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.
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Cricketers Arms Hotel
The Crix inspires devotion. Many of its hardcore followers would call it the very best pub in Sydney, no contest. It’s definitely up there. The public bar is classic pub, while Chez Crix upstairs dials in the French bistro vibe. Pool comps and jazz quartet jams by the fireplace are regular features.
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The Old Fitzroy
One of the city’s most venerable establishments, from the team behind Odd Culture and The Duke of Enmore. The upstairs bistro offers fun takes on European brasserie fare, and you'll find both new and old-world wines on the list. For a cultural fix, catch independent shows downstairs at the Old Fitz Theatre, home of Red Line Productions.
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The Bat & Ball Hotel
One of Sydney’s stalwart pubs has been revamped by an exciting hospo team. Now it’s a place with excellent booze (beer, cocktails, natty wines on tap) and elevated pub-grub classics. The weekly specials are ace – like a ludicrously large $17 lasagne on Tuesdays and $1 oysters on Saturdays.
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The Lord Dudley Hotel
A British-style pub for Britons. The Patchett’s Pies and Sunday Roast are a nod to old blighty, as is the mock-tudor style trimming on the pub’s facade. The garden restaurant is a more refined experience, but slumming it on the footpath with a glass-handled 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 wraparound 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 – with its swirling mirror ball, comfy booths and Hollywood memorabilia – is one of the best spots around to catch live music, or just talk your friend's ear off on a Saturday night.
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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. A destination for out-of-towners and beer pilgrims alike.
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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. The latter, called Alala’s, deals in upmarket pub fare, while the in-house butcher and grill specialises in dry-aged cuts of beef. The best seats in the house are in the courtyard, under the pub’s 70-year-old namesake – a spectacular fairy-lit oak tree.
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Forrester’s
Ask anyone about the best spots for a drink in Surry Hills, and Forrester’s is in the conversation. 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 schooner of Grifter pale ale on the footpath outside is hard to beat, though.
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The Taphouse
It’s all about “taps, tunes and Chinese” at this legendary 130-year-old pub. Head in for 17 local beers matched with Shandong-style chicken and prawn wontons 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. This multistorey art deco pub was refurbed in 2018 after a tumultuous few years. Now it’s a class act from top to bottom, with a rooftop pizzeria and weekly drag’n’dine. The Imperial’s basement performance and dance 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. Plus, live music bar Bombies on the rooftop.
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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.
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The Golden Sheaf Hotel
A slice of eastern suburbs history, with a beer garden to rival any on this list. Hordes flock to it every day of the week, but the Wednesday night party is a Sheaf staple. The main attraction is the fairy-lit fig tree overlooking the courtyard bar and restaurant.
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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. Proudly pokies-free.
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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 a lazy afternoon session and vegan pub grub from the in-house bistro, Mama B’s.
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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, and in winter it’s an excellent perch for the Vivid festival light works. Pints and people-watching on street level complete The Rocks experience.
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Friend in Hand Hotel
A quirky Glebe local with a gallery of kitschy memorabilia. The kitchen serves straightforward grub such as schnitzels and spag bol. The cool, covered backyard is perfect in the heat of summer, or there’s a fireplace to cosy up to in winter.
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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. In any case, it all tastes 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, with its jukebox and pool tables, has a living-room feel (with the looks of a greaser’s man cave).
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Darlo Bar
A corner hotel where the cocktail names are cheeky and 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 – it’s the next best thing to your own bed.
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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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The Kirribilli Hotel
This is one of the most attractive – and classic – 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 of Lord Nelson bitter are a bona-fide rarity on this side of the bridge.
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The London
An understated gem in the backstreets of Paddington. 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. Paddington residents are lucky to call this one their local.
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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 – the “Coat of Arms” has marinated kangaroo and emu on it, but you can always stick to straight pepperoni.
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The Abercrombie
This 24-hour Chippendale pub was once home to Sydney’s thriving indie scene – and with Bar Freda’s now in the building, the party is back. Dance late, or head upstairs for drinks and an outdoor terrace with big inner-city vibes.
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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, Henry Deane notches up the class with sophisticated cocktails and eats – but why not go one better in the pub’s accommodation? It’s a luxe inner-city escape.
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The Woollahra Hotel
Come for a pan-Asian pub menu featuring curries, dumplings and wok-fried classics. Plus, beers on tap, a crowd-pleasing wine list and a lush courtyard vertical garden.
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The Norfolk Hotel
The Norfolk is one of Cleveland Street’s most enduring landmarks, serving punters in various guises since 1921. Its Solotel revamp adds ace pub classics, like beef and VB party pies, rissole burgers like your mum used to make, and roast chook rolls. Plus, Ricos Tacos is out the back.
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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 – where the Sunday Roast rules – there's a majestic jacaranda mural painted by local artists.
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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’s ground-zero for 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, plus there are 15 taps dedicated to Sydney’s craft beer scene. The bistro’s menu of upmarket grub is worth staying for.
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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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