Must-see nightlife in Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

  • Love, Tilly Devine

    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,…

  • Shakespeare Hotel

    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…

  • Wild Rover

    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,…

  • WyNo X Bodega

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Sydney tapas legend Bodega moved in with wine bar WyNo in 2019. The petite space seats 28 at one long table and retains some of the Bodega favourites,…

  • Wyno

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Run by Porteño next door, this wine bar has its own character. Seat yourself at the long communal bar and ask the welcoming waitstaff to suggest delicious…

  • Beresford Hotel

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    The well-polished tiles of the facade and interior are a real feature at this elegantly refurbished historic pub. It's a popular pre-club venue for an…

  • Vasco

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Like the much, much hipper and better-looking Italian cousin of a Hard Rock Cafe, Vasco serves beer, wine and rock-themed cocktails in a room lined with…

  • Shady Pines Saloon

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    With no sign or street number on the door and entry via a shady back lane (look for the white door before Bikram Yoga on Foley St), this subterranean…

  • Eau-de-Vie

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Take the door marked 'restrooms' at the back of the main bar at the Kirketon Hotel and enter this sophisticated, black-walled speakeasy, where a team of…

  • This Must Be The Place

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    All Sydney's small bars seem to be dark, candlelit speakeasies with a dash of gangster chic, so it's refreshing to find this light, bright cocktail spot…

  • Dolphin Hotel

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Once a small corner pub, until it expanded into two neighbouring houses, the Dolphin's striking designer makeover means it deliberately looks like the…

  • Darlo Bar

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Something of a locals' lounge room, the Darlo’s triangular retro space is a magnet for urban bohemians, fluoro-clad ditch diggers and architects with a…

  • Black Bottle

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Sardined into a Darlinghurst terrace, this cute wine bar offers a small but well-curated selection of beverages, with punchy rosemary negroni as the house…

  • Reformatory Caffeine Lab

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Coffee is a serious business in Sydney, and this corridor's dark industrial decor and cell-block lighting cage combines with cartoon-noir wall…

  • Stonewall Hotel

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    A stalwart of the Oxford St LGBTIQ+ strip, Stonewall has three levels of bars and dance floors. Cabaret, karaoke and quiz nights spice things up; there's…

  • Winery

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Beautifully situated in the leafy grounds of a historic water reservoir, behind the Pieno restaurant, this oasis serves dozens of wines by the glass to…

  • Hotel Harry

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    This breezy, humorous, faux-Spanish colonial fitout of the former Macquarie Hotel doesn't take itself (or the Spanish language) too seriously. It's an…

  • Artificer Coffee

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Cup of tea, a croissant and a leisurely read of the paper? Not here; this back-to-basics corner cafe does just one thing: coffee. No tables, no food, no…

  • Button Bar

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    The wood cladding and vaguely piratical theme means you could be below decks on a galleon at this upbeat but cosy small bar. Seriously comfy and…

  • Della Hyde

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Lockout laws closed landmark Oxford Street nightclub complex the Exchange, but green shoots have emerged from the ruins in the shape of this lushly…

  • Local Taphouse

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Beer lovers can test their palates against the tasting notes as they work their way through dozens of craft beers at this angular old pub. There are…

  • Rosie Campbell's

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Bright colours and a reggae vibe…yes, it's a Jamaican-themed bar bringing some Caribbean good times to Surry Hills. Jerk chicken and other tasty dishes…

  • Cliff Dive

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Head down the stairs and throw yourself into a world of rough-hewn stone walls, glowing tropical fish lanterns, Polynesian knick-knacks and cocktails…

  • Hotel Hollywood

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    A mixed crowd of Surry Hillbillies gets down to serious beer business in this art-deco pub that time forgot. The octogenarian owner, Doris Goddard, is a…

  • Arq

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    If Noah had to fill his Arq with groovy gay clubbers, he’d head here with a big net and some tranquillisers. This flash megaclub has a cocktail bar, a…

  • Pocket Bar

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Sink into the corner of Pocket's comfy leather couches, order a drink from one of the cheery waitstaff, and chat about the day's adventures over a decade…

  • Green Park Hotel

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    The ever-rockin’ Green Park has pool tables, rolled-arm leather couches, a beer garden with funky Dr Seuss–inspired lighting, and a huge tiled central bar…

  • Oxford Hotel

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Over the course of several decades and numerous facelifts, the main bar at the Oxford has remained the locus of beer-swilling gay blokedom, although the…

  • Kinselas

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    A Taylor Sq institution and Mardi Gras icon, this converted funeral parlour has come back from the dead more times than we care to recall. The downstairs…

  • Clock Hotel

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Slip a coin into the jukebox, shoot some pool, dissolve into a booth and order happy-hour cocktails (5pm to 7pm weekdays) and a meal – the superrenovated…

  • Bar Cleveland

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Still a relaxed local pub despite its sexy deco curves, the centenarian Cleveland is a great spot to watch the footy, shoot some pool or chew the fat with…

  • Beauchamp Hotel

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    The design lords have transformed this old corner pub into something very hip indeed. On weekends it gets packed – and incredibly noisy – with stylish…

  • Colombian Hotel

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Although its past popularity has waned, this gay-friendly, art-deco booze barn still serves up thumping music and heady drinks. The window seats take the…

  • Cricketers Arms Hotel

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    A favourite haunt of arts students, dog-owners and locals of all persuasions, you don't even have to know what a silly mid-off is to enjoy this pub. There…

  • MV Bistro & Wine Bar

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Claim a seat at the downstairs bar or on the pavement, choose a glass of wine from the large list (the bar's name means 1000 wines), order a plate of…

  • Tio's Cerveceria

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Tio likes tequila. Heaps of different types. And wrestling, Catholic kitsch and Day of the Dead paraphernalia. Surry Hills skaters, beard-wearers and baby…

  • Strawberry Hills Hotel

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    This old corner pub is one of the better late-openers outside the lockout zone. The pleasant upstairs area is a nice refuge for a spot of lunch.