A Full Day of Eating, Drinking, Relaxing and Exploring in Potts Point Village

Leafy Potts Point Village is one of Sydney’s most atmospheric and culturally rich precincts. Within its borders – which stretch from the harbourfront point itself to the landmark El Alamein Fountain – are squeezed an abundance of drinking, dining, shopping and entertainment options. You’ll find fine-dining restaurants and moody cocktail bars alongside independent bookstores, top galleries, heritage architecture and more. To inspire your next visit to Potts Point Village, we’ve curated a full-day itinerary for exploring this petite suburb, including where to eat, drink and shop.

Breakfast

Head to Pina, a Potts Point staple. Down a charming pedestrian-only laneway, it serves a menu of breakfast classics done well, including a bacon and egg roll supercharged with harissa, plus silky scrambled eggs and coffee from top roastery Mecca. Meanwhile, the recently opened Grumpy Baker & Bar runs all day (“Grumpy by day, grumpy by night, with a happy hour in between,” according to owner Michael Cthurmer), serving a Middle Eastern-inspired menu drawn from family recipes. For breakfast, that means hotcakes, shakshuka and Grumpy’s signature pastries and burek.

Post breakfast: homewares and antiques

Antiques-Art-Design is a great place to start your Potts Point shopping spree. It specialises in one-of-a-kind antique jewellery from houses like Gucci and George Jensen, all curated by its owner and former fashion designer Christopher Becker. For high-end homewares, duck into Macleay on Manning. Or, for more artisanal finds, there’s Becker Minty right across the street. It’s peppered with everything from works by local artists to handcrafted homewares and showpiece furniture.

Potts Point Bookstore is one of Sydney’s finest. It’s small, but houses a robust trove of titles, including an impressive cookbook collection. Moments away from this book lovers’ haven is Grandiflora, one of Sydney’s best-loved florists. Here, founder Saskia Havekes brings to life show-stopping bouquets with blooms hand-sourced from local flower markets. And New York-born perfumery Le Labo is “an olfactory playground” where you can linger while custom fragrances are hand-blended on-site.

Lunch

Make time for a pitstop at Small’s Deli, home to outstanding sandwiches and perfectly chewy-on-the-inside, crisp-on-the-edges tahini choc-chip cookies. Nigella Lawson recently raved about the Toto – a panini loaded with mortadella, basil pesto, lemon and butter bean puree and mozzarella – and the vegan Al Green (avocado, kale puree, apple and pepita pesto on a panini) is a menu mainstay. At Penny’s Cheese Shop, owner Penny Lawson (a former fromagier and cheese judge) will walk you through a wonderfully smelly selection that’s cut to order. Her four-cheese toastie is a molten-centered, cheese-encrusted masterpiece that’s had its own celebrity endorsement – actor Liam Neeson declared it “the best I ever tasted”.

Coffee

For a post-lunch latte and sweet treat, the popular Café de la Fontaine is right next door. This rustic, cosy spot serves a colourful range of Parisian classics like galettes, crepes, eclairs and macarons. It even has a collection of French antiques to shop while you’re there.

Afternoon: fashion and food shopping

Lined with art deco buildings, galleries and chic restaurants, Macleay Street is one of inner Sydney’s most enchanting – and most shoppable – thoroughfares. Start at its south end, where it meets Darlinghurst Road, with a visit to Locale. Its racks hold menswear and womenswear by local and international designers, including Kore Studios, Elka Collective and Arcaa. A little further along, at By Freer, designer Lesley Watson crafts elevated basics in luxurious fabrics like silk satins, georgettes, and velvets. Just metres away, the bright, tailored collections at Baz are all handmade by Sydney artisans. Or you can browse the racks of the village precinct’s many vintage shops – starting with the eclectic range of clothes, jewellery and homewares at Macleay Concept Store.

Dinner

The old-world glamour of Potts Point meets a contemporary approach to French cooking at Bistro Rex. Settle into a plush leather booth for Parisian bistro favourites such as a Wagyu tartare or a triple-cheese soufflé to start, and mains like steak frites or a crab omelette with vodka sauce and trout roe. Dessert is a greatest hits of French sweets: crème brûlée, rum baba and a meringue-topped tart au citron. The wine list leans French, with a strong showing from Australia and a few drops from Italy.

After-dinner drinks

Put a full stop at the end of a day in Potts Point with a cocktail at The Roosevelt, a moody cocktail bar that transports guests to the sophistication of mid-century New York City. Channel your inner Don Draper with one of The Roosevelt’s multiple takes on the Old Fashioned – including a version that swaps out whisky for Four Pillars’ Bloody Shiraz gin – or enjoy the Continental, the house Martini made at a tableside trolley. At Contemporary Mexican restaurant and bar The Butler, head to the terrace for a Margarita or white wine sangria with exceptional city views.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Potts Point Village.