The 10 Best Bars In Paddington, Sydney

Named after the legendary American saxophonist, Charlie Parker’s is an atmospheric basement bar that works closely with local producers to create colourful cocktails brimming with fresh ingredients and botanicals. Follow the stairs through Fred’s restaurant to find this warmly lit speakeasy, which also plates up inventive bar snacks from the kitchen upstairs.

This hole-in-the-wall has a wine list so long you could spend hours reading it before you even got around to ordering a bottle. Located (predictably) at 10 William St, this pint-sized wine bar and restaurant is run by the same family that owns Fratelli Paradiso in nearby Potts Point, bringing those similar Italian flavours to the alleyways of Paddington.

You can’t walk a block in Paddington without bumping into a trendy new gastropub, but the Nash was dishing up first-class bar food since before it was cool. This much-loved Underwood St establishment enjoyed major renovations in 2014, although the casual dining menu — loaded with delicious burgers, salads and Sunday roasts — didn’t change.

Durty Nelly’s had been pulling pints of Guinness for more than a century before new owners took over in 2015, swapping the old Irish theme for more stylish decor. The Village Inn is now one of the area’s most refined pubs — think exposed brick, raw timber, and a sun-kissed balcony perched high above the hustle and bustle of Oxford St below.

This upscale Underwood St pub delivers something for everyone: live sport beaming from big-screen TVs in the front bar, craft beers flowing in the airy courtyard bar and refined pub food in the dining room, including slow roast pork belly and a quinoa, pumpkin and mushroom casserole. The London is particularly popular with punters slurping on a schooner or five before heading to watch football at the nearby Allianz Stadium and Sydney Cricket Ground.

A pub has stood on this Oxford St site since the mid-1800s, and it’s been called the Unicorn since 1941. The brains behind Sydney hospitality icons Porteño, Mary’s and Young Henrys have carried the pub into the new millennium, retaining the soul of the place while adding a sophisticated bistro downstairs and a number of craft beers and cocktails.

As the name suggests, this Oxford St venue isn’t a typical Australian bar — the Franchi brothers take their food seriously, influenced by their Tuscan father and Sardinian mother. Once you’ve polished off a gourmet pizza or a plate of antipasti, it’s time to peruse the all-Italian drinks menu. Wine is imported from every corner of the old country, plus there’s a range of digestivi, grappe, aperitivi and beer from Italy, too.

The Royal is an icon of Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, towering high above the Five Ways in the heart of Paddington. This multi-story establishment is divided into a series of spaces, but the star is the Rooftop: climb four floors through the Elephant Bar to reach the alfresco terrace, which takes in panoramic views over the city centre.

Another of Paddington’s gussied-up pubs, The Bellevue benefitted from a multi-million-dollar makeover in 2015, replacing its legendary old crumbed lamb cutlets with a more modern European menu. This Hargrave St institution still pulls the same icy cold schooners it has for 130 years, though now they are consumed in either the lively Public Bar or the slightly more swish Terrace Bar.