Driftwood Hall — Best Restaurant with a Casino Hall
We run six card tables inside a former ship chandlery on 27 Tasman Terrace, a few minutes off Boston Bay: five hundred, euchre, crib, canasta, bridge and Friday's friendly poker, no buy-in, with a house dealer keeping every table honest. Nothing here happens on this website or any app — you play in person or not at all — and nothing on the felt is worth real money: no wagering, no cash prizes, just chips that count points and nothing else. No poker machines, ever.
How many card tables fit inside an old ship chandlery?
Six, as it turns out — the same six tables that have stood on Tasman Terrace since we cleared out the last of the rope, canvas and paint that once supplied the Boston Bay tuna fleet. The till still rings every night; it just doesn't ring for hardware any more.
We keep the rules simple: everyone plays for points, a house dealer sits at every table, and nobody leaves owing anybody else a cent by the time the lights go down.
Never played five hundred or crib before? Tell us at the door and we'll sit you somewhere easy for your first hand — most of our regulars started exactly the same way.
House dealer
sits at every table so newcomers always have somewhere to sit
Points only
chips are scored, never bought or cashed — nobody leaves richer
Open door
no membership, no booking fee, just get here before six
What the shed kitchen's cooking
The kitchen at Driftwood Hall runs independently of the card tables — a short menu, cooked fresh each evening.
For dinner: pumpkin soup, then a roast lamb plate.
For dessert, apple crumble with cream. A dinner-only table is a separate booking, no cards required.
Pumpkin soup
To start.
Roast lamb
With seasonal vegetables.
Apple crumble
With cream.
Six things worth knowing before you sit down
You need to be 18 or over, no exceptions — we do check identification if you look anywhere near the line.
Every chip on the table is there purely to keep score; none of them can be bought, cashed in, or swapped for money, ever.
Keep your phone on silent at the tables — step outside or into the lounge if a call can't wait.
A house dealer runs every table, so put your hand up if you're new and someone will talk you through it.
We don't run tournaments with entry fees or prize pools — every table's friendly, and every seat costs nothing to join.
Seating is first come, first served most nights; we only take bookings for the Friday calendar draw.
Driftwood Hall, 27 Tasman Terrace
Address
27 Tasman Terrace, Port Lincoln SA 5606
Phone and email
+61 8 8682 4173 · info@driftwoodhall.com
Hours
Tuesday to Sunday, six in the evening until one.
What regulars ask us most
- What time should I actually turn up?
- Doors open at six most nights, but the two tables nearest the door fill first — arrive by half past if you want a particular seat.
- Is Driftwood Hall a quiet place or a noisy one?
- Somewhere in between — you'll hear cards and conversation, not music, and the lounge next door is there if you want it quieter still.
- Is there always a table free?
- Usually, yes — we run six most nights, though the Friday calendar draw fills every seat early.
- Who deals if nobody at the table knows how?
- A house dealer joins every table from the first hand, so there's always someone running the count and keeping things fair.
Six seasons, six different nights at the tables
five hundred and euchre fill first
extra hands of canasta for visitors
bridge pairs return to their usual seats
crib moves to the tables nearest it
canasta gives way to five hundred again
one big Friday poker night to finish
A look inside Driftwood Hall, table by table
Casino Hall: Six tables, one felt colour, no exceptions
Our main room holds six tables under the same green felt, spaced far enough apart that you can hear your own dealer and nobody else's. The ceiling fans turn slowly overhead all year round.
A smaller lounge sits off to the side for anyone waiting on a seat or catching their breath between hands — quieter, softer chairs, the same house rules.
We put a house dealer on every table once play starts, so newcomers are never left guessing whose turn it is or how the count works partway through a hand.
Six tables
five hundred, euchre, crib and canasta run most nights
House dealer
keeps every hand moving, explains the count on request
Quiet lounge
for a breather between hands, away from the main room
One page a night, six tables behind it
Every night gets its own line on the calendar behind the counter — table count, start time, last deal, and the one rule that never changes: eighteen and over, always.
Pull up a chair at Driftwood Hall tonight
No booking, no buy-in, no pressure — just arrive before the doors close, tell us if it's your first hand, and we'll find you a seat at one of the six tables.
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