If you have been chasing a decent pub steak around the Hunter, the people have done the legwork for you. Newcastle Weekly ran a reader vote for the Hunter's Best Pub Steak for 2026, and the results landed on 18 September, so the leaderboard is fresh and the winner is officially crowned.
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The top spot went to the Heddon Greta Hotel, which has been standing on Main Road in Heddon Greta since 1902. It is known affectionately as the people's pub and keeps things straightforward with classic pub meals and bistro fare. It seats 150, so there is plenty of room for a group, and it is open from 10am to 10pm Monday to Thursday and Sunday, and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. If you end up wanting something other than steak, the Chicken Scallopini with creamy bacon, mushroom, garlic and white wine sauce on mash and vegetables is the dish people point to. It takes Visa, Mastercard and Eftpos.
Coming in second was The Gates Hotel in Adamstown, at 660 Glebe Road, and it has been a local favourite for years. The menu sits somewhere between traditional pub food and fine dining, with lunch from 12pm to 2pm and dinner from 5.30pm to 8.30pm. On the grill you will find a 450g Viking for A$56 and a 400g T-Bone for A$46, alongside schnitzels from A$26 to A$31, burgers at A$22, lamb shanks at A$29 and Atlantic salmon at A$34. There are also oysters from A$25 to A$49, sizzling garlic prawns from A$22 to A$30, pastas from A$27 to A$33 and salads from A$16 to A$28, with kids' meals at A$12. Dietary options cover vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free. The bar has a broad range of wine and spirits and a TAB with big-screen TVs, and the weekly line-up runs from Pints at Schooner Prices on Sunday to Tuesday, Joker Poker on Wednesdays, meat raffles and the Member's Draw on Fridays, and Super Six on Saturdays. It sits at 4.3 stars on Google from 654 reviews.
Third place went to The Del Hotel Newcastle on the corner of Darby and Council Streets in Cooks Hill, which has been one of the city's most iconic watering holes since 1924 and reopened in 2025 after a big renovation. Executive Chef Stephen Scott and Head Chef Jeff Rofe have put on an elevated pub menu with local Hunter Valley steaks, sourdough pizzas cold-fermented overnight, and share plates like crumbled olives with whipped feta, hot honey fried chicken and zucchini flowers with honey and ricotta. There are also schnitzels, burgers, parmigianas, pork coteletta with rocket and fennel, grilled salmon with peas and bacon and whole roast snapper, plus a French Rotisol oven for Sunday roasts. It is open 10am to midnight Monday to Saturday and 10am to 10pm on Sunday, with a 4.1 rating from 875 reviews. The specials are a big part of the draw: a $20 pizza night on Mondays, $20 schnitzel and burger night on Tuesdays, $23 Steak Night with frites and bottomless fries on Wednesdays, Aperitivo Thursdays, Locals Night on Fridays with live acoustic from 4pm, and a $30 Sunday Roast from 11am to 10pm.
Rounding out the list are The Prince of Merewether, the Prince of Wales Hotel since 1876, with its AHA award-winning burgers, prime cut steak and a huge bar, and The Greenroof Hotel in Hamilton, where new publicans Dani and Brent Rowlands have refreshed the space and the menu under head chef Isaac Hense, with schnitzels, steaks and fresh pasta.
Published Date
19 September 2026
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