been to Scruffy Murphys on Goulburn Street in the city. And if you have and survived you’ll cherish every moment from then on.
No it’s not that bad, actually you can have some great fun in there. It’s an Irish pub (if you couldn’t guess from the name) that’s very popular with tourists and plenty of locals. It’s open late and there’s no doubt you’ll see a swarm of people dancing the night away to some live band upstairs or to a DJ at the nightclub downstairs.
It can take a while to warm up but once it does, look out. You may even have to queue to get in. Whether you decide to or not, I’ll leave that decision to you!

As late night pubs’n’clubs go, this is one for the history books. This old décor, unfriendly service, and cheap drinks makes it somewhere to go once you’re already too drunk to care.
I love this place, I love the old 1980 – 1990’s songs they play, the loud pub vibe, which makes you want to fist pump the air, screaming ‘I haven’t heard this in years’ and dancing ’till you’ve found a touristy backpacker friend to take to the bathrooms.
This is definitely not a place to get dressed up for. I guarantee someone will spill something on you, and I also guarantee you won’t really care that much. Don’t attempt Scruffy Murphy’s on an empty stomach, or without a sure amount of alcohol in your blood stream — it’s not for the light hearted, or the early flakers. This is an all-​nighter test, a religious pub experience, you’ll either love it or loathe it — there’s no sitting on the fence.

As dirty Irish bars go, you don’t get much dirtier! The smell that greets you as you enter is a combination of floor cleaner, alcohol and (most likely) vomit. But you’re not exactly expecting a quiet room filled with respectability. At least I hope you’re not (the clue’s in the name!). On any particular night, you’re likely to find a throng of drunken travellers enjoying the delights of home (i.e. pints). I think I grew out of this place a long time ago, but still occasionally find myself there after one too many. One redeeming feature is the live music that fills the main bar a few nights a week, which I’ve always found to be quite good (may have something to do with the couple of pre-​Scruffy beverages).
If you’ve never been before, well, I don’t recommend it, but it’s certainly an experience!

Scruffy Murphy’s just makes me feel weird. It could be the cabal of drinkers out front at all hours and temperatures of the day. It could be the almost black hole powered light resistance of the interior when confronted with sunlight. Or it could be the dangerous consequences of sitting down on any flat surface in this bar are always in the back of my mind. But I didn’t say bad weird, just regular weird.
And maybe that’s a good thing — you should feel regular weird every now and then. I would recommend that anyone visit Scruffy’s at least once. The staff are unbelievably friendly and it is a genuine experience — the cognitive dissonance from being electronically wanded for weapons outside from the usual airport surroundings is an interesting sensation.

If you’re ever in the mood to find some cute forgeigner to kiss then this is the place for you. I’d focus more on its Scruffyness than anything else, but I’d almost say this pub is a right of passage. Think sticky floors, cheap drinks, all the songs you scream «I love this song» too. It’s the perfect mix of seedyness and fun. I do not know one person who has gone to Scruphy Murphys and not ended up in the corner with their tongue down the mouth of someone who barely speaks English. There’s no age restriction but if you’re over 30 you probably shouldn’t be there. This is a great place to drink dance and pashndash. Scruphy Murphs also has specials and event nights so make sure you check out their website before heading out. Also, I suggest you catch public transport and a taxi, because if you’re heading to a place like Scruffy’s you’re guaranteed a messy night.

Well known pub in Sydney to meet people, a good rock band almost every night (sadly cover music most of the time) cheap drinks compare to others and a club part at the underfloor. An open balcony is available to take some fresh air or have a smoke ;o)
Better not tease the security and you can have a really good time!

Irish Pub mit Disko im Keller.
Auf beiden Ebenen gibt es eine Bar. Im Erdgeschoss befindet sich ein typischer Irish Pub mit Sportübertragungen und Live-​Musik.
Im Keller befindet sich eine kleine Disko. Dort lief Housemusik und Charts.

Das Scruffy Murphys ist einer der Orte, den JEDER Backpacker in Australien einmal besuchen wird. Man kommt einfach nicht drum herum. Es ist wie eine magische Anziehnungskraft den dieser Pub besitzt. Das Scruffy ist ein Irish Pub. Im Keller gibt es auch abends noch einen Club. Angeblich gibt es noch ein drittes Stockwerk, welches ich jedoch nie gesehen habe. Es gibt mehrere Male die Woche auch so was wie ein Quiz in dem Teams teilnehmen und was gewinnen können. Hierbei gehen die Iren und Engländer voll ab, während die Deutschen generell die Euphorie nie verstehen können. Jaja. die unterschiedlichen Kulturen. Tagsüber gibts hier auch irisches Essen, was ich aber nie probiert habe. Deswegen kann ich dazu nichts sagen. Da ich hier die besten Nächte meines Lebens verbracht habe gibts volle 4 Sterne. Einen Stern Abzug jedoch dafür dass das Scruffys in den Medien vor knapp 2 Jahren Schlagzeilen gemacht hat, weil die Türsteher sehr rassistisch gegenüber Indern gewesen sein sollen.

To be honest, Scruffy Murphy’s (otherwise known as just Scruffy’s or even the more colourful Scruffy Muffs) is one of those places that you can really love and hate at the same time!
Admitting that you frequent this place will either elicit a hearty laugh or a look of alarm, depending on who you speak to. And often, the main people who laugh and nod will be current or former backpacker visitors to Sydney, as it is largely one of those pubs.
But I should elaborate.
Scruffy’s is spread over three levels: basement level, street level, and an upstairs level. It’s technically an Irish pub, so it serves Irish ciders and Guinness, and a lot of the clientele will be backpackers — mostly Irish and English, particularly because they do play a lot of the European soccer games that other Sydney pubs might not.
The basement is the nightclub, which opens at 11pm and also tends to be the best air-​conditioned area of the place to cope with the frenzied dancing that happens when the place gets going. And that can take a while, but if it does get pumping it can be a great laugh. It is truly one of those nightclubs where you can just go and dance as well or as badly as you like and no one really cares. This is not a place to be seen and look cool it’s a place to have a laugh with your mates. Do be wary though, as Scruffy’s is a notorious ‘meat market’, and a lot of people there are pretty intent on some company — keep your wits about you, girls AND guys. It can be a great fun night if you have a bit of common sense. The music is generally a mix of Top 40 danceable type stuff — the kind of songs everyone knows that are easy enough to dance to.
Oh, and one part of the true Scruffy’s experiences that you will always be able to have a giggle about with others who’ve been there — in the nightclub there is one frequent punter who always stands out. He’s probably in his 30s, of Asian appearance, and wears clothes made out of holographic material. He just wanders about the nightclub on his own, smiling at people — don’t be freaked out, just grab him and have a photo with him. (He won’t bug you, I think he’s honestly just there to have people take photos with him. Bless.) I will post a pic of him — be sure to keep an eye out! Anyway.
The main bar on the ground level is quite tame (borderline empty) until about 10.00pm, sometimes later. Scruffy’s is rarely anyone’s starter bar for the night most people go elsewhere and then when other pubs start to close, everyone heads to Scruffy’s because, well, it’s open and there’s no cover charge! So the later you go, the busier it will be. And when it is busy, it is BUSY. This floor isn’t exempt from the ‘meat market’ factor either, so only make fair eye contact with people if you want them to come and have a chat! There is a central part of this floor that turns dance floor, with a video juke box with screens mounted and lots of Top 40 tunes cranking out. There is also a stage and at some point of the night you are bound to get the jukebox music cut off (though the videos often still play) and a cover band will generally play songs that everyone can sing along to. Once they finish their set, the music goes back to the jukebox for the rest of the night.
Upstairs is largely a seated area and holds the restaurant section of the pub. The food is actually pretty decent and it does have a good ambience about it, so it’s not a bad place to grab a bite. There’s also another bar so you can have a few more quiet pints than you might be able to grab in the rest of the pub.
If you get hungry after the restaurant is shut, never fear — possibly the busiest kebab shop is situated right next door, and they are ready at the beginning of the night with absolute piles of fresh ingredients ready to go. They know they’ll be busy, and they are they get everyone coming from other pubs going in, and they get everyone else on the way out.
All in all, Scruffy’s is not and is not likely to ever be a really classy place. But if you already have a few under your belt and feel that the bar you are in is closing way too early for your liking, and/​or you just want to get a bit tiddly and have a late night boogie with your mates, then head down to Scruffy’s. Take it for what it is, and make your own fun.