Shady Pines interior
Photograph: Anna Kucera

Darlinghurst area guide

Hit up hidden bars, intimate restaurants and happening clubs in Darlinghurst
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We're not meant to pick favourites, but if we had to, Darlinghurst would be one of our most loved Sydney suburbs. Sandwiched between Surry Hills and Kings Cross, this eclectic rainbow spot is home to many excellent bars like Love, Tilly Devine and The Cliff Dive. There’s also the new neighbourhood boozer The Waratah, and old favourite the Darlo.

If it's a feed you're after, Victoria Street is choc-a-block with great eats and home to one of Sydney’s most popular ice cream shops, Messina. Pick up brilliant baked goods and coffee at Shadow Baking. You'll find seriously good pizza and a banging set menu at Dimitri's Pizzeria. Plus, we love Italian hole-in-the-wall Sagra, charming diner Bar Vincent and killer wine bar Paski Vineria Popolare. You can spend your time hopping in and out of art galleries, perusing high-end furniture shops, catching a show at Darlinghurst Theatre Company or dancing at a live gig at Oxford Art Factory. Take our word for it: Darlinghurst is where it's at.

Darlinghurst highlights

The Waratah
Bars

The Waratah

A table on the terrace at The ’Tah, as it’s affectionately known, is considered prime real estate for people-watching long after the last of Mardi...
Australian Museum
Museums

Australian Museum

The country's oldest museum (established 1827) is the custodian of 21.9 million specimens and cultural objects, including the permanent 200 Treasures...
Bar Reggio
Restaurants

Bar Reggio

There's a lot to love about this classic red sauce joint, not least is that if you split the bill you can get out without hitting the $20 mark.
Big Poppa's
Restaurants

Big Poppa's

  • price 2 of 4
Where can you go and eat a full, delicious restaurant menu until 3am every night of the week? Big Poppa’s is open 'til the wee hours on Oxford Street.

The best restaurants in Darlinghurst

A.P Bread & Wine
Restaurants

A.P Bread & Wine

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4
Purveyors of excellent baked goods, A.P Bread’s newest Darlinghurst venture is open for brekkie, lunch and dinner – plus, there’s booze
Bar Reggio
Restaurants

Bar Reggio

  • 5 out of 5 stars
This cheap-as-chips red sauce joint in Darlinghurst is perfect for long lunches with hungry hordes
Lankan Filling Station
Restaurants

Lankan Filling Station

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4
It doesn't matter whether it's noon or night, O Tama Carey’s Sri Lankan food always delivers the goods
Chaco Ramen
Restaurants

Chaco Ramen

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 1 of 4
Keita Abe’s tiny Darlinghurst restaurant is leading Sydney’s new wave of ramen
Fabbrica Pasta Bar Darlinghurst
Restaurants

Fabbrica Pasta Bar Darlinghurst

  • 5 out of 5 stars
On-point pasta, a groovy dining room and a banging soundtrack are what you can expect from this Darlinghurst spot
RivaReno
Restaurants

RivaReno

  • 5 out of 5 stars
It may not look like much, but this Darlinghurst gelato joint is serving the best gelato in town
Dimitri's Pizzeria
Restaurants

Dimitri's Pizzeria

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4
A Surry Hills pizza stalwart lives on in bigger, bolder Darlinghurst digs with old favourites, new additions, a banging wine list and spot-on service
Indian Home Diner
Restaurants

Indian Home Diner

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 1 of 4
The orange neon signage and lacklustre shopfront may not look like anything special, but anyone who’s tried an Indian kebab from here knows that this...
Big Poppa's
Restaurants

Big Poppa's

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4
Sydney bar royalty have opened a restaurant on Oxford Street. But have they pulled it off?
Nomidokoro Indigo
Restaurants

Nomidokoro Indigo

  • 4 out of 5 stars
Pull up a stool at Darlinghurst’s intimate sake and Japanese snack bar

The best bars in Darlinghurst

The Taphouse
Bars

The Taphouse

  • 4 out of 5 stars
The rejuvenated Darlinghurst pub has swapped wedges for wontons, and taken to morphing into a three-storey house party once dinner’s cleared
Love, Tilly Devine
Bars

Love, Tilly Devine

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4
A new chef with a flair for elegant invention steps things up at the laneway favourite
Paski Vineria Popolare
Bars

Paski Vineria Popolare

  • 5 out of 5 stars
Discover an Eden of natural wine, outstanding snacks and top-notch service in the heart of Oxford Street

Shopping in Darlinghurst

My Plants and Garden Centre
Shopping

My Plants and Garden Centre

This tiny shop front on a corner opposite the National Art School packs a lot of  lush greenery into very limited space. The savvy use of footpath and...
Stoneheart
Shopping

Stoneheart

This colourful, street-front space is an easy ten-minute walk from Town Hall Station and it’s open seven days week. The current roster of...
Floreat
Shopping

Floreat

Find fresh blooms in their purest form at this Darlinghurst florist
Blue Spinach
Shopping

Blue Spinach

Blue Spinach sells high-end designer labels and contemporary fashion fit for a second life

What's on in Darlinghurst

Darlo Night Markets
Shopping

Darlo Night Markets

Sydney's trendy Inner City suburb is hosting a free monthly night market with vintage fashion and tasty street food
Drag Queen Walking Tour
Things to do

Drag Queen Walking Tour

Do a walking tour of Sydney's secret queer history led by a famous drag queen

Arts and culture in Darlinghurst

Eternity Playhouse
Theatre

Eternity Playhouse

The Eternity Playhouse is situated in a restored and renovated heritage-listed building from 1887, formerly operating as the Baptist Tabernacle. The venue is...
National Art School
Art

National Art School

Housed in the historic walls of the old Darlinghurst Gaol, the National Art School is the oldest, most prestigious visual arts institute in Australia, with...
Chalk Horse
Art

Chalk Horse

This contemporary art gallery was started by artists Jasper Knight, Oliver Watts, Julian Meagher and Dougal Phillips in 2007, and showcases emerging...
Always Was Always Will Be
Art

Always Was Always Will Be

This artwork was removed in November 2017. One of the most recognisable pieces of public art in Sydney – thanks to its colours and its prominent...
Watters Gallery
Art

Watters Gallery

Established in 1964, this Sydney institution maintains a loyal following among some of Australia’s most significant artists. Among the notables are...