Stoic suburban The Mitch of Alexandria has adopted a new but classic community-led approach under Phil Anderson’s Rum Rebellion Hospitality Group.
Built 1920, first trading as the Balaclava Hotel, the pub set on a corner of Mitchell Road was long known as the Buckland Hotel, which was doomed after being forced to shut down entertainment around 2012 due to noise complaints, and later as a Fratelli Fresh restaurant, until COVID.
It then sat dark for a while before Brett Davis reopened it mid-2024 as sports-based pub The Mitch.
Mid-2025 it was taken over by Rum Rebellion. With Anderson finding nothing of the original pub to restore, he embarked on a transformation of its look, feel, philosophy and food offering.
“Rather than chase a heritage that was already gone, we built something new,” he says.
The result is a pub and restaurant reimagined together, rebuilt with purpose over the course of a year by people who work at the venue, into a modern public house designed around “how people actually gather” that Anderson says is somewhere between a Roman trattoria and a proper Aussie boozer, where people can eat, meet and see a gig all under one roof.
“The MiTCH is a neighbourhood pub like no other, and I’ve worked really hard over the past year to craft an experience that’s warm, unpretentious and genuinely good, proper pub.
“The MiTCH isn’t reopening … it’s re-emerged as a modern local with restaurant energy, pub soul and plenty of reasons to come back.”
Patrons are greeted with Mediterranean vibes courtesy of a woodfired pizza oven and open front bar, amid an Amalfi colour palette, with spritzes on the tables and art on the walls. Beyond this is a proper pub and place for banter, featuring pool, sports, and relevant, curated memorabilia.
The Mitch very deliberately has no poker machines, putting greater emphasis on the need for appeal through food, hospitality and atmosphere, and through community investment, seen in its local sponsorships and neighbourhood partnerships, raffles and weekly rituals – and live music.
Rum Rebellion applied for a NSW Government grant supporting live music and The Mitch was one of the recipients.
The last musician to play on the stage of The Buckland was a local named Alice, who returns fourteen years later as the group’s Head of Storytelling and was the first to play when the room was reopened.
Live music is now back weekly, reflecting the venue’s commitment to culture, community connection and creating a place where artists can thrive.
Creating an atmosphere that prioritises warmth, ease and familiarity over exclusivity, families are encouraged, provided a dedicated kids’ area, and so are dogs.
The revised branding incorporates a wolf and the Italian good-luck line ‘in bocca al lupo’, meaning ‘into the wolf’s mouth’ and in part inspired by the cavernous wood-fired oven.
New Argentina-born head chef Adrian Czarny has cooked his way across his home country, New Zealand and Sydney, including at Coogee Bay Hotel.
The menu is made up of “food that complements the experience rather than defining it” – serving pub classics and generous share plates alongside Italian classics, pastas and proper Napoli-style pizza, such as the 18-hour Slow Braised Brisket or Garlic Prawns and Nduja pizzas.
There is also a low & slow-cooked Brisket Ragu Pappardelle, a ‘Benchmark’ Chicken Parmigiana, The Ringo ‘Two Hands Required’ smashed-patty burger, and a Sunday ritual roast of 18-hour brisket or crispy pork belly.
Not to be outdone, the drinks menu features a Barrel-aged program offering a choice of eight cocktails – aged in barrels behind the bar, a list of 10 Spritzes, the Friday Marg Ritual ranging seventeen flavours of the classic, and a Signature list featuring a Maple Bacon Old Fashioned and the Rum Rebellion Espresso Martini.
For the less adventurous, wine is served by the glass, carafe or bottle.
Cementing its community cred, The Mitch is proud sponsor of the Newtown Swans, and throughout each week it hosts Monday Locals’ night, Tuesday trivia, Wednesday pool comp sponsored by Grifter, Thursday community raffles, and live music every Saturday, sponsored by Young Henrys.
Also on the cards are a Pizza Piazza night, Chablis & Chardonnay long table, and a showcase event for Alexandria brewery.
Anderson explains they are creating a venue shaped around its neighbourhood that people return to for different reasons, less about an occasional visit and more a common space to drop in throughout the week.
“Making an independent, pokies-free pub work in Sydney takes luck, talent and a serious amount of hard work, and we reckon we’ve got all three,” poses the new owner.
“Not simply somewhere nearby, but somewhere people choose to go.”
