Leisha Kapor

Autumn 2024 update: Happy autumn, folks. If you’re craving a chilled beer, steak and chips and a relaxed vibe, you’ve come to the right place. Below, we’ve rounded up Sydney’s very best pubs, where everyone is welcome. There's a lot that goes into making a great pub. They need to furnish you with an excellent meal and friendly service, and a game of pool or darts doesn't go astray. On a sunny day, it's all about having a welcoming beer garden. There are a lot of rock-solid pubs in this city, and these are our picks of the bunch, pulled together by Time Out Sydney critics, including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure. Cheers. For something a bit less pubby, a bit higher end, see our picks of the best bars in Sydney. Hungry? Check out our ultimate guide to Sydney's best restaurants. 

Restaurant and bar owners fall over themselves to find fairytale sites in Sydney, and Chiswick at the Gallery sure is one. Set within the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the restaurant not only boasts unrivaled views of Sydney Harbour and Woolloomooloo but also has its very own kitchen garden.  Open for lunch every day (noon–3pm), Chiswick offers a sophisticated menu in its contemporary dining room, casual bar and semi-private dining space, plus a more casual café offering on lower level 1 of the gallery. Much like they do at the Woollahra original, Matt Moran and head chef Tim Brindley fully embrace the farm-to-table philosophy. The menu runs from Sydney rock oysters with shiso vinegar and a baked beetroot and peach salad, to crisp duck with orange and bitter leaves and the signature lamb from the Moran family farm. And, of course, desserts are hyper-seasonal, too, like yuzu cheesecake with mango, papaya and mint.  Chiswick is also open for dinner on Wednesdays, as part of the gallery’s Art After Hours program, and presents dining packages and special menus during blockbuster exhibitions.

Set in the heritage-listed Customs House, Quay Bar ticks major boxes for centrality and historic charm. You’ll find a mix of office workers rubbing elbows with tourists among the cluster of tables in front of the beautiful old building, a setting which could easily be mistaken for a European piazza.  The kitchen opens at 7.30am during the week, plating up no-fuss brekky classics. Come lunch and dinner time, the gear shifts towards share plates and familiar pub favourites, from meze plates and salt-and-pepper squid to Caesar salads, steaks and burgers. On the drinks front, it’s a no-nonsense list of beers and wines, with seasonal Spritzes, Martinis and Margaritas as well as cocktails by the jug. Save big with $6 beers and wines and $7 house spirits during happy hour, from 5–7pm, Monday to Wednesday, or chow down on a main meal and a drink for $20 on those same days if hunger calls.    

Inside a six-storey building, Kings Cross Hotel bills itself as a spot for a quiet drink with friends, a late-night party destination, and an inner-city hub of arts and culture.  On the ground level, there’s the street bar with a friendly neighbourhood pub vibe built for a feed and a pint while you watch the footy. The action continues upstairs, where the stage is set for a longer lunch and a cocktail on the first floor’s breezy balcony, or quite literally for a trailblazing independent production at the Kings Cross Theatre on level two. The epic rooftop, meanwhile, is the perfect spot to share a bottle of bubbles while the sun goes down. Downstairs, there’s a subterranean dive bar, where you’ll also find the funny people of the Kings Cross Comedy Club from Wednesday to Saturday. Levels three and four are designated club spaces, open for special nights and events. For a feed, you’ll want to head to the street bar or the balcony, where the menu features snacks and sharing plates (olives, dips, chips and butter chicken nachos), burgers, salads and bigger plates – think classic steaks and salads or the likes of a scallop-and-prawn pie or grilled eggplant with hummus and pearl couscous.    

At the bottom of the unmissable Barangaroo House, House Bar is a relaxed waterfront hangout built for a bite to eat, a quick Spritz or long afternoons of people-watching in the sun.  The food menu is short, but it covers all the bases: snacks like nuts, olives and chips; share plates such as popcorn cauliflower or charcuterie; salmon and tofu bowls, burgers and fish and chips. Plus, there’s a salted caramel and vanilla ice cream sambo for dessert. Inside, the mood is timeless, modern and grown-up thanks to a mixture of olive-green leather, zinc, brass and polished wood, while outside offers plenty of seating for larger groups in the shadow of the building's striking design. Wherever you choose to sit, pocket-friendly, easy-drinking wines will keep you occupied and so will the signature cocktails that celebrate the season in fresh and fruit-forward style.

It’s the old Albion Place Hotel, but not as you might remember it. Rebranded in 2019 as Little Nicks Bar and Kitchen, the George Street pub is pitching itself at a slightly younger, less sports-focused crowd than it used to. The upgraded bar comes with a cute little ghost mascot and a heavy dose of purple neon, making it a fun way to kick off the weekend come clock-off time or for pre-drinks ahead of a gig at the Metro Theatre across the road.  Plenty of drink specials and weekly events are on the cards across the two levels, including drag bingo, Nick’s Little Secret Thursdays, late-night dance parties, daily lunch deals and drink specials. The kitchen is pumping out similar fare to its former iteration, namely pub favourites and American-style classics: nachos, burgers, parmies and pizza, plus a handful of desserts.  Drinks-wise, there’s plenty of taps pouring local and imported beers and Espresso Martinis, a wine list covering Australian and international drops, and a cheerful cocktail menu of classics, colourful signatures and Spritz jugs to share.    

Affectionately known as the Eddy, the Edinburgh Castle Hotel has been a refuge for Sydney’s thirsty since 1885. Legend has it Henry Lawson spent a great deal of time inside its walls penning poems and stories.  You’ll often find the main bar area packed with the city’s workers loosening their collars come 5pm or crowded around the big screen watching whatever game is on that day. There’s a lounge bar upstairs if you want to escape the crowds and an outside courtyard with a leafy canopy. The fitout doesn’t forget the Eddy’s heritage, while still being stylish and comfortably modern — there’s lots of brass, wooden fixtures, Art Deco lighting and geometric stained-glass windows.  The menu nods to the old and new as well, featuring modern and sophisticated takes on Aussie pub classics. Chicken wings are doused in Korean flavours and spice; vegan options include jackfruit tacos and cauliflower croquettes; and salads feature toppings like coconut tofu, papaya and edamame.  There’s plenty of beers on tap, the majority of the wine list leans local, and the short cocktail list includes a couple of different Spritzes, a spiked watermelon lemonade, a Salted Caramel Martini and a few extras.    

It’s the old Albion Place Hotel, but not as you might remember it. Rebranded in 2019 as Little Nicks Bar and Kitchen, the George Street pub is pitching itself at a slightly younger, less sports-focused crowd than it used to.   The upgraded bar comes with a cute little ghost mascot and a heavy dose of purple neon, making it a fun way to kick off the weekend come clock-off time or for pre-drinks ahead of a gig at the Metro Theatre across the road.   Plenty of drink specials and weekly events are on the cards across the two levels, including drag bingo, Nick’s Little Secret Thursdays, late-night dance parties, daily lunch deals and drink specials.  The kitchen is pumping out similar fare to its former iteration, namely pub favourites and American-style classics: nachos, burgers, parmies and pizza, plus a handful of desserts.   Drinks-wise, there are plenty of taps pouring local and imported beers and Espresso Martinis, a wine list covering Australian and international drops, and a cheerful cocktail menu of classics, colourful signatures and Spritz jugs to share.