Robertson Public House: A Tiny Town Hiding NSW’s Best Traditional Pub
Robertson Public House in the Southern Highlands won Best Traditional Pub Accommodation at the 2026 Australian Hotel Awards. Head chef Ian Smart also shared the Regional Chef of the Year award, as the venue expands its menu and dining space.
Robertson Public House in Robertson, New South Wales, won Best Traditional Pub Accommodation at the 2026 Australian Hotel Awards, while head chef Ian Smart was named joint Regional Chef of the Year. The tiny town hiding best traditional pub story also reflects a venue that Smart says has kept growing.
The pub received two awards. Smart said he was “absolutely stoked” after being nominated for the first time.
“I've put a lot of work into this place and into my career over the last 18 years, so getting something like this is special. It meant a lot,” he said.
Cash pinned across the bar ceiling recalls an old charity game, while a hook-and-ring game hangs on the wall. Outside, locals gather in the sunshine as the pub handles a busy lunch service.
Smart, who began his food career in Woonona at his mother's deli, said those early years shaped his interest in food. “I spent a lot of time in there, surrounded by cheese, meat, vinegars, and everything nice,” he said.
He later started as a kitchen hand at the Palms Cafe in Stanwell Park, where he began an apprenticeship. “It was run very old-school, a very strict kitchen,” he said.
Smart has led the Robertson kitchen for six years. The pub draws people traveling from the Illawarra and Sydney, including visitors heading toward the Snowies in winter.
“Especially through winter, we get a lot of people going down to the Snowies from Wollongong. We're only 40 minutes up the road and they go, 'Oh wow, we're in the Highlands',” Smart said.
Traditional British pub food informs his menu, but he also tries new dishes. “It doesn't always sell, but we try,” he said, adding that he has learned what the regular customers like while still offering specials for diners seeking something different.
The venue has changed during his time there. Smart said the area now used for dining was once storage, and the dining room was extended in the last couple of years.
“The owners here are great. Basically, any money we make is put back into the business, trying to grow it as much as possible,” he said. He said customer numbers had been low when he started but had grown year after year.
Assistant venue manager Alanna Perry has worked at the pub since she was 17, first running food. She said she had “grown up watching the pub grow up” and that local customers had stayed even as the building and kitchen changed.
