Snack Bar: City of Sydney Just Relaxed Its Outdoor Drinking Rules and More Local Food News This Week

What’s on around town

• As of Thursday October 1, Sydneysiders can stand up outside and have their beer too. The City of Sydney has relaxed its outdoor dining rules, meaning you no longer need to find a table and chairs when drinking outside. All suburbs within the catchment are included, at venues with designated outdoor dining areas. “Honestly, it’s a small change, and council deserve credit for making it,” says James Thorpe, CEO of Odd Culture. “The sit-down rule was barely enforced and never made anyone safer. Forty years of research, much of it done here in Sydney, has never found a clear correlation between vertical drinking and negative safety outcomes. In fact, the fear of standing came to us from English licensing law, where ‘perpendicular drinking’ was the polite name for the working-class public bar.” The punters at Thorpe’s Woolloomooloo pub The Old Fitz are guaranteed to be standing, drinks in hand. 

• Vietnamese pop-up Ca Phe Bet is back for round two, hitting Stitch Coffee in Marrickville on Sunday October 4. Drop in for banh mi by S Bread House, Vietnamese cold brew, desserts and more. Plus, Vietnamese folk games. Free entry, 5pm till 9pm.

•  The beloved milko has been doing the rounds for a while now, Sydney, but now there’s more. Restore is the subscriptions-based milkman who’s now delivering Pepe Saya butter, Tilba Dairy Jersey cream, farm-fresh eggs, Sonoma croissants and bread, Bilpin Bush Honey, Flour & Stone muesli and more. Plus, the team has just added another nine postcodes to the route, so the Shire and Cronulla regions can get in on the action too. Find out if your address is on the list.

• Meet in the Ace Hotel lobby bar on Thursday October 8 for a Martini party with Measured. The three-city series is part of Measured’s quest to find the coldest Martini in Australia. Find five bespoke pours – including a dry vodka serve with blue cheese olives, and a Vesper garnished with a parmesan crisp – for $20 each. The temperature will be checked before it reaches your hand, so you know it’ll be icy. There’ll be DJs too, 6pm till late, RSVPs encouraged.

• Balmain pub The Dry Dock is celebrating World Champagne Day all October long. Lallier is starring on the menu, with the Reflexion R.021 pouring for $25 a glass and $150 a bottle. Walk-ins welcome to the public bar, bookings encouraged.

• In Byron, Perrier-Jouet is taking over the Raes Cellar Bar. The team will be pouring Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque vintages (magnums included) and you’ll receive a yellow rose stem with every glass or a posy with a bottle, from The Flower Bar Co. October 2 to October 4, from midday.

• Rosebery’s Frenchies Bistro & Bar is hosting a seven-course degustation on Saturday October 17. The team is calling it the Back to Our Roots dinner, with the chefs collaborating with former colleague Edouard Delefortrie. The chef has moved on to cook at Nour, Joji, Woodcut and Aambra, but is returning for one night only. Tickets are $140, bookings essential.

• The Lord Nelson is celebrating 40 years on its block in The Rocks, with a three-day party over the October long weekend. Drop in to try a limited-edition anniversary ale, and brews on the house between 11am and 2pm each day. Plus, score one of 200 commemorative coins for a year of perks.

• Mark your calendars with the best food festivals in Sydney and NSW to see out the year. Find a new music and food celebration in Bangalow, a celebration of cool-climate wines and a local party welcoming Scarr’s Pizza from NYC.

What we covered this week

• Powerhouse Parramatta shares details on its trio of hospitality venues. A 290-seat restaurant with river views, an all-day cafe and a hidden bar are coming soon.

• Baker Bleu, Bondi. Mike Russell’s bakes are among the best in the country. Soon there’ll be a second spot to find them in Sydney.

• Fitzroy Dining Room, Woolloomooloo. There’s a new chef and a revamped menu at a pub that’s been adored for more than 150 years.

• Indie’s Deli, North Narrabeen. This new sanga shop goes all-in with a smoker imported from Kansas. Find mega serves stuffed with house-made brisket and an “aggressively indulgent” breakfast number.

• Pig Mary, Chippendale. Mat Lindsay’s new 12-seat opens with a dialled-in menu and Ester’s cheddar pie. Plus, stacks of potato scallops and an exceptionally saucy Portuguese pork roll.

• I Can’t Stop Thinking About: The Carlisle Castle’s chonky chicken Kyiv, which is jacked with herb butter and already has a cult following. But find it quick, it’s leaving the menu soon.

• 17 to book: the best new Sydney restaurants, bars and cafes to visit in October. Including a relaunched pub, two little wine bars and a Masterchef alum’s new dining rom.

• Stitch Coffee, Rozelle. The top local roaster is working on another outpost for its smooth brews and extravagant drinks.

You might’ve missed

• Mishy’s, Surry Hills. This little restaurant has been quietly doing its own thing for three years. It’s adored by tight-knit locals and tourists alike, despite flying under the radar for many Sydney diners.

• Bar Lira, Stanmore. The Sixpenny team is opening a Euro wine bar, just 140 metres up the road from one of Australia’s finest dining rooms.

• Burek Brothers, Rockdale. The beloved burek shop is bigger than ever – now with room for Macedonian doughnuts. Go early, they sell out.