Since reopening last year, the Saracens Head has been refining its offering to reflect the wants and needs of local residents and city workers alike.

Only a couple of decades ago, Adelaide’s CBD was awash with pubs. Nowadays, having a local within strolling distance in the city is like winning the housing lottery.

A good pub is an extension of one’s living space; its beer garden a generous proxy for a cramped courtyard or balcony. For this reason, the latest goings on at the Saracens Head make it worth a visit anew.

The Duxton Pubs Group took over management of the character-laden hotel last year, creating a homey feel, banishing pokies and bringing in a menu designed by Brendan Boothroyd, executive chef at the Stirling Hotel.

As to be expected from the pub group that also controls The Lion Hotel, The Cremorne and The Brompton, the food is top notch.

The kitchen has been fine-tuned to offer a tantalising menu that can cater to discerning lunchtime diners on a tight schedule. Think slow-cooked brisket, Louisiana sunburst salad, a luscious baked gnocchi or pan-fried barramundi.

The pub has also introduced $15 lunch specials, table bookings and meal pre-ordering to ensure a speedy in and out.

Saracens’ venue manager, Grantley Souter, says it’s about making everyone feel at home, while also delivering some serious flavour hits.

He points to menu items like the Philly steak hoagie and Cajun chicken curry with roti that encourage relaxed dining and unabashed enjoyment.

Pablo Theodoros handles wine procurement for the Duxton Group. He and Grantley have pulled together a stellar selection of lo-fi local wines and French champagne.

“It’s full of great, small South Australian producers that we love,” Pablo says. “It’s not a massive list. But it’s always rotating.”

This rotation sees a the pub offer about a dozen wines by the bottle and glass. Saracens is also home to a wine wall, broadening options for drinkers and encouraging discovery.

“If you’re at a table for six and you’re given a wine list, you can’t all read that at once,” Pablo explains. “You’ve got to share it around and, quite often, you end up going for the wine you all know.”

He says any doubts about leaving one’s table to make a selection quickly dissipate – getting consensus tends to be faster when you can see and read the label.

Importantly, Pablo says the pub has “a kick ass champagne selection” for when a celebration is in order.

Saracens doesn’t have a dedicated bottle shop, but takeaway purchases are entirely doable. It’s the pubs own version of “exit via the gift shop”,” Pablo laughs.

For those purchasing a bottle to have in-house, simply add $20 corkage.

On Monday evenings, beer and spirits flow for the after-work crowd, as the Saracens’ pool tables fill up thanks to the regular ‘free play’ night.

Those who stop by on Fridays are able to enjoy the pub’s generous hospitality in the form of $1 sliders. The record is twenty-five shared between a group of three.

The Saracens also has a suitable replacement for apartment dwellers’ home entertainment units, in the form of its range of music programming. On Thursdays there’s resident DJ Normie B, and live acoustic sets on Friday and Saturday nights.

It’s a vibe that venue manager Grantley sums up simply with “Mi casa, su casa”.

Yes, it is, you lucky city folk.

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