Benchwarmer is a laid-back beer hall and takeaway bottle shop that combines an obscure beer list with an excellent food line-up. When the sun’s beaming down Victoria Street, outside tables are in high demand. The fairy-lit, astroturfed beer garden out back is a solid back-up, though.

There are plenty of long tables and window seating in the main room. During the day the white walls and tall arches keep things light; at night, the room is bathed in warm red and purple glows. The next room over has a couple of date-night booths (colour: ’70s orange) that look into the kitchen.

It's worth coming here for the food alone. The menu is by executive chef Geoff Marett, who spent five years cooking at Hong Kong’s world-famous Yardbird. There’s always something new on the menu here, from snacky options like kingfish tostadas and chicken katsu with curry gravy, to larger shareable Japanese izakaya classics.

Benchwarmer focuses on stocking limited release beers – so you won’t find many core range classics. Even if you see a beer from a well-known brewery on the drinks list, you probably haven’t tried it. Locals such as The Mill, Hop Nation and Sydney’s One Drop are frequent guests on the 18 taps. They’re joined by esteemed internationals such as Gweilo, Cervisiam, Mikkeler and Garage Beer (not to be confused with Garage Project, which also makes regular appearances). There are also plenty of wines to choose from, mostly from local players such as Jamsheed, plus a few hard seltzers and a tidy line-up of sake.