The Victoria Hotel — universally known as The Vic — is one of Darwin's most enduring institutions, a pub operating on Smith Street since 1890 in one form or another. The current building is heritage-listed and the pub retains an old-fashioned character that distinguishes it from the newer places on Mitchell Street. Cold beer, pub meals, a slightly worn interior — the Vic is comfortable without pretending to be anything it isn't.
It is particularly popular with the after-work crowd and with travellers who want a drink without theme-park tourism packaging. The upstairs bar has a verandah overlooking Smith Street. If you want to drink somewhere that Darwin people actually drink rather than somewhere built for visitors, the Vic is a good bet.