The Best Pubs in Sydney
There’s no single criteria that achieves the gold standard for great pub (although the weight and circumference of the house parma does make an impression). But Sydney’s best hit that sweet spot where history, imagination and great menus collide.
Some of the establishments on this list are as old as the city itself (but more than keep up with times). Others are modern envelope-pushers challenging ideas about what a friendly local can be. From affordable eats to rooftops with live bands, you’ll find what you’re looking for at one of these boozers.
Words by Dan Cunningham
Updated on 18 August 2026
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Cricketers Arms Hotel
The Crix inspires devotion. Many of its followers would call it the best pub in Sydney, no contest. The public bar is classic pub, while Chez Crix upstairs dials in the French bistro vibe. Pool comps and jazz jams feature regularly.
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The Old Fitzroy
One of the city’s most venerable establishments. The upstairs bistro offers fun takes on European brasserie fare, and you'll find both new and old-world wines on the list. Catch independent shows downstairs at the Old Fitz Theatre.
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The Bat and Ball Hotel
One of Sydney’s stalwart pubs has been revamped by an exciting hospo team. Now it’s a place with excellent booze and elevated pub-grub classics. The weekly specials are ace – like a ludicrously large lasagne and $1 oysters.
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The Lord Dudley Hotel
A British-style pub for Britons. Pies and Sunday roasts are a nod to old blighty, as is the mock-tudor style facade. The garden restaurant is a more refined experience, but slumming it on the footpath with a pint is best.
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Courthouse Hotel
It feels like the whole suburb of Newtown descends on this vibrant pub each week. Black-clad millennials and neighbourhood lifers tuck into whopping bowls of nachos in the leafy courtyard. It’s the area’s ultimate meet-up spot.
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Hotel Hollywood
Opened by a legendary publican and former cabaret star, this iconic corner pub lives its “all are welcome” ethos. The dimly-lit front bar is one of the best spots around to catch live music, or just talk your friend's ear off.
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The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel
Sydney’s original brewpub has been continuously trading for almost 200 years. And while it’s as old as The Rocks itself, the bistro’s pub fare is undeniably modern, even a little progressive. As is the eclectic beer list.
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The Oaks Hotel
This Neutral Bay destination had a major revamp a few years back to include a new public bar and restaurant. But the best seats in the house are in the courtyard, under the pub’s 70-year-old namesake – a spectacular oak tree.
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Forrester’s
This 100-year-old pub is split into multiple distinct spaces – do afternoon pints (or natty wines) in the public bar, a bottomless rosé lunch in the dining room, or trivia in the light-filled functions space upstairs.
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Lord Wolseley Hotel
Built in 1881, this tiny neighbourhood pub pulls crowds with its bistro and leafy front courtyard. It is an absolute vibe on weekends, especially when there’s a live jazz band playing and the weather is lovely.
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The Shakespeare Hotel
One of Surry Hills’ best value boozers, if not its best looking. Park in the front bar for a session or take the good times upstairs to one of the heritage pub’s cosy dining rooms. A beer on the footpath outside is hard to beat.
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The Taphouse
It’s all about “taps, tunes and Chinese” at this legendary 130-year-old pub. Head in for local beers matched with Shandong-style wontons or wok-fried lobster from a Hong Kong chef. Don't miss the breezy open-air terrace on top.
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The Imperial Hotel
One of the major arteries of Sydney’s drag and queer culture is a class act from top to bottom, with a rooftop pizzeria and weekly drag’n’dine. The basement performance space is a refuge for free love and self-expression.
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Harbord Hotel
This oasis by the sea is a northern beaches winner. It combines heritage charm with all the modern ritz you’d expect from a standout boozer. Elevated food and drinks, luxe design and one of Sydney’s best beaches down the street.
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Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel
A waterfront session here is met with postcard views of the CBD skyline and plenty of nautical ephemera. The fish'n'chips are excellent, plus it’s a spectacular ferry ride to and from the city. A true eastern suburbs destination.
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The Clock Hotel
This huge two-storey pub – with a popular wraparound verandah and interior courtyard – is one of Surry Hill's original boozers. And after 150 years, you still can't do the Crown Street crawl without a trip to The Clock.
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The Lansdowne Hotel
Established in 1925, The Lansdowne Hotel is one of the city's most iconic live music venues. Everyone from Billy Eilish to You Am I has graced its hallowed stages – thousands of emerging acts have broken through here, too.
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The Dry Dock
Balmain’s oldest continuously trading pub wins with outdoor seating, a sandstone-walled public bar and a dining room with schmick service. An open kitchen gets diners in on the action, with mains coming off a Josper grill.
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The Golden Sheaf Hotel
A slice of eastern suburbs history, with a beer garden to rival any. Hordes flock to it every day of the week, but the Wednesday night party is a Sheaf staple. The main attraction is the fig tree overlooking the courtyard bar.
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The Henson
This pub – and spiritual home of the Newtown Jets – is owned and operated by locals. The umami-packed pub grub leans heavily on Asian flavours, and there’s a bustling dining room and pooch-friendly courtyard to revel in.
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The Chippo Hotel
The Chippo Hotel is one of Sydney’s enduring live music venues, where you can catch the best upcoming bands and comedy acts on the intimate stage. Settle into the beer garden for an afternoon session and vegan pub grub.
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The Glenmore Hotel
The Glenmore rooftop has one of the city’s most stunning views, hands down. Punters clamour for unobstructed panoramas during summer. Pints and people-watching on street level complete The Rocks experience.
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The Dolphin Hotel
The avant-garde interior is just as striking as the wine list, which specialises in European drops from independent producers. Defining the menu is tricky. Gastropub? Wine bar? Fine diner? It’s hard to say. But it's all great.
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The Golden Barley
“Oasis” is a descriptor that’s oft bandied about for beer gardens, but in the Barley’s case it’s justified. Ferns, hibiscus and wisteria grow thick outside the family-friendly bistro. The public bar has a living-room feel.
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Darlo Bar
A corner hotel where vinyl reigns on weekends. It’s sans bistro, but the done thing is to order some Thai or a burger from the local takeaway joints. Sleep it off after a big night in the pub’s retro accommodation.
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Union Hotel
The Union ranks among Sydney's best craft beer venues, serving both Australia’s finest and oddest beers on tap and by the bottle. Grab a tasting paddle and sample the wares in the lively front bar or the homey bistro out back.
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The Kirribilli Hotel
This is one of the most attractive pubs in Sydney, both inside (where a polished wood bar wraps around the cosy dining room) and out (in the pristine art deco facade). The hand-pumped pints are a rarity on this side of the bridge.
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The London
An understated gem in Paddington's backstreets. A historic facade gives way to a fresh interior, which fills up with rugby fans when the season calls. The tap list is unfussy and steaks are a highlight of the crowd-pleasing menu.
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The Australian Heritage Hotel
There’s no dearth of pubs in The Rocks, but this Federation-style exemplar stands apart with its dizzying selection of Australian craft beer. By the same token, it’s famous for its heritage pizzas.
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The Abercrombie
This 24-hour Chippendale pub was once home to Sydney’s thriving indie scene. Start upstairs for drinks and an outdoor terrace with big inner-city vibes. Then dance into the early hours of the morning when the pub turns club.
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Hotel Palisade
A Millers Point pub with three distinct sides – the public house on ground floor has postcard-perfect views of the harbour, plus a lively kitchen with gastropub flair. Upstairs, sophisticated cocktails and eats, plus accommodation.
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The Woollahra Hotel
Come for a pan-Asian pub menu featuring curries, dumplings and wok-fried classics. Inside, beers on tap, a crowd-pleasing wine list and plenty of wood and leather with old-world charm. Outside, a lush courtyard vertical garden.
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The Glebe Hotel
The Glebe Hotel is a welcoming upscale pub with nods to the past and the present. There’s a working fireplace and chesterfield sofas, portraits of Glebe locals, and in the dining room, a majestic jacaranda mural painted by locals.
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Public House Petersham
Public House Petersham gets points for cramming value into every corner of its decent-size footprint. There’s the bar proper, a spacious beer garden and a car park that hosts public holiday parties, craft beer events and more.
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The Lady Hampshire
This worn-out boozer copped a refresh in 2023 – but it’s still devoted to booze, bands and pub grub like chicken schnitzel, rump steaks and smash burgers. Come for weeknight specials and meat raffles, plus live music.
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The Welcome Hotel
In a suburb full of pubs, The Welcome still stands out as one of Rozelle’s best. Many original details are over 100 years old, making it one of the area’s oldest venues, too. An array of Australian and Italian pours make up the wine list.
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The Light Brigade
The Light Brigade has classic pub vibes on the ground floor and a bistro upstairs. Keep heading skyward to the cocktail bar, or the cherry on top: a leafy rooftop with epic views of the city skyline.
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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 classic pub grub – think chicken schnitzels, burgers, pizzas and steak. Plus live music. No fuss.
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The Magpie
There’s Guinness on tap, chablis by the glass and nostalgia for the ’80s at this compact sports bar by the Jacoby’s crew. No matter what team you follow, a fleet of TV screens have every code covered.
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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. Each week, expect trivia nights, raffles, live music and pool comps. A local in every sense of the word.
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The Village Inn
One of Paddington's old guard, with the doors originally opening in 1890. The current iteration is renowned for its weekly specials and the sunny balcony that overlooks Glenmore Road. Dining is typical pub fare, well executed.
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Four in Hand
This backstreet local leans on a produce-driven menu that changes with the seasons. There's a bigger wine selection than most pubs and taps pour all of the classics. And a generous selection of weekly food specials.
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The Royal Hotel
Something for everyone at this Victorian-era pub. Downstairs is a great spot for a beer and some live sport. Upstairs the restaurant does upmarket pub classics. One more level, and you’re sipping a rooftop rosé.
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The Bald Rock, Rozelle
This heritage-listed corner pub has all the charm of a British boozer you’d find in a country town. Crammed into the lively front bar on a Friday afternoon is exactly where you want to be. Failing that, a sunny spot on the footpath out front with the Sunday roast is a close second.
The London Hotel, Balmain
If these 140-year-old walls could talk, they’d tell you to knock back a cold one on the balcony with views of the Harbour Bridge. Then, to sink another at the gorgeous Jarrah timber bar inside, and take in the cosy, old-school surrounds.
Dick’s Hotel, Balmain
This AFL boozer on Beattie Street serves a long list of comforting pub fare along with a generous drinks list. Trivia nights, happy hours and no fuss – this is a pub for the people, with one of the rowdiest beer gardens in the suburb on game days.
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