The Best Bars in Marrickville

Updated 7 months ago

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Marrickville’s reputation as the brewery capital of Sydney is contested only by Brookvale on the northern beaches. But when you count the number of distilleries, pubs and neighbourhood bars packed into just a few square kilometres of industrial real estate, the inner-west suburb has no equal. In fact, it’s one of the best places in the whole country to grab a drink. These are our favourite places to do just that.

Bars

  • This place calls itself a “small-bar pub”; think big enough to get a seat but small enough to have a bar’s attention to beer and vibe. It's approachable and friendly, paired up with great service and drinks-seriousness. Plus there's a great courtyard.

  • A down-home, friendly bar doing booze, food and music in Marrickville.

  • Learn about wine in a fun environment. And drink it, of course.

  • We have a mother-daughter team to thank for this two-storey neighbourhood bar, which brings good wine and Med-inspired plates to an old bubble tea shop on Marrickville's Illawarra Road.

  • A stylish interior, a lengthy cocktail list and live music every night of the week

  • This bar in Marrickville wants you to hang out, chat, and stay a while.

  • A classic community club turned live-music space, with pub-style food and accessible drinks on the menu. Catch live contemporary acts, plus comedy and trivia inside the spacious, eclectic bandroom.

Breweries

  • This big, relaxed warehouse site (formerly an industrial dry-cleaners) has a laid-back pub feel, along with a pool table and a range of sessionable beers anyone can enjoy.

  • The brand’s nostalgic HQ is a celebration of ’80s-era Australiana in industrial Marrickville. Come for the beer, prawn toast and deep-fried Viennetta at the Chinese bistro, the Lucky Prawn. Stay for a knock-around in the pool room, which doubles as a tribute to late co-founder and former PM, Bob Hawke.

  • Try some of the most unique beers in Australia.

  • Combining stylish design and an experimental approach to brewing, this tiny operation by a husband-and-wife team is doing it like nowhere else in Marrickville. Track down their breezy taproom for 10 limited release beers, with options changing monthly.

  • Visit this low-key warehouse for a who’s who of indie craft beer, 50-plus natural wines and plenty of whisky. To eat, it’s drinking food’s greatest hits: kimchi dumplings, buffalo chicken wings and pizza.

  • Philter is all about nostalgia for the good old days. The public bar downstairs resembles a classic wood-panelled pub and serves pizza, burgers and wings. Upstairs you'll find Marrickville Springs – a pastel-hued rooftop bar slinging cocktails and retro snacks.

  • A brewery and bar in Marrickville where experimenting with flavor is part of creating every batch.

  • Ultra-hoppy and experimental brews are what this one is all about.

Distilleries

  • Even though this place is styled after a church, there’s nothing reverent about the approach here. Cocktails are fun, at times unusual, and highlight the seasonal gins coming out of the beautiful German copper still out back.

  • Open to the public one day a week, this 20-seat distillery and bar names its spirits after streets in the inner west. Drop in for cocktails like the cherry gin martini, spiked with chocolate bitters and giving big Cherry Ripe vibes.

  • The acclaimed gin brand’s warehouse home feels more like an artist’s studio than a distillery. Packed with personality, it’s a place of perfect Negronis, gin-friendly snacks and curiosities by local designers.

  • This roving gin bar started life inside a 1972 Kombi van. These days it’s pouring classic cocktails (with quirks) inside a former mechanic’s workshop. Snacks include “dips and bickies” and Basque cheesecakes doused in raspberry coulis.

Pubs

  • Bring your dog, play some basketball. This pub is all about community.

  • A truly modern pub, where herbs and vegies are grown in the beer garden.

  • This classic, family friendly pub pours local brews and could have the greenest beer garden in the inner west.