It’s scarcely a week since The Hope & Anchor quietly opened its doors and Paddo locals have come out in force. It’s Sunday afternoon and every table in the place is taken – including the picnic benches out front on the footpath, the tables in the cosy courtyard, and the sprawling booth inside the front door.

It’s easy to see why it’s already so popular. Everyone knows from its former Lark days that the 1880s heritage-listed two-story cottage is just as charming as can be, with exposed sandstone walls, a moodily-lit attic and an open fireplace in the courtyard. It’s had a bit of a facelift, but those good bones remain.

It may be inspired by traditional English pubs, but don’t be expecting stodgy battered cod and soggy chips from the kitchen. Nick Stapleton has put together another winning menu that’s a little bit down ’n’ dirty, and a little bit fancy.

Here the chip butty comes on golden-fried sourdough crammed full of crisp shoestring fries dressed with tangy house-made tomato sauce and black garlic mayo. Small bites include Rueben rolls, the perfect beer snack, with zingy sauerkraut and Swiss cheese wrapped up in warm Wagyu pastrami. Arancini are just as they should be: golden on the outside and cheesy on the inside. Among the larger dishes is a very classy mushroom gnocchi: silky, pan-fried dumplings with lashings of mascarpone, served with a sprinkling of hazelnuts for crunch.

Neither is there any English ale served at room temperature, thankfully. On tap there’s a changing selection of Australian craft beer including Young Henry’s natural lager and real ale and Gold Coast-based Balter Brewing’s Alt Brown. Bottles and tins include local Green Beacon 3 Bolt Pale and Pirate Life IPA from Adelaide.

The wine offering is quite a lot smarter than your average sticky-carpet local, (even if the stemware isn’t). The mostly Australian selection includes quirky, creative drops like A Boy with Fruit Shiraz from Mudgee and Smallfry Tangerine Dream (a blend of riesling, semillon, Pedro Ximénez, rousanne and muscat) from the Barossa.

And because this is the latest venture by Jamie Webb of Lefty’s, Sonny’s and Ginger’s, there’s a list of classic cocktails upon which you can rely. Beat the locals at their game: get there early and nab a table for lazy Sunday sessions done right – any night of the week.