If you want to see Sydney at her absolute best, go for a drink at Redfern’s neighbourhood art bar, the Bearded Tit. Inside this cosy establishment you get a glimpse of what it could be like if we all just got along. The weird and wonderful are welcomed here; there is a mix of punters that properly reflects the Sydney rainbow, and nobody gives it a second thought. We’re all too busy having a brilliant time.
If you’re of the pearl-clutchin’ persuasion, perhaps we should warn you that there’s a lot of sexy art here. Their very first window display of crocheted penises ensured everyone knew about the bar with the cuddly cocks. They also have a centerfold in the drinks menu and boobs are everywhere. Conversely the bathroom is packed with framed portraits of Jesus (Avert your eyes, lord).
You can’t have a Sydney small bar without taxidermy – we’re pretty sure that’s a sub-clause in the application process now. Here you’ve got a mounted deer butt, a goat head wearing a collar and tie, a stuffed baby deer in a fetching bonnet, and a warthog with a trumpet. Yep, looks like everything is in its place. The current exhibition features a Roosevelt-era wheelchair with arms that looks like it might try and hug you if you sat down, which is both unsettling and kind of sad.
These guys aren’t playing by your restrictive rules and that goes for the playlist too: Red Hot Chili Peppers are followed by John Lee Hooker, who gets an encore from Kelis. Cocktails here aren’t showstoppers, but they are made well by a bunch of the friendliest bar staff in the city. It’s all smiles while they sling your Old Fashioned over the bar.
You never know what a night here might bring. Perhaps you stopped in for a triple-hot-sauce Bloody Mary and ended up watching a stripping nun pair Iggy Pop lyrics with Liza Minnelli show tunes. Or perhaps a didgeridoo player in gold lamé will accompany your Dark ’n’ Stormy. Just roll with it.
Because you’ll never want to leave, the food will have to come to you. Luckily you can order in basic Chinese fare from Wah Fung up the road (the same guys who furnish Arcadia Liquors with those old school sang choy bow), and Lorentto Pizza also deliver. In house they’ve got pies, cured meats and cheeses, and there’ll be no complaints from this quarter if dinner is a slice of the luxuriously creamy Shadows of Blue from Gippsland.
We love this bar because it’s unequivocally a dickhead-free zone. They’re flying the flag for creative pursuits, good vibes, nice drinks and ace tunes and reminding us how great Sydney can be with a little love and a liquor licence.
