The Print Room (CLOSED)

It’s the oldest pub in Paddington and surrounded by high-end fashion boutiques, stylish shoppers and latte-sipping ladies of leisure by day. Come nightfall, hi-vis vests replace designer blazers. Like bugs to a blue light, every Irishman in Sydney is attracted to the scent of sweet, sweet Guinness at Durty Nelly’s.

Recently, bartender and booze businessman Leeroy Petersen purchased the historic building. And things are changing. For starters, the pokies have been removed and sold, the money from those one-armed bandits used for an upstairs refurbishment. It’s here you’ll find the Print Room, an elegant wine and cocktail lounge without a Tato or pint in sight - just look for the separate entrance on the left, painted dusty pink.

Take the stairs and enter a room filled with old-world charm and glamour: ornate chandeliers, vintage mirrors and large leather chesterfield lounges. The soft lighting reveals a beautiful custom-built bar and quirky accessories including an old typewriter, antique soda syphons and historic quotes hand-written on the walls.

A seat on the wrap-around balcony is perfect for people watching while you share a bottle of wine and graze on a cheese or charcuterie board. Get cosy and settle in at a booth and order the crisp confit duck, or the super-fresh crab salad and guacamole on cornbread.

Cocktails are a major drawcard here. The Chanel No. 5 (gin, coconut, butterscotch, fresh pressed coffee and kaffir lime leaf) is a highly perfumed version of a vodka espresso - smooth, creamy and a little oily. For something lighter, the tequila based Chamomile Cartel is a refreshing sweet/sour mix.

Petersen’s got big plans for the building. His next project is downstairs - a saloon style bar that pays homage to the building’s various incarnations since it first opened in 1850. Until then, choose your own adventure.