Best pubs in Surry Hills

Respecting your elders is very, very easy when the lessons they’re doling out are ‘how to have a good time without being a twat’ and the teacher is one of the best old boozers in Sydney. The Crix deserves a medal for its diplomatic skills that mean that a truly confusing cross section of drinkers are all happy to pal it up around this ancient, ancient bar. 

The transformed Dolphin boasts a buzzy public bar, dining room and open air terrace, as well as a wine room and salumeria. Generally we hate the phrase “something for everyone” but they’ve certainly given being a one-stop shop a red-hot go. Like so many venues in Sydney right now, these guys are set up for all moods and budgets, including blowing cash on natural wines or just scoffing a wood-fired pizza.

A lot of Sydney’s pubs play a single trump – tender steak, good times trivia, clean beer, golden schnitzel – but it’s a truly special boozer that can show a full and winning hand. Dove and Olive is that place. They've tapped the biggest craft beer collection in Surry Hills. Suddenly we had a pub for all occasions where the beers, food and vibe are were ace and the mounted deer horns came with googly eyes.

The Hotel Hollywood has seen better days. The carpet is a psychedelic mix of colourful swirls on a dark background, designed to mask decades of rambunctious boozing. The wood panelling is chipped and the framed posters are from a black-and-white age. During the week it’s a quiet place to get a schooner, but it’s full to bursting on a Friday and Saturday night – it’s easy to see where some of the old girl’s battle scars came from. 

When a hot dog and a craft brew is all your heart desires then it’s time to cannonball down the slopes of Surry Hills to the Royal Albert Hotel. You will not be the only one making a beeline for this compact taphouse so expect to squeeze inside the front bar to get amongst the good-natured carousing that happens here every evening at quitting time. When you’re not feeling the sardine vibes out the front mosey on through to the middle pod where things get roomier and you can sit rather than lean. 

You’ve probably already been hitting this hot spot for a boogie thanks to the kickass DJs they book for their free Friday and Saturday night parties. But there’s a whole set of reasons to visit, and it involves a little bar snack called johnny cakes. Many places choose to apply the ‘American’ tag in the broadest possible sense – basically anything in a bun – but here they’ve taken a different path, serving distinctly southern fare.

It’d be a rare occurrence to find yourself at this Bourke Street pub not in the company of at least one floof, pupper or doggo. This pub doesn’t just have a dog-friendly policy, they actively encourage you to pop in even if you’ve only got your pet for company – you only need five bucks to buy a dog bowl of meat and veg, or canine-suitable ‘beef tartare’. If you don’t have a dog but do have a child under 12, there’s also an eight-dollar cheeseburger or schnitzel, and for fully grown humans the $15 steak special is always available. 

There’s not much we like more at Time Out than a well-worn boozer that still remembers the frenzy of the six o’clock swill. But sometimes the smell is so ingrained in the beer-soaked carpet that there’s nothing left to do but rip it out and start again. While you’re there you may as well throw 30 craft beer taps behind the bar, a whole shelf dedicated to bourbon and as many taxidermy beasts as you can lay your hands on. This is pretty much what happened at the old KB Hotel to bring you the Keg and Brew you know today.

The Clock is an institution in the Sydney pub scene. The regal two-storey hotel occupies a commanding position on Surry Hills’ Crown Street and a well-earned place in the hangover hall of fame for most Sydneysiders following a big night out here. And while times change and slight décor adjustments are made over the years, the Clock essentially remains the same. It aims to be most of the things to most of the people and it does so commendably.