Woolloomooloo Wharf
Photograph: Chris Ting

Woolloomooloo area guide

Restaurants, bars, shops and events in Woolloomooloo
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The suburb that gives everyone pause (when they're trying to spell it) is one of Sydney's most dramatically gentrified – at least around the Finger Wharf (probably the coolest apartment block in the whole of Australia) on which you'll find look-at-me hotspots like Ovolo Hotel, OttoChina Doll and Aki's.

Bordered by the DomainKings Cross and Potts Point, the harbourside suburb is home to a real grabbag of Sydney landmarks, including the Andrew Boy Charlton Pool, Garden Island Naval Base and the Matthew Talbot Hostel, the largest hostel for homeless men in the Southern Hemisphere.

Woolloomooloo highlights

The best restaurants in Woolloomooloo

24 York
Restaurants

24 York

  • 4 out of 5 stars
The CBD’s new Paris-inspired diner is a brisk, after-work steak-frites hall where the only choice that counts is your sauce
Neptune’s Grotto
Restaurants

Neptune’s Grotto

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4
An underground cave in Sydney’s CBD is now home to a rollicking, candlelit Italian-themed party – and one of the city’s most exciting new restaurants
Heshela Newa Khaja Ghar
Restaurants

Heshela Newa Khaja Ghar

  • 4 out of 5 stars
Head to this Rockdale eatery for handmade dumplings done four ways, rice wine and the promise to taste something new
Sean's
Restaurants

Sean's

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 3 of 4
After more than 30 years of serving delicious, honest food with a side of blissful joy, Bondi’s sea-salt-sprayed jewel shines brighter than ever
Olympus
Restaurants

Olympus

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 3 of 4
Does your last trip to Greece feel like ancient history? Slip on your sandals and head to Sydney’s Olympus Dining
Pellegrino 2000
Restaurants

Pellegrino 2000

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 3 of 4
This cracking Surry Hills Italian from the Bistrot 916 team has amped-up trattoria classics that will stay with you long after you've said arrivederci
Ormeggio at the Spit
Restaurants

Ormeggio at the Spit

  • price 2 of 4
Waterfront Italian seafood is the order of the season, and the new era of Ormeggio delivers it in style
Cibaria Manly
Restaurants

Cibaria Manly

  • 5 out of 5 stars
Joyous, warm and exactly what this beautiful ’burb needed – Manly’s newest Italian babe is a delizioso hit

The best bars in Woolloomooloo

Silver’s Motel
Bars

Silver’s Motel

  • 5 out of 5 stars
Enmore Road’s most handsome space is also an ’80s-inspired motel bar with top-shelf drinks and old-school swagger
Bar Herbs
Bars

Bar Herbs

  • 5 out of 5 stars
Bar Herbs is a 2000's New York-style Martini bar in Sydney's CBD
Joji
Bars

Joji

  • 5 out of 5 stars
Sydney’s newest rooftop bar is a shimmering, Japanese-inspired showstopper in the CBD’s beating heart – and don’t forget your Gucci
Paradise
Bars

Paradise

  • 5 out of 5 stars
Combining Potts Point cool with big European energy, you'll be in paradise at this new wine bar from the Fratelli Paradiso and 10 William St team

Other things to do in Woolloomooloo

Fairy Bower Pool
Sport and fitness

Fairy Bower Pool

This 1929s built saltwater pool is a popular shallow bathing spot on the Cabbage Tree Bay walkway
Manly to Spit coastal walk
Sport and fitness

Manly to Spit coastal walk

This ten-kilometre trek is best approached from Spit if you want to reward yourself with snacks at the finish line
Andrew Boy Charlton Pool
Sport and fitness

Andrew Boy Charlton Pool

A fabulous outdoor swimming pool that's perfectly perched right in the heart of the Royal Botanic Gardens

What's on in Woolloomooloo

Laneway Cinema
Film

Laneway Cinema

Free outdoor movie screenings are going down in the Rocks every Wednesday night this summer
On The Steps
Music

On The Steps

The Sydney Opera House open-air summer music series is back for 2025 – with Loyle Carner, Parcels and Franz Ferdinand on the line-up
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Theatre

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4
This physical performance fuelled with fire and fractured fragility shatters the façade of the private and personal
The Book of Mormon
Theatre

The Book of Mormon

  • 4 out of 5 stars
This tongue-in-cheek musical is jam-packed with "did they really just say that?” humour
Martin Place Christmas Markets
Shopping

Martin Place Christmas Markets

There’s everything from tasty treats to festive gifts and pretty homewares at these buzzing, joyful markets in the centre of town