A little street in Sydney’s Surry Hills, Foster Street, has just been named one of the 30 Coolest Streets in the World 2024 by Time Out. It managed to place 23rd in the whole world, beating cool streets in places including Seoul, Miami and Montreal.
Along with neighbouring Campbell Street, it’s part of the inner city precinct known as the Hollywood Quarter. Speaking of Hollywood – the area recently attracted the world’s biggest star, Taylor Swift. The singer dined at our favourite Italian restaurant, Pellegrino 2000, where you can order delicious silky pasta that she would have learnt is worth risking the paparazzi for.
Despite the dazzling name, the quarter brings low-key cool vibes, and is bordered on the eastern side by Surry Hills and Darlinghurst, and on the western side by Central and Thaitown.
For a little street, Foster Street certainly packs big punch – along with Pellegrino 2000, it’s also home to some of our other favourite venues. And what’s even cooler is that the area’s venues work as a team to coordinate initiatives such as sustainable waste disposal. Here’s a mini tour of the place:
EAT At long-time Surry Hills fave, Nomad, which serves up food from the heart in a industrial-chic-cum-Nordic fit-out. Or, for a cheap weekday lunch, join the queue at Malibu (for a sandwich as big as your head). Just around the corner you’ll find some other popular spots, including fried-chook-and-Champagne diner Butter, and the ultra-cool Paramount Building, which is home to Paramount Coffee Project, AP Bakery and the charming Golden Age Cinema and Bar.
DRINK At the Hollywood Hotel. This charismatic Art Deco pub-slash-small-bar is a true Sydney institution (and the Hollywood Quarter’s namesake). Former Hollywood actress and cabaret artist Doris Goddard opened the boozer back in 1977, making her one of our first female publicans – and although it’s gone through a few restorations over the years, it’s still a hit. If you’re in the mood for tequila, head to Tio's Cerveceria. Or park yourself at The Rover for both a bevvy and the famous burger borrowed from The Gidley.
DO Live-music fest Great Southern Nights is turning the Hollywood Quarter into a “Gig Trail” (on Saturday, March 23, 2024). You can hit up a range of venues in the area (the Hollywood Hotel, Paramount House Hotel, Ace Hotel Sydney, the Soda Factory, Alberto’s Lounge, The Burdekin, Golden Age Cinema & Bar, Harry’s and Butter), which are all serving up different live music and dining offerings. Find out more about that over here.
Or, if you like art, check out what’s on at China Heights, a gallery showing a rotating collection of works from extremely cool young Sydney artists. It’s housed several floors above the street in a cavernous, warehouse-style space.
Melbourne's High Street placed number one in the WORLD – OK, yeah, that's cool southern bros.
But back to Sydney... We reckon we have a lot of cool streets – and that Enmore Road, Redfern Street, Macleay Street in Potts Point, and Marrickville's Illawarra Road give it a bit of a run for its money. But Foster Street is a where it's at. Taylor even knows what's good.