Best Bars in Newtown
After the demise of the Cross, Newtown is busier than ever after dark. This shift hasn't led to too many changes – yet. Many of the bars along King Street still have the grungy, lo-fi feel that Newtown is known and loved for. But within that genre, the area offers a diverse set of options, as the list below illustrates.
Related Pages
Best Restaurants in Newtown
Best Cafes in Newtown
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Earl's Juke Joint
Hidden behind the facade of old butcher shop on King Street, you’ll find a lively cocktail bar that’s serious about stiff drinks, but promises a rollicking good time all at once. Come for classic cocktails, shots of Fernet-Branca and Reschs on tap.
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Jacoby's
Jacoby’s does one thing better than most bars around town: the tiki cocktail, in all its forms. Pina coladas, too. A fit-out inspired by Twin Peaks has the place looking appropriately Lynchian. Red velvet curtains, checkerboard lino and low lighting abound.
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Odd Culture
A theme of fermentation guides this cavernous King Street bar. Find a dizzying list of funky farmhouse ales, ciders and natural wines, plus a Euro-inspired all-day menu by a formidable kitchen team.
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Continental Deli, Bar & Bistro
Canned cocktails, fine wines, tinned seafood and cheese dreams. This list could only describe one venue. This two-storey hotspot is where you’ll find the best European conservas under one roof, alongside "Mar-tinnies" and European bistro fare.
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Bar Planet
The Martini reigns supreme at this psychedelic cocktail bar. The gun bartenders pour them any way you like, and the bottomless popcorn will keep you thirsty. Don’t forget to take a selfie in the curvaceous bathroom mirror – it’s a rite of passage.
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Fortunate Son
Consider yourself fortunate – lucky even – to get a seat at the bar here. This neon-lit inner-west boozer gets rammed most nights, and it’s easy to see why. It’s laid-back in all the right ways, but is dead serious when it comes to classic cocktails.
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Ante
Around 60 styles of sake are pouring at this intimate drinking den, inspired by the vinyl-spinning jazz bars of Japan. Expect rare Japanese gins and whiskies too, plus a Euro-Japanese snack menu by a former Pinbone and Billy Kwong chef.
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Mary’s Newtown
Sydney’s most influential burger joint.
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Young Henrys Brewery
The rowdy HQ for one of Sydney's most treasured breweries.
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She Loves You
A bar serving wines and cocktails with a focus on native ingredients.
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The Midnight Special
The Midnight Special is the dive bar Enmore deserves. Come for live blues, a vaguely tiki cocktail list and woodfired pizza from Rosso Antico next door.
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1989 Kitchen and Arcade
The golden age of retro arcade games under one roof.
Restaurant
Bloodwood
A trio of chefs is behind this dapper bar with a penchant for low-intervention wines.
Restaurant
The Duke of Enmore
The pokies are gone and Big Buck Hunter is in. The Duke lives on with local beers, "stiff and strong" cocktails and upscale pub grub – think chicken liver pâté on toast, puffy breads stuffed with mortadella and a fancy steak.
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Enmore Hotel
A classic sports pub in the city’s inner-west that revitalises a legendary space for the next generation of Sydney’s drinkers.
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Mountain Goat Newtown
A brewery and bar in a former Newtown furniture store from one of Australia's pioneering craft brewers. Sit in the sunny beer garden and sip on cult brews such as the Organic Steam Ale and Pale Ale, plus a selection of exclusive beers you can only find here.
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Pistou
This laid-back Provençal wine bar is all about small producers and easy decisions. There are just three drinks on the regularly changing cocktail list, a short food menu and a streamlined selection of wines. Plus, a choose-your-own-adventure weekend brunch plate.
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Union Hotel
The Union ranks among Sydney's best craft beer venues, with 22 taps and even more bottles of both Australia’s finest and oddest (plus some innovations from overseas). Grab a tasting paddle and sample the wares in the lively front bar or the homey bistro out back.
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Courthouse Hotel
A classic old boozer blessed with one of the best beer gardens in Sydney.
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Cottonmouth Records
Record store by day, bar by night – this New Orleans-style juke joint oozes cool.
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Uncle Hops
A dedicated craft beer bar inside The Bank Hotel.
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The Newtown Hotel
This time-honoured pub looks sharper than ever. Head to the ornate balcony upstairs for one of the best knock-off spots on King Street.
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Tokyo Sing Song
The weirdest bar in Sydney is also one of the most fun.
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Huelo
The cocktail guns behind Old Mate’s Place and Ginny’s Canoe Club have landed on King Street – with a swish wine bar and retail space up front, and an ’80s-tinged bar and courtyard out the back.
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Famelia
Sommelier Amelia Birch’s spot on Enmore Road offers rotating wine flights, with bottles you can taste before taking home. Snacks include black-truffle-and-squid-ink salami, and a caviar-topped egg dip made from a secret family recipe.
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Pleasure Club
No two nights will be the same at this subterranean live-music lounge and cocktail bar by Odd Culture group. Descend for a world-class cocktail program and late-night live entertainment courtesy of Newtown’s first 4am licence.
