The Alex

When Merivale rescued The Alex from the demolition ball in 2016, it wasn't simply to preserve another heritage-listed pub—it was to honour a 150-year-old community institution in Alexandria that had earned its place in the inner west's heart.

The revived venue centres on an outdoor beer garden where a converted shipping container bar sits alongside a basketball court, live music and the kind of relaxed energy that defines neighbourhood gathering spaces. The interior reveals original bones: salvaged timber panels, a carousel island bar that remains one of Sydney's rarest, and tiles that emerged from beneath decades of wear.

Dogs are thoroughly welcome in the backyard, where families and friend groups drift between drinks and games on a Sunday session, making The Alex a genuinely unassuming neighbourhood favourite.