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

Corner 75
Restaurants

Corner 75

  • 5 out of 5 stars
The Baba’s Place and Sixpenny teams have joined forces to inject fresh energy into Randwick's Hungarian icon – and it’s exciting and comforting all at once
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
Saint Peter
Restaurants

Saint Peter

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 4 of 4
Josh Niland's revolutionary seafood restaurant has found a beautiful new home in Paddington’s Grand National Hotel, but the game-changing dishes remain
The Botanica Vaucluse
Restaurants

The Botanica Vaucluse

This light-flooded restaurant hiding in a magical garden serves an entirely gluten-free menu curated by top Sydney chefs
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
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
Eleven Barrack
Restaurants

Eleven Barrack

  • 5 out of 5 stars
This classy steak and seafood grill comes with loads of surprise factor

The best bars in Woolloomooloo

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
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
Maybe Sammy
Bars

Maybe Sammy

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4
Retro seldom feels so right, and almost never so right-now as this vintage-styled, Italian cocktail bar in the Rocks
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

Pleasure Club
Music

Pleasure Club

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4
With nostalgic cocktails and rollicking live performances every night, you can escape reality at Newtown’s purple-hued basement bar (well, until 4am at least)
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

What's on in Woolloomooloo

Sydney Cellar Door
Things to do

Sydney Cellar Door

Support local NSW wineries at Sydney's largest open air cellar door in The Rocks this November
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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
Affordable Art Fair
Art

Affordable Art Fair

Get your own art collection off the ground with more than 65 galleries from Australia and the world showing the goods
Summer Dance
Music

Summer Dance

The beloved party series is back, launching on November 29 with a stacked day-to-night line-up at Liberty Hall
Calamity Jane
Theatre

Calamity Jane

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4
Grab your boots – Virginia Gay stars as a frontier heroine in this brilliant cult classic at the Opera House
Back to the Future: The Musical
Theatre

Back to the Future: The Musical

  • 4 out of 5 stars
This mega-movie musical fuses nostalgia, world-class talent and stage sorcery for an electrifying night powered by 1.21 gigawatts of joy
Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical
Theatre

Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical

  • 4 out of 5 stars
This new musical at Hayes Theatre blends history and humour with plenty of high kicks to create a crowd-pleasing spectacle that’s equal parts hoofbeats and hope