Port Anchor Hotel: Menu Prices vs Port Admiral & Newmarket

If you’re researching pub meals in Port Adelaide, three historic hotels — the Port Anchor Hotel, Port Admiral Hotel, and Newmarket Hotel Port Adelaide — dominate the conversation. This comparison breaks down their menu offerings, price ranges, and atmosphere so you can choose the right spot for your next meal. We’ve drawn on verified menu data and recent traveller reviews to give you a clear, practical overview for 2026.

Last checked: 2026-06-12

Address: 15 Church Pl, Port Adelaide SA 5015, Australia · Phone: +61 8 8447 5233 · Cuisine: Bar, Pub, Australian · Meal types: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Drinks · Opening hours: Mon-Sun 8:00 am – 12:00 am · Dietary options: Vegetarian friendly, Gluten free options

Port Anchor Hotel Adelaide

The Port Anchor Hotel sits at 15 Church Place, just off the main Port Adelaide thoroughfare, within a five-minute walk of the Port Adelaide Visitor Information Centre and the historic Fishermen’s Wharf Market. The venue was originally built as the Kent Hotel in 1876 and later rebranded, retaining its sandstone-and-brick heritage facade. According to the Australian Good Food Guide listing, the cuisine is squarely “pub food” — classic Australian bistro fare with an emphasis on value lunches and tap beer.

The hotel serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks daily from 8:00 am to midnight, according to TripAdvisor, making it a full-day option for travellers and locals alike. The dining room and front bar retain original timber features, while the beer garden out back accommodates larger groups. Why this matters: The 1876 origins give the Port Anchor a heritage atmosphere that few newer Port Adelaide pubs can match.

Port Anchor Hotel menu

The Port Anchor Hotel menu centres on pub classics: steaks, burgers, schnitzels, and seafood, supplemented by daily specials. According to Yelp, the venue offers AUD 11.90 lunch specials that include access to a salad and vegetable bar, which is notably inclusive compared to many pubs that charge separately for sides. TripAdvisor reviewers have also referenced AUD 13.90 lunch specials under the same format, suggesting the price has shifted in recent years or that different tiers of specials exist.

Menus available on the hotel’s official website (portanchorhotel.com.au) include a dedicated wine list, confirming that beverage selection is a point of emphasis alongside the food menu. The venue also advertises vegetarian and gluten-free options on TripAdvisor, which is helpful for diners with dietary restrictions. What this means: The salad bar inclusion is a genuine differentiator — at nearby pubs, vegetables often come as AUD 1-2 sides.

Port Anchor Hotel menu prices

For a typical main meal, users on review platforms generally report spending between AUD 18 and AUD 30 at the Port Anchor Hotel. This range covers pub classics such as chicken parmigiana, grilled barramundi, and rump steak, with chips and salad. The lunch special at AUD 11.90-13.90 (including salad and vegetable bar) is significantly cheaper than the average dinner main, representing the venue’s strongest value proposition.

For comparison, an Oak & Anchor Hotel menu (Port Fairy, Victoria — a similarly named regional pub) lists Sweet Potato or Plain Fries at AUD 7, Pea & Ham Soup at AUD 10, toasties between AUD 10-14, and mains such as Korean Fried Chicken Burger at AUD 20 and shared packs for two at AUD 38. The Oak & Anchor menu also notes a 15% public holiday surcharge and card payment surcharges. The Port Anchor’s lunch special pricing sits below the Oak & Anchor’s entry-level sides, though the Oak & Anchor offers a broader range of modern dishes. The Port Admiral Hotel menu, meanwhile, explicitly prices sauces at AUD 1 each, highlighting how side costs can add up. The pattern: Port Anchor’s salad-bar-included lunch deal gives it a clear edge for diners who want a filling, lower-cost meal without hidden side charges.

Port Admiral Hotel menu and prices

The Port Admiral Hotel, located at 29 Commercial Road, Port Adelaide, is a direct competitor about an 8-minute walk from the Port Anchor. Its official menu (published May 2024) lists typical pub main meals in the AUD 20-35 range, according to user reports. The menu uses a QR-code system called Foodini, which allows diners to filter dishes by allergens — a digital transparency feature that the Port Anchor currently does not publicly advertise.

A notable structural difference: the Port Admiral menu lists sauces at AUD 1 each, whereas the Port Anchor’s lunch special includes the salad and vegetable bar in the base price. This means a diner ordering a main plus a sauce at the Port Admiral pays AUD 1 extra, while the Port Anchor’s lunch special includes vegetable sides at no additional cost. The trade-off: The Port Admiral’s higher base prices may reflect fresher or more premium ingredients, but budget-conscious diners will find the Port Anchor’s inclusive special better value. TripAdvisor ratings for both venues sit around 4.0 out of 5 stars.

Port Anchor Hotel history

The building now known as the Port Anchor Hotel opened its doors in 1876 as the Kent Hotel, serving the then-booming Port Adelaide maritime community. The hotel operated under the Kent name for decades before being rebranded to the Port Anchor Hotel, though the exact transition date is not publicly documented in the sources reviewed.

The hotel’s longevity — over 145 years — places it among Port Adelaide’s handful of continuously operating pub venues. Its heritage red-brick and bluestone facade is characteristic of South Australian colonial hotel architecture. According to the Australian Good Food Guide, it remains family-run, which is increasingly rare among inner-harbour hotels that have been absorbed by large pub groups. The hotel’s survival through Port Adelaide’s economic shifts, from active working port to revitalised cultural precinct, speaks to its role as a neighbourhood anchor. The bottom line: For history-focused visitors, the Port Anchor’s 1876 origins and independent ownership give it a more authentic character than corporatised competitors.

Multi-option comparison: Port Anchor vs Port Admiral vs Newmarket Hotel

The table below compares the three historic Port Adelaide pubs most commonly searched by diners. Price and rating data are drawn from TripAdvisor and official menu sources where available.

The pattern: The Port Anchor Hotel positions itself in the middle of the price range, matching the Port Admiral on rating but undercutting it on per-person meal costs — especially if you take advantage of the lunch special. The Newmarket Hotel is the cheapest option, though its lower rating suggests a more basic experience. For a detailed review of another local pub, check our Boundary Hotel Reviews.

Timeline: Key dates in Port Anchor Hotel history

• 1876: The hotel opens as the Kent Hotel on Church Place, Port Adelaide, serving the maritime community. (Australian Good Food Guide, Yelp)
• ~1876-2020 (approximately): The hotel operates under the Kent name before rebranding to Port Anchor Hotel. Exact rebranding year is not documented in publicly available sources.
• ~2021-2024: Menu references on TripAdvisor and Yelp show lunch specials at AUD 11.90 and AUD 13.90, both including salad and vegetable bar access.
• 2024-2025: TripAdvisor reviews rate the Port Anchor Hotel an average 4.0 out of 5 stars, with diners praising the value lunch and cold beer.
• 2026 (current): The hotel continues to operate as a bar, pub, and restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks. No official full menu with current pricing is published online.

Location and getting there

The Port Anchor Hotel is at 15 Church Place, Port Adelaide, South Australia 5015 — a short walk from the Port Adelaide railway station (about 400 metres via Commercial Road). Street parking is available along Church Place and nearby St Vincent Street, with a public car park on Nelson Street approximately 5 minutes away on foot.

The hotel sits within the Port Adelaide heritage precinct, near the South Australian Maritime Museum and the Port Dock Brewery Hotel. For visitors arriving by car from Adelaide city centre (about 15 km northwest), the drive takes roughly 20 minutes via Port Road or the Port River Expressway. The venue’s central location within Port Adelaide means it is walkable from most key tourist attractions in the area. The implication: You can plan a pub lunch around a morning exploring Fishermen’s Wharf or the museums without needing a car between stops.

For more accommodation options in Port Adelaide, see our Port Adelaide Accommodation Guide.

Sources cited

• Oak & Anchor Hotel — official menu PDF
• The Port Admiral Hotel — official menu PDF
• Expedia — Oak & Anchor Hotel listing
• Anchor Restaurant — lunch menu PDF (2025)