The Porteño group’s Holt Street eatery pays tribute to the group’s seminal venue Bodega (which used to be right around the corner) of the early noughties, combined with a ’60s-era Italian trattoria. Pull up at one of the mint terrazzo tables for vibrant antipasti, seasonal house-made pastas and a knockout drinks list.
Japanese with a side of jazz? Hit this smooth diner, where legit musos play most nights of the week. Jazzed up ramens and Japanese favourites have been served here for more than 20 years.
These days Bourke Street Bakery has outposts by the baker’s dozen. But this much-loved corner site is where it all started. Tip-top sourdough, award-winning pies and value-packed sandwiches are the main attractions.
Whether they’re baking bread or butchering steaks, the Porteno team does not muck around. Its humble little bakery nearly broke the internet with a gorgeous finger bun. But it’s no slouch in the sandwich department either.
A polished pastry shop that puts a fine-dining twist on classic bakery items. Think Wagyu and mushroom pies, and yuzu curd croissants. The star item – the Crown on 487 – is so labour-intensive only 15 are made each day.
Killer coffee from a pioneer in the city’s third wave coffee movement. The main event is where you can get a seasonal feed and all the details about your brew in one sitting. Hit the sideshow for a theatrical display of coffee gadgetry.
Set within the Paramount Building, this destination cafe has a menu to match the sophistication of its surroundings. Asian influences are woven throughout, and coffees from international guests are brewing at the filter bar.
Central and South American flavours power the menu at this cool cafe by one of the city's most respected names in coffee. The bonus of doing brunch here? Your coffee was roasted right upstairs by the best in the business.
A sexy wine bar and restaurant from the team behind Nomad. Enter via the back lane, take a seat on a caramel leather banquette, and order some of the best gamay Beaujolais has to offer, with lobster thermidor on baked tomato-saffron rice to match.
Bodega has joined up with Wyno, together the venue is now known as Wyno x Bodega. There’s a bigger focus on vino, a smaller menu and fan favourites, the fish fingers and banana spilt, are still available.
This Crown Street classic feels like a wine bar and a pub had a lovechild. It has all the energy of a good neighbourhood boozer, but with a menu that’s leagues ahead of the average bistro.
Inside a former storage space used by St Mary’s Cathedral is Sydney’s best – and only – dedicated rum distillery. It also packs in a South American-inspired kitchen with tacos, burgers and more.
Ask anyone about the best spots for a drink in Surry Hills, and Forrester’s would have to be in the conversation. This 100-year-old pub is split into multiple distinct spaces – do afternoon pints in The Public Bar, a bottomless rosé lunch in the dining room, or trivia in the light-filled functions space upstairs.
The bar formerly knowns as The Wild Rover is a moody, grown-up version of its predecessor with oysters on rotation and a serious cocktail list. Whether you sit in the moody downstairs bar or the intimate upstairs restaurant, you're in for a seafood-driven menu stacked with winners.
Try on a hoodie by Perfect White Tee, a leather jacket by Austin’s Understated Leather, or a bohemian dress by Malibu’s Jen’s Pirate Booty in this beautifully renovated terrace.
Part bookshop, part record store. It’s a must-visit for any music lover with enough books to rival their record collection. It’s a favourite among international touring artists too, with the odd legend sifting through the artfully curated shelves of books, DVDs and vinyl. Now with a second location in Barangaroo.
This charming book nook is all about quality over quantity. Sip wine and mull over the latest page-turner at one of its intimate, monthly book club meetings.
This alluring and mysterious emporium trades in antique books and curiosities from Australia’s pre-federation history. Its treasures span the entire second floor of a converted Surry Hills warehouse, and – if you’ve got an appointment – you can sit in its grand reading room and pore over immaculate books that predate the city itself.
