Newtown & the Inner West
Swinging Earl's serves craft beers and killer cocktails to the Newtown hip-erati. It's hidden behind the down-at-heel facade of the Betta Meats butcher's…
Must-see nightlife in New South Wales
Byron Bay & Northern NSW
Bringing the cool to Murwillumbah, this retro '70s-style spot takes up an arcade space with its cafe-bar and deli shop. The coffee is excellent, and the…
New South Wales
This is the best place in town to get coffee, thanks to Adrian – a coffee-obsessed owner who was the first person to launch mobile coffee carts in…
Broken Hill
Built in 1889, Broken Hill's most famous pub, of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert fame, has an elaborate cast-iron verandah, plus wonderfully kitsch…
Newtown & the Inner West
This distillery has made quite an impact with its excellent gins – where better to try them than the place itself? The bar is appropriately industrial…
Circular Quay & The Rocks
Right on the harbour with the Opera House on one side and the bridge on the other, this perfectly positioned terrace manages a very Sydney marriage of the…
Surry Hills & Darlinghurst
Tilly Devine was a notorious Sydney madam and crime boss in the '30s, and her namesake bar is hidden down a back alley, in true furtive style. The dark,…
Northern Beaches
This legendary northern beaches pub actually overlooks not the ocean but the Pittwater side, with bobbing boats and quiet strands the outlook. It's an…
Kings Cross & Potts Point
Hidden in the backstreets, this totally unpretentious theatre pub is also a decent old-fashioned boozer in its own right, with a great variety of beers on…
Newtown & the Inner West
Quite a way down Glebe Point Rd is an excellent independent bottle shop; turn right to find the convivial wine bar it runs downstairs. Staff will happily…
City Centre & Haymarket
Descend the stairs and you'll think you're in a 1970s pizzeria, complete with plastic grapevines, snapshots covering the walls and tasty pizza slices ($6)…
Circular Quay & The Rocks
Pouring an excellent range of Sydney craft beers in a quiet corner near the beginning of the Rocks, this historical building has real character. The…
Southern NSW & The Murray
Come for the tasty beer – the hoppy Dark Alleyway IPA or the Piranha lager are both good choices – and stay for the wood-fired pizzas ($24 to $27). There…
Circular Quay & The Rocks
Downstairs it's a predictably nice old Rocks pub with great outdoor seating, but head to the rooftop and the views are beyond fabulous: the Opera House …
Manly
Just along the wharf from the ferry, this remodelled pub is all glass and water vistas, with loads of seating so you've a good chance of grabbing a share…
Surry Hills & Darlinghurst
The 'Shakey' is a classic Sydney pub (1879) with art nouveau tiled walls, scuzzy carpet, the horses on the TV and cheap bar meals. There are plenty of…
Sydney
A cracking pub, especially at weekends when it thrums with life all day, this is a real eastern suburbs favourite. The beer garden is among Sydney's best:…
Circular Quay & The Rocks
Enter this rough-hewn 1843 sandstone pub to meet some locals, chat to the Irish bar staff and grab an earful of the swing, folk and Celtic bands (Friday…
City Centre & Haymarket
We love the dark romantic opium-den atmosphere of this small bar secreted away in a basement by a shirt shop. It's an atmospheric spot for anything from a…
Surry Hills & Darlinghurst
Look for the unsigned wide door and enter this supremely cool brick-lined speakeasy. Ask the bar staff to recommend a whisky from the huge range on offer,…
Sydney
One of the great pleasures in life is languoring in the pumping beer garden of the Watsons Bay Hotel, mere metres from the ferry wharf, after a day at the…
Newcastle
Pull up a stool at the long wooden bar in this Prohibition-style speakeasy where you'll find Newcastle's finest drinking Old Fashioneds to the blues. The…
South Coast NSW
Rising above the Gong CBD, this multistorey bar culminates in an attractive roof terrace with retro parasols, overseen by some very competent mixologists …
South Coast NSW
The social centre of Huskisson is this light and airy pub that offers fabulous bay views from its deck, which packs out in summer. There’s live music most…
Byron Bay & Northern NSW
The 1940s Hotel Brunswick is a destination unto itself, with a magnificent beer garden fanning out from its heritage facade beneath flourishing poincianas…
Mid-North Coast
Sit under the fairy lights debating whether the food or the wine is better here at Botanic. Short answer: too close to call. The al fresco setting invites…
Forster-Tuncurry
Serving organic fair-trade coffee, all-day breakfasts, and using sustainable and locally sourced produce wherever possible, Plunge has that Melbourne cafe…
Byron Bay
The folk from Three Blue Ducks opened Locura ('madness' in Spanish), a sleek and sophisticated alternative to Byron's backpacker nightspots. Get your late…
New South Wales
Inside a gorgeous and well-preserved heritage building, Ferment shines a spotlight on local wines (it's the cellar door for a handful of small producers…
New South Wales
The oldest wine bar in NSW (built in 1923) sits behind a small heritage facade, and serves up great local wines (by the glass from $6), fine bar food and…
City Centre & Haymarket
A fully formed 18th-century English pub, complete with overstuffed armchairs, roaring fireplace and portraits of blue blooded noblemen. The chatty bar…
Newtown & the Inner West
Conviviality is assured in this craft brewery bar, where the beer, found on taps all over Sydney, is as fresh as you'll get. Basically, they've filled a…
Sydney
With numerous indoor and outdoor bars and restaurants, and a large kids' play area, this cavernous complex packs them in, especially at weekends. The…
Newtown & the Inner West
In groovy Erskineville village, this breezy little corner bar lures the neighbourhood's hipsters with food, cocktails (try the Full Scottish Breakfast…
Newtown & the Inner West
The Erko's art-deco glory is something to behold, and it also happens to be one of the area's best pubs. The wood-lined beer garden, local characters,…
Sydney
Paddington loves its quality Italian food and eagerly indulges in this minuscolo slice of la dolce vita on the fashion strip. There are excellent imported…
City Centre & Haymarket
Down a lane off George St, Ivy is the HQ of the all-pervading Merivale Group. It's a fashionable complex of bars, restaurants – and even a swimming pool…
Newtown & the Inner West
Somehow or other this teeny bohemian cafe squeezes in live music, spoken word, life drawing (7pm Thursday, $25) and eclectic events – witchcraft salon…
Circular Quay & The Rocks
This stylish and wildly popular conglomeration of bars is spread through the historic Argyle Stores buildings, including a cobblestone courtyard and an…
City Centre & Haymarket
Slip in to this cheerfully colourful and atmospheric warren on the edge of Darling Harbour and bump hips with the kids. There are bars, pool tables, a…
