Where To Eat and Drink Before, After and In-Between Sydney Comedy Festival Shows

You don’t need to love comedy to love the Sydney Comedy Festival. But if you’re new here, the city’s biggest month of laughs is back from April 13 to May 17, and the program for its 21st year is a perfect entry. Expanded to five weeks, the festival now features hundreds of shows across multiple hubs around the city. With so much happening, you’ll need a game plan for pre-show dinners, intermission snacks and post-show drinks. Here are the best places to hit up during the festival.

Inner west

The Enmore Theatre is the primary festival hub and home to the iconic SCF Gala. Enmore Road is also one of the most exciting places to drink in Sydney right now. Just off the strip, Young Henrys is as fresh as it gets. Need something stiffer? You’re spoilt for choice: Bar Planet, Jacoby’s Tiki Bar, Silver’s Motel and Fortunate Son all serve elite cocktails till late. For a pre-show bite, it’s a tough choice between perfect pasta at Vineria Luisa and woodfired Wagyu at Firepop.

Down the hill, a short 10-minute walk away, The Factory Theatre is the unofficial heart of the festival, featuring multiple rooms and nightly showcases. If you're looking for a variety of acts in one place, the Factory is your best bet as it often runs up to 20 gigs a night. Better yet, nearby hangouts include Poor Toms Oltra, MMC Slice Shoppe and Messina’s sprawling HQ. Visit in that order between sets for Dirty Martinis, New York-style slices and famous gelato.

CBD and Darling Harbour

The Sydney Opera House will host high-profile special events, including the opening night gala and exclusive One Night Stand slots. For drinks and snacks, don’t overlook Opera Bar, which still offers the best harbour views for the price of a prosecco. Dinner might look like Nashville fried chook at Belles Hot Chicken, or elevated Italian at Grana. There’s a whole host of options nearby, no matter what your budget is.

In the heart of town, the Metro and State theatres will be firing on all cylinders with international acts and larger stand-up sets. Meanwhile, the Darling Quarter Theatre will focus on both adult stand-up and family-friendly comedy, while the Theatre Royal hosts Cluedo as part of the festival line-up. If you’re seeing gigs at any of the above, make for the paifang gates on Dixon Street for Nanjing dumplings or Malaysian street food at Ho Jiak. Or take your pick from the bevy of upmarket options at Darling Square.

Eastern suburbs

The Comedy Store at Moore Park does what it says on the tin and will host weekly showcase nights and intimate club sets during the fest. Sure, you could stick to the Entertainment Quarter and grab a spiced chicken plate at Taste of Ethiopia or a blushing burger from Mary’s. But for a wildcard option, one of Sydney’s best pubs – The Bat & Ball Hotel – is very close by and does excellent food specials, plus pints for schooner prices on weekdays from 4pm to 5pm. 

Further east, The Bondi Pavilion is a key festival hub this year, with a slate of shows from March 6 to 17 – including a one-night-only showcase of some of the festival’s best acts. For a meal nearby, look no further than the Pav’s Greek diner, Etheus, or hit newly minted British pub The Beekeeper for fish’n’chips and pints of Guinness. The Ritz Cinema in Randwick is also hosting a special showcase for just one night, and its balcony bar is a hoot, with one of the suburb’s best happy hours. Maybe Frank around the corner is a destination in its own right – be sure to book ahead for those outstanding woodfired pizzas.

North Shore

The Concourse in Chatswood is the major hub for the north shore, hosting its own gala and a full program of local and international talent. It’s also smack bang in the middle of Victoria Avenue’s dining precinct, with Asian cuisines from every corner of the continent close by. Think juicy Shanghainese dumplings at New Shanghai, wok-fired Thai delights at Chat Thai, and smoky Japanese barbeque at Kuro Sakura.

Like The Ritz in Randwick, Sydney’s other beautiful art deco cinema, the Hayden Orpheum, is putting on a one-night-only showcase. There are plenty of eateries in the zone, but our picks are Socal for spicy Margs and Latin American fare, or the bar and grill at The Oaks for the best steaks in Neutral Bay. 

Greater Sydney

The Joan in Penrith is a key venue for Western Sydney, hosting local gala and touring headliners. When you’re this close to Mountain Culture’s Emu Plains taproom, it’d be rude to not cross the Nepean River for some of Australia’s most awarded beers and a bite from the food truck of the day. But if you’re really pushing the boat out, Sinclair’s serves elegant modern Australian dishes on the river’s edge.

The Pavilion Performing Arts Centre in Sutherland is the primary hub for the southern suburbs. We say make a night of it at Fior in nearby Gymea, where you’ll find freshly made pastas and a roving gelato trolley. If you’re chasing serious value, Okami – an all-you-can-eat Japanese dining chain across the road from the theatre – offers around 45 Japanese dishes for a keenly priced $42.80.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Century Entertainment.