John Elsley, who took over the hotel in April, has been undertaking renovations to both the restaurant and accommodation of the historic pub.

"I was hoping to open in September, but that obviously didn't happen," he said.

The Family Hotel's rich history extends back to 1860, and has been a mainstay of the community ever since, surviving World War I, World War II, the 1955 flood and now the pandemic.

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The new restaurant is set to bring a unique dining experience, being a first for the Maitland area.

"We've imported a new custom-made gravity fed meat smoker and hired a professional pit boss to run it, so I'm pretty excited to get open," Mr Elsley said.

The front bar will stock a host of American beers, bourbons and cocktails, and Mr Elsley is looking forward to doing something a bit different for Maitland.

According to Mr Elsley, there is a lot for Maitland locals look forward to about the exciting new menu.

"Our big shared meat platters and slow cooked brisket will be really nice," he said.

Efforts have been made on renovations on the accommodation and the pub's exterior to preserve the Hotel's rich history, putting in a lot of work into the facade to keep it looking as traditional as possible.

"I live in Newcastle but I've owned The Whistler for 5 years so I spend more time in Maitland than in Newcastle, that's for sure," Mr Elsley said.

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