Adelaide’s best pool tables
CityMag’s resident pool sharks have taken the cue out of the rack to find Adelaide’s top six places for a game of billiards.
Pool: less the sport of kings and more the sport of pubs. It belongs to the common man, the takes it too seriously man, the always wants to debate the rules man and, perhaps most frequently, the “I get better at it when I drink” man. Maybe you developed a love for it after your first time. Maybe you hate it with a passion and will never play again. Or perhaps you don’t mind it but just really hate those shots when you’re up against the cushion or need to shoot back from the D.
Whatever your state of mind, CityMag believes you should be armed with the knowledge of what we reckon to be Adelaide’s top six venues for a game of pool. Don’t leave it to pot luck.
Visiting 15 venues across metropolitan Adelaide, CityMag’s pool-shooters-in-residence have deployed what we believe to be a (semi) scientific method to rank what is a very scientific game. Venues were weighted on their cost (does anyone have a $2 coin?) and the condition of their tables and equipment. But we’ve also included an overall ‘vibe’ criteria to ensure there’s something in it for those who keep forgetting if they’re bigs or smalls.
Happy potting, dear reader.
Empire Bar and Pool
$14/hour at 2 Gresham Street, Adelaide 5000
The workhorse of the Adelaide pool scene. The CBD go-to for pros and novices alike. The fallback option on those nights when you just can’t find a table. The ever-reliable, seemingly always-open Empire Bar and Pool takes out the number one spot on our list. Boasting 16 American tables and 12 smaller pub-sized tables, the underground Gresham Street venue has all the little bells and whistles that make pool sharks feel at home: pristinely maintained cues, chunky American pool balls and an abundance of chalk ensures your cue tip will always be in perfect shape for those rack-busting breaks. Everything is as it should be, and we’d expect nothing less from a venue run by Alec Evreniadis, an Australian Eight Ball Federation Hall of Famer. Since moving out of its West Terrace digs in 2018, Empire has adopted an underground cocktail bar feel with neon lighting, DJ performances on Friday and Saturday nights, and live sport on TVs viewable from every table.
Vibe: 8.5 | Table condition: 8.5 | Equipment condition: 9.5 | Table location: 8.5
Atlas Pool Club
$18/hour at Level 1/121-123 Gouger Street, Adelaide 5000
Head to the heart of Gouger Street, find a street-side elevator and head up to Atlas for one of the best pool experiences in the CBD’s west. You’ll be greeted by blue neon lights and even bluer pool tables; some of the coolest looking we had the pleasure of playing on. The tables were the perfect size, there was plenty of seating (provided you’re assigned a table along the wall), the balls were shiny with plenty of heft and the gear was second best after Empire’s. It was a bit quiet though; at 7pm on a Friday, there was only one other crew potting shots. The drinks selection could be better, but for amenity, access and quality you’d do far worse than Atlas.
Vibe: 6 | Table condition: 8.5 | Equipment condition: 8 | Table location: 8.5
Crown & Anchor
$2/game at 196 Grenfell Street, Adelaide 5000
As if live music, cold beer and good company weren’t enough, our beloved Crown & Anchor also has two pool tables. While their placement in the bar causes chaos for those trying to get to the toilet (dodging errant cues after a couple of drinks is an athletic feat), they are right in the thick of the action and just a couple of steps away from a beverage. In fact, Cranker is the top-rated non-pool hall on this list. Maybe the pub’s inclusion in this list is premature nostalgia (get some pool in here while you can – the Cranker is going to close for two years very soon), but the cheap price point, surprisingly well-looked-after gear and table, and general atmosphere plumped up our scores.
Vibe: 9.5 | Table condition: 8 | Equipment condition: 8 | Table location: 5.75
Chalkers Eightball Centre
$14/hour upstairs at 112 Jetty Road, Glenelg 5045
Empire’s beachside cousin is a bit rougher around the edges (and on the cloth) than its city relative but comes with enough character and ’80s hits to round out our podium. Accorded ‘Jetty Road institution’ status by the local council, ‘Chalkers’ brings less of those small cocktail bar vibes and more of that “your dad’s old pool hall” energy. Memorabilia – marking occasions as diverse as Greece’s 2004 Euros victory to Steve Waugh’s last ball Ashes Century – lines the walls while Duran Duran pumps through the speakers and bar staff roam the lounge taking your orders. What’s not to like? Even if the condition of the cues doesn’t quite reach CityMag’s bar for a 10/10, it’d probably muddle the aesthetic if everything was in perfect condition.
Vibe: 9 | Table condition: 7.5 | Equipment condition: 7 | Table location: 9
Shot n Pot
$14/hour at 289 Main North Road, Enfield 5085
Don’t judge a book by its cover. While we were initially a bit off-put by the smashed glass door welcoming CityMag into Shot n Pot Enfield, any fears that this venue was substandard were quickly dashed after the first break.The tables here are the best of the bunch – even better than Empire – per- fectly smooth, velvety and super fast. The balls zip across the table at lightning speeds, resulting in a glorious crack each time the white ball collides with another. The place “smells like pool in a model train way” according to one-half of this pool reviewing team – a compliment to the authenticity of the space that’s simple but dedicated to the game itself. If you fancy an alcoholic beverage, you might be out of luck in the afternoon (the liquor licence kicks in later), but the team serves bowls of fries and other snacks to keep you playing for hours.
Vibe: 6.25 | Table condition: 9.5 | Equipment condition: 8.75 | Table location: 9
Yellow Matter
$2/game at Unit 18/108/120 Marion Road, Brooklyn Park 5032
Tucked away in Brooklyn Park sits a hidden pool gem. The Marion Road microbrewery Yellow Matter opened last year sporting a new pool table in its corner pocket, and CityMag already rates it among the best. Perhaps we’re getting carried away by that new pool table feeling, but the electronic coin slots to deposit your $2 are pretty nifty. The table’s bright white body, red cloth and shiny balls make you feel like you’re the pool player in a witty Nespresso commercial or a James Bond film (it feels classy, that’s all we’re trying to say). And four cues – not to mention a mechanical bridge – is pretty good going for a venue that specialises in pizza and beer rather than billiards. If your stroke can cope with the regular sound of passenger planes on final approach to Adelaide Airport, we recommend Yellow Matter. Get in quick though, you won’t be the only one hoping for a shot.
Vibe: 8 | Table condition: 9 | Equipment condition: 7 | Table location: 7
This article first appeared in The Game Edition of CityMag.
