The Grosvenor in East Perth
The achievement of practical completion on the unfinished rollercoaster bridge has opened up a range of possible venues for pre-game drinks / lunch. Sadly, most of these are located in East Perth, meaning they are either terrible, closed on a Sunday, or both. The walk to the stadium from the better places in the CBD is longer than the footbridge’s punch list. When Barnett said he expected people to walk from the CBD to the ground – a longer walk than from the CBD to Subi – I assume he had never set foot in East Perth, nor met anyone from Perth.
Anyway, one place that isn’t terrible is The Grosvenor. In my youth, The Grosvenor was one of the only decent live music venues in Perth, but as these things go it ran afoul of residents and/or a crippling desire to gentrify everything to within an inch of its life. So I always find a visit to The Grosvenor a little bittersweet. It’s a bit like seeing one of your old friends who used to be cool, but who then went back to law school and now is just a boring suit who settled down with a wife and a kid, and only gets to see his friends once in a while and is normally home by 9pm. So, it’s fair to say The Grosvenor and I have a bit in common, save for the me never being cool bit.
Walking time to stadium: 20 minutes 10/20
I set the timer on this one, because I thought it might be a long walk. It was exactly 25 minutes to the stadium side of the footbridge, but that included a detour because the stairs on the northern side of the footbridge weren’t complete yet, which meant a little doubling back to the ramp on the other side. It’s not a bad walk through, and you get to see East Perth in its eclectic glory (though, for what it’s worth, I’m not 100% sure I’d want to do the walk back alone at night). Some of our friends jumped on the event bus and beat us there, if you feel like being lazy/efficient. You'd probably want to leave 40 minutes before bounce to make sure you were in your seat.
Ease to get there: 8/10
At least yesterday there was plenty of street parking (we got there 1pm for a 2.40pm), there’s plenty of public transport nearby, and it’s only about 10-15 minute walk from the CBD.
Availability of seating: 10/10
The Grosvenor is a pretty big place, so at least on a Sunday afternoon you should have no trouble finding a seat. There’s a great range of places to sit: a nice beer garden, a good inside pub/bar with Foxtel (sadly the Eagles were on and they won, which I wasn’t psychologically prepared for) as well as more of a dining part. We sat inside and it had a pretty good pub vibe, but on a nicer day the outside would be the way to go.
Beer selection: 7/10
The beer selection didn’t really jump out at me – it has the pretty standard offerings, including the perfectly drinkable James Squire beers, and a decent selection of other beers (including Guinness). You won’t get a beer snob stroking his or her beard in faux-contemplation, but most will be able to find something they like.
Beer price: 7/10
Full disclosure – I timed my run perfectly mid-rounds, and so I didn’t actually buy a beer myself (Freo wasn’t the only battler to have a win on the weekend). Strangely the beer list doesn’t appear on The Grosvenor’s website, so I’m not sure how expensive the beer was. I’m guessing middle of the road.
Quality / value of food: 8/10
The menu has very good pre-footy pub fare. It’s the sort of place that is comfortable having a SurfnTurf on the menu. Now, I’m never going to order the SurfnTurf because I’m too much of a snob, but the mere presence of that menu item says to the punter they aren’t going to be judged for whatever they order that will bring them simple happiness. It gladdens my heart to see it there. The steak sandwich for $24 was probably the pick of the table, but the pizzas were also very good, and my parmi was solid. One of my friends has coeliac disease, and this place has a specific gluten free menu, so that was a win for him; and let’s face it, if you have to live your life avoiding wheat, barley and rye, which is important for almost all the good (non-wine) booze you could use a few wins along the way.
Wait time for beer and food: 9/10
The place wasn’t particularly busy, so there were no issues getting the food out in time, and no wait time at the bar.
Good for kids: 8/10
It’s a pretty standard pub, so there’s nothing particularly here for the kids, but the staff did heat up a milk bottle for one of my friends to give to their newborn (and they were champs about it), so they get a bonus point here.
General Vibe: 8/10
Sitting inside a pub on rainy day, with the footy on, some unpretentious food, and decent beer felt about right for a pre-game lunch. They were playing a pretty stellar 80s mix which although wasn't completely my bag, I reckon would appeal to a few on here.
Overall: 75/100
There are a few bars near the stadium, but not many establishments that can meaningfully call themselves a pub. History with the venue notwithstanding, the Grosvenor, when approached on its own terms, is a pretty good pub. Whether it is a viable pre-game venue for most people will depend on how you feel about the 20-25 minute walk. I like a good stroll to the game, so for me the distance might work in its favour by keeping the hordes away. Perhaps the distance will limit the chances of it being a regular Sunday game haunt, but I can definitely see myself parked at the Grosvenor for a couple of hours before a game on a Saturday evening, or even as a drop in on the way to a Thursday or Friday game where I can sneak out of work early and walk down. Definitely worth a shot.
