Greenwood Hotel

Sydney’s CBD gets all the glory – the small bars, the transport hubs and all the historic buildings – but just north of the bridge there’s a small metropolis home to its fair share of corporate HQs. While it may not possess the urban swagger of the CBD bar scene, the few watering holes they do have on the north side they make great use of, like the Greenwood Hotel.

The converted sandstone church has long been a meeting point for the North Sydney workforce. It’s also famously been an entry-level nightspot for fresh faced kids sporting newly issued IDs.

The Time Out team have fond memories of the Greenwood in the early years of the new millennium – Sounds on Sunday and Thursday night ragers with a few too many double blacks. But like us, the G-Wood has grown up a fair bit since then. That's not to say they've forsaken their youthful clientele entirely – on our visit there's posters for the annual snow party and plenty of RTDs in the fridge behind the bar – but it's a decidedly adult affair here.

Good luck getting a table in the sunny front courtyard for a Friday lunch, or finding a free seat on the raised, deck-style couch in the centre. You'll have better luck back inside the old church is giant moose head and hanging greenery stand in lieu of a pulpit and choir. They’ve only got your standard beers on tap here, and the cocktails run sweet, so we opt for a glass of dry La Vielle Ferme rose to accompany some schmoozing in the afternoon sun.

It may look slick, but the heart of a pub beats under the designer exterior, and their schnitzel is the proof. A plate-sized, golden brown fillet of juicy chicken is a treat, but they opt for the extra-creamy style coleslaw here - a little acid for balance wouldn't go astray. The burger is a totally different beast to the medium rare-American-style numbers they're punching out up the road at Five Points - but the food arrives damn fast, which is a bonus for those on a short break.

The Greenwood may not be a weekend destination, but when it comes to after-work drinks and mid-week parties, it's top of the list on the north side.