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, Otto, China Doll and Aki's.

Bordered by the Domain, Kings 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

Chiswick
Restaurants

Chiswick

  • price 2 of 4
More than 14 years on, there are few places in Sydney that deliver a long Sunday lunch quite like Matt Moran’s sun-splashed seasonal beauty
Piqu
Restaurants

Piqu

  • 5 out of 5 stars
With punchy flavours, textures and colours, this Newtown eatery will take you on a backpacking trip throughout Southeast Asia – without leaving King St
Paramount Coffee Project
Restaurants

Paramount Coffee Project

More than a decade after opening, this designer coffee shop and café in Surry Hills is still one of Sydney's coolest brunch spots
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
Grandfathers
Restaurants

Grandfathers

  • 5 out of 5 stars
Taking up shop in the former Long Chim site is this red-and-black succulent Chinese diner by some of Sydney’s finest – bring your pop
South End
Restaurants

South End

  • 5 out of 5 stars
Forget the wild northern end of Newtown – it’s about time you wandered down the south end
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
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

The best bars in Woolloomooloo

Bar Copains
Bars

Bar Copains

  • 5 out of 5 stars
Best mates, Dr Dre hits, a killer fish sanga and funky drops walk into a bar – and the result is pretty cool
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
The Dry Dock
Bars

The Dry Dock

  • 5 out of 5 stars
Staying dry? Forget it. Balmain’s oldest pub is also one of Sydney’s best – and your dog’s welcome too

Other things to do in Woolloomooloo

The Day Spa at the Langham Hotel
Health and beauty

The Day Spa at the Langham Hotel

This magical, star-studded subterranean spa in Sydney's CBD is offering Australia’s first in-hotel IV therapy experience
Sydney Opera House
Theatre

Sydney Opera House

Sydney's iconic performing arts venue is one of the most photographed (and controversial) buildings in the world

What's on in Woolloomooloo

The Unfriend
Theatre

The Unfriend

Pop your detective caps on before hitting up this limited-time production from the Sydney Theatre Company
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Le Marché French Markets
Shopping

Le Marché French Markets

This fabulous free market dedicated to our cheese-eating friends is the ultimate taste of France
A Room with a View
Theatre

A Room with a View

Belvoir St Theatre is bringing E.M. Forster’s beloved classic to a Sydney stage
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The Lion King
Theatre

The Lion King

  • 5 out of 5 stars
Royalty takes theatrical form – long live the (Lion) King!
Housework
Theatre

Housework

  • 4 out of 5 stars
'House of Cards' meets 'Veep' in this satirical comedy about the complex realities in Australian politics
Monty Python's Spamalot
Theatre

Monty Python's Spamalot

Monty Python's musical spoof of King Arthur's (very silly) quest for the Holy Grail is back for a limited Sydney season
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