Time Out Food & Drink Awards 2023: Best Wine Bar Nominees

It’s about as difficult to define 'cool' as it is to pin the tail on the donkey blindfolded after a coupla Negronis. Crocs were not but now they are; laughing emojis are (apparently) not; and even the humble burrata looks like it’s on its way out (RIP). If it’s difficult to define, it’s even more challenging to manufacture, as the action of trying to be cool is very much uncool. When you see cool, you just know. And that’s exactly what will happen if you stroll into Bar Copains, Surry Hills’ new friendly neighbourhood wine bar.

We’re halfway through our wine and snacks at Famelia, a new bar and bottle shop on Newtown’s Enmore Road, when a brunette wearing a fabulous fuchsia jumpsuit stands up to leave, and says to us with a smile: “Sorry if I put my bum in your face.” You see, Famelia is intimate, seating just 25 inside (we’re told that come spring there will be another ten seats outside) surrounded by exposed brick walls. The right-hand side is dotted with round tables, leather stools and banquette seating, with one beautiful (read: enviable) dusty pink marble table for four by the window. When the room becomes full – which it does very quickly on the Friday evening that we visit – the space doesn’t really resemble a wine bar, more so your best friend’s living room. And if the worst thing that happens is that we share a smile, chat and laugh with our neighbour, then we’re on board. 

Just like Egypt’s soaring pyramids and Miley Cyrus’s ‘Flowers’, the Gilda is a masterpiece. Consisting of a vinegary guindilla pepper, a plump briny olive and salty anchovy all held together on a tiny stick, the best-known of all Spain’s pintxos is a flavour knock-out. At Gildas, Lennox Hastie’s second Sydney restaurant after can’t-get-a-booking Firedoor, the chefs have put their own touch on arguably the world’s greatest snack, adding a sliver of cheek-sucking preserved lemon. The result, like we said, is a masterpiece. We’ll take another, please.

Truth time. I have one sibling – an older brother. And while I love him, and hold onto his pearls of wisdom like it’s a new Dior tote (one can dream), I’m starting to think a younger sister would have been good. Well, one in particular. Lil Sis – Chippendale’s new-ish neighbourhood wine bar that’s charming, cosy, and up for a fun time, just like a li'l sis would be. The late-night bar and bottle shop is found right next door to the Abercrombie in a character-fueled terrace.

Deciphering how to say Vermuteria is about as difficult as defending against Sam Kerr. And we’re not the only ones who have found it challenging – the team posted a video on Instagram where they quizzed guests on how to say the name, with varying levels of success. When we visit on a Wednesday evening, it’s the second thing we ask our waiter. He answers with a warm, knowing smile: “Ver – mutt – err – ria.” Case closed. Now, we can focus on what matters most: drinking and eating. Located on Kings Cross Road, Vermuteria has taken over the former Cafe Hernandez site, which operated there for 50 years as a Spanish café. Before that, the building was home to a Polish deli. With Vermuteria, owner Dave Spanton wanted to pay homage to the space’s history. And he’s achieved that in spades.