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

Al Yasmin
Restaurants

Al Yasmin

  • 5 out of 5 stars
Al Yasmin is our favourite Lebanese restaurant in Southwest Sydney
Papalote
Restaurants

Papalote

  • 5 out of 5 stars
Terracotta warmth, holiday-like cocktails and charcoal heat come together at Newy’s exciting new Mexican restaurant from the team behind Humbug and Flotilla
Yok Yor
Restaurants

Yok Yor

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 1 of 4
Enjoy a delicious, authentic piece of north-eastern Thailand on a Sydney CBD street
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
Amara
Restaurants

Amara

  • 5 out of 5 stars
You'll find this hidden restaurant oasis at one of NSW's first Michelin Key hotels
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
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

The best bars in Woolloomooloo

The Flynn
Bars

The Flynn

After a $2 million-plus glow-up, this CBD megapub is back with a genuinely excellent menu from renowned chef Justin North
Harry's
Bars

Harry's

The former Harpoon Harry's is still a good–times favourite – and it's just had a massive reno
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

Other things to do in Woolloomooloo

Golden Age Cinema & Bar
Film

Golden Age Cinema & Bar

A cinema and bar for those who’d rather not leave the filmic fantasy when the projector finishes rolling
Honeycomb Club
Nightlife

Honeycomb Club

The Honeycomb Club, a burlesque-cabaret theatre in Kings Cross, gives you dinner and a show that's dialled all the way up
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
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)

What's on in Woolloomooloo

My Brilliant Career
Theatre

My Brilliant Career

  • 5 out of 5 stars
Uplifting, joyful and unapologetically Australian, My Brilliant Career reminds us why ambition, love and self-discovery are timeless
Art After Dark
Music

Art After Dark

Sydney Biennale's Art After Dark program is bringing live music to the huge industrial venue most Friday nights until June 12
Texas BBQ: Pitmasters
Things to do

Texas BBQ: Pitmasters

Lennox Hastie from Firedoor is teaming up with Austin’s celebrated pitmaster and Egyptian cowboy Kareem El-Ghayesh of KG BBQ for four smoking-hot events in May
Sydney Royal Easter Show
Things to do

Sydney Royal Easter Show

Get ready for action-packed days of family fun, thrilling rides, adorable animals, fresh produce and, of course, showbags galore
Banksy Limitless
Art

Banksy Limitless

Opening at The Rocks in April, this exhibition showcases more than 250 provocative works by the world-famous elusive street artist
The Phantom of the Opera
Theatre

The Phantom of the Opera

  • 3 out of 5 stars
The Phantom dazzles on Sydney Harbour, but in a production this grand, we’re left yearning for a few more daring leaps to be taken