The Inner West certainly knows how to drink. Where else can you sip a Hubba Bubba martini, chase it with a pickleback shot, and hop next door for a three-person flaming cocktail jug? This buzzing pocket is home to some of the best bars in Sydney/Eora—and you can’t tell us otherwise.
From dimly lit cocktail lounges and natural wine bars in Newtown to open-air rooftops and old-school pubs in Marrickville, Urban List has rounded up the best bars in the Inner West that both locals and out-of-towners will love. Whether you’re after a craft beer or a crafty cocktail, there’s an Inner West bar slinging ‘em—and probably throwing in a popcorn bag for good measure.
Here are the 20 best bars in Sydney’s Inner West right now.
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- Best Inner West Cocktail Bars
- Best Inner West Bars With Live Music
- Best Inner West Rooftop Bars
- Best Inner West Wine Bars
- Best Inner West Pubs
- More Of The Best Inner West Bars
Best Inner West Cocktail Bars
Earl’s Juke Joint
407 King Street, Newtown
Image credit: Earl’s Juke Joint | Instagram
You might second-guess yourself when the Uber pulls up outside Betta Meats—but yes, that’s Earl’s Juke Joint hiding behind a butcher’s shopfront. The walk-in only Newtown waterhole thrives on curveballs, slinging cocktails pumped with unexpected ingredients. Take the Suzie Q Spritz for instance, a blend of tequila, Bizzarro aperitivo and Fino sherry balanced with bergamot tea and vanilla.
You'll also find natural wines that come fizzy, orange and purple, as well as beers and ciders from local breweries. Drink up at the bar, snag a spot outside with mates during happy hour, or curl up at an inside table for date night. Just know—if Zunga Zeng by Yellowman plays, there’ll be a momentary pause in bar service (see House Rule #5).
Bar Planet
16 Enmore Road, Newtown
Image credit: Bar Planet | Instagram
No strangers to a good time, the Mucho Group has scattered some of Sydney’s best bars across the map like Cantina OK!, Centro 86, and Tio’s. Bar Planet is another big hit from the crew, boasting wild nights, beloved bags of seasoned popcorn, and cocktails that are simply outta this world.
Martinis are the main event—shaken, stirred and served in every way possible from OG with a flick of lemon peel, dirty with a briny olive, and rotating oddities like a Berocca-laced, Aperol, orange vodka and marmalade martini, plus buttery baguette sours and Hubba Bubba scorpinos. Basically, you don’t need to be a martini purist to fit in at Bar Planet.
Jacoby’s Tiki Bar
154 Enmore Road, Enmore
Image credit: Jacoby’s Tiki Bar | Facebook
Flaming tiki jugs and tropical cocktails are the name of the game at Jacoby’s. The Enmore tiki bar goes heavy on rum and even harder on theatrics. The Zombie is a boozy favourite, mixing Jacoby’s House Grog, Plantation O.F.T.D rum, Crème Violette, apricot, lime, passionfruit, orgeat syrup and absinthe, set alight at the bar.
If you’ve got cash to splash, there’s also a flaming three-person Tiki Tiki Bang Bang pineapple and pomegranate cocktail with so much fire it could probably set off the smoke alarm. Local beers, natural wines, party juice shots, pizza and happy hour are on the cards too.
Best Inner West Bars With Live Music
Pleasure Club
6 Wilson Street, Newtown
Image credit: Pleasure Club | Parker Blain
Parked under Wilson Street, Pleasure Club is a sultry, lavender-lit basement cocktail bar and live music joint in Newtown that hosts a rotating roster of genre-bending artists from experimental jazz and lo-fi soul to indie pop and psych-rock.
Cocktails here are world-class, so it's worth giving them a proper taste test—order from the ever-changing program or your favourite classic. There’s also Aussie wines by the glass, beers, ciders and zero-alc options. If you get peckish, the deluxe hot dogs will keep you going ‘til close at 4am. We also love hitting up the purple pool table to kill time between sets.
Palomino Lounge
134A Enmore Road, Newtown
Image credit: Palomino Lounge | Facebook
For an Inner West live music bar with Southern twang, The Pal’s your gal. She’s a 60-seater gem that houses local blues, hard rock and country bands every Thursday and Sunday night, right next to the iconic Enmore Theatre.
A fancy Italian slushie machine churns out Tommy’s margs and frozen Irish coffee, alongside taps of local beer, and fun seasonal cocktails like a nostalgic lamington old-fashioned. Next time you’re en route to a gig, stop in for a pre-show tipple and tunes, or settle in for a few pours and make Palomino Lounge the main event.
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The Trocadero Room
156 Enmore Road, Enmore
Image credit: The Trocadero Room | Instagram
On weekends, the Inner West’s cool kids flock to The Troc—a groovy hangout with an epic entertainment lineup every week. Think live music, wine mixers, karaoke chaos and the occasional comedy night thrown in.
The self-proclaimed liquid wonderland has great pours too, like alcoholic slushies, schooners and wines, which go for a steal during their late-night happy hour from 11pm, Thursday–Sunday. They’ve even got food covered: hot pizzas with all the trimmings, plus garlic bombs and curly fries.
Best Inner West Rooftop Bars
The Imperial
35 Erskineville Road, Erskineville
Image credit: The Imperial | Website
Erskineville’s heritage-listed LGBTQI+ friendly pub, The Imperial, has an epic open-air rooftop bar that dishes frosty sips and delish pizzas from the Pizza Bros. We suggest loading up on food and drinks up here before hitting the D-floor downstairs. Head there on Saturday for a drag show with a riot of sequins and sass, paying homage to Priscilla, Queen of the Desert—parts of which were filmed at this iconic pub.
Marrickville Springs at Philter Brewing
Level 1, 92–98 Sydenham Road, Marrickville
Image credit: Philter Brewing | Website
Philter Brewing is a well-loved, multi-level playground for beer fanatics housed in a converted factory. Upstairs, their retro Cali-inspired rooftop bar, Marrickville Springs, turns out Aussie-themed cocktails like the Frosty Fruit—a boozy nod to the freezer door essential, reimagined with dark rum, Cointreau, lime, pineapple, and passionfruit. Fill up on share plates, tacos, pizzas, or burgers in the Public Bar and then head up for sundowner sips.
See more of Sydney’s best rooftop bars.
Best Inner West Wine Bars
Flight Path
31 Enmore Road, Newtown
Image credit: Flight Path | William Mallat
Flight Path brings boutique Australian wineries’ cellar doors to Newtown, offering wine flights with different drops each month. The charming 50-seat wine bar has a wide collection of over 30-by-the-glass options, local and international bottles, Frenchie’s beer on tap, non-alcoholic drinks, and wine-based cocktails like the signature sbagliato. The short, snacky menu features French, Spanish and Italian share plates, which complement the pours perfectly and are best enjoyed at the striking six-metre bar or while people-watching at an outdoor table.
Sippenham
282 Unwins Bridge Road, Sydenham
Image credit: Sippenham | Instagram
Channelling East London nightlife scenes, Sippenham is a 20-seat neighbourhood pasta bar with a killer selection of vino, cocktails and tunes. Curated by LoFi Wines, the easy-drinking wine list features organic, biodynamic pours, rich reds and crisp whites from minimal-intervention and family-owned wineries around Australia.
For food, expect delicious antipasti such as potato and manchego fritters, plus handmade pasta dishes like pappardelle with white lamb ragu, beef shin lasagne with vodka sauce and an underappreciated casarecce in a vegan mushroom and miso broth.
Famelia
55 Enmore Road, Newtown
Image credit: Famelia | Facebook
This soulful little wine nook on Enmore Road, run by seasoned sommelier Amelia Birch, champions female winemakers and women-made wines. Equal parts bar and bottle shop, Famelia offers a rotating cellar-door lineup of 12 standout drops each month, available to taste in a flight from $36 or by the glass at the bar. If something hits the spot, grab a bottle to enjoy right there and then for $20 corkage, accompanied by cheese, meats and dips, or order online for later.
Where’s Nick
236 Marrickville Road, Marrickville
Image credit: Where’s Nick | Facebook
Where’s Nick is a laid-back natural wine bar serving unfussy Mediterranean share plates—both small and substantial—spotlighting what’s fresh and in season. The ever-changing drinks menu stars lesser-known producers with 35 wines by the glass and a whopping 450 by the bottle, plus craft beers and spirits. Weekly specials keep things interesting with pours that lean playful and unexpected. Pull up a stool at the bar or nab a spot by the open shopfront.
See more of Sydney’s best wine bars.
Best Inner West Pubs
The Erko Hotel
102 Erskineville Road, Erskineville
Image credit: The Erko Hotel | Instagram
Just off bustling King Street, you’ll find The Erko, a tried-and-true local's joint with a solid lineup of craft beers on tap, natural wines, and fun events on all the time. The kitchen is headed by chef Ethan Robinson, who dishes a modern pub menu using fresh ingredients plucked from their stake at the Erko Road Community Garden. There’s loads of beer garden space for furry friends to roam about, plus heaps of seating to spread out inside and play a cheeky game (or two) of pool.
The Vic On The Park
2 Addison Road, Marrickville
Image credit: The Vic on The Park | Facebook
This dog-friendly Addison Road boozer is one of the Inner West's most loved pubs. Part of the mighty Merivale empire, The Vic on The Park has lots of cool qualities that make it great. For starters, it pours fresh craft brews from neighbouring Grifter Brewery, has a smorgasbord of live music gigs, a killer bottle shop, and a usable basketball court. Classic pub grub is served from the bistro or rotisserie-style in the courtyard out back, with a late-night menu ‘til 1am on weekends.
The Duke of Enmore
148 Enmore Road, Enmore
Image credit: The Duke of Enmore | Instagram
The Duke has been through a few makeovers in its time, now resting safely in the hands of Odd Culture Group—the team behind some of Sydney’s best bars and pubs: Odd Culture Newtown, The Old Fitz, Pleasure Club, and SPON.
The pokie-free, pup-friendly pub hosts live music four nights a week and slings crispy woodfired pizzas to complement its drinks lineup. Pet nat and Doom Juice rosé are joined by a tight edit of creative cocktails and frozen margaritas, plus Duke’s signature pickleback shot, mixing whiskey and homemade pickle brine.
See more of the best pubs in Sydney’s Inner West.
More Of The Best Inner West Bars
We Three
329 Illawarra Road, Marrickville
Image credit: We Three | Yusuke Oba
Run by a mother-daughter duo, We Three is one of Marrickville’s most charming little wine bars with a pour for every palate. Expect craft beers, classic cocktails, and a wine list spanning Italian, French and Aussie drops, plus antipasto snacks and even a small kids’ menu.
The vibe’s always alive: happy hour on the reg, new cocktail specials each month, cheap pasta on Thursdays, $12 spritzes on Saturdays, all-day Sunday drink deals, and open mic poetry every third Sunday.
Odd Culture
266 King Street, Newtown
Image credit: Odd Culture | Instagram
All-day bar and eatery Odd Culture is dedicated to fermentation in all forms—from wild ales across 12 taps and natural wines to cocktails like a sour cherry Negroni and pineapple tepache spritz. The food menu leans European with a rotating cast of aged cheeses, charcuterie, and a cheeseburger with fermented onions on a milk bun.
You can also head upstairs to Bistro Grenier for moody French fare or next door to SPON, a drink-in bottle shop where you can enjoy a bottle with simple snacks or take it home.
Fortunate Son
105 Enmore Road, Newtown
Image credit: Fortunate Son | Website
The older, rowdier brother of Palomino Lounge, Fortunate Son, is a small Newtown bar with big-time energy. Named after that Creedence Clearwater Revival anthem, the place wears its rock 'n' roll heart on its sleeve—neon red lighting, lots of live gigs, and a dark timber bar surrounded by swivelling leather chairs that encourage staying a while. The drinks list runs long, the pours are generous, and the cocktails are some of the easiest to drink in Sydney.
Huelo
127 King Street, Newtown
Image credit: Huelo | Instagram
Tongan for ‘sun rays’, Huelo is a warm, 12-seat Newtown bar with a small back courtyard hiding behind a general store on King Street. It has insanely creative cocktails with some pretty shock-factor names—take Cow Piss for example, a milky blue concoction of gin, Calpis water, lemon, and blue blossom, or F*uck This City, a gin, yuzu, cranberry, lychee, and watermelon number. You can order bar snacks with that, $3 oysters on Sundays, or cheeses and meats from the deli out front.
Public House Petersham
292 Stanmore Road, Petersham
Image credit: Public House Petersham | Instagram
If it’s good beer, loud tunes, and local spirit you’re chasing, Public House Petersham has it in bucket loads. This dog-welcoming watering hole pours everything from wine and cocktails to tap beers and local craft brews, pulling a loyal crowd of Inner West regulars.
Out back, the sprawling courtyard is an ideal spot to hangout and order up some of Sydney’s best pub pizzas from the wood-fired oven. There’s also always a reason to stick around, whether it’s music trivia, sports nights or a mega meat raffle.
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Main image credit: Odd Culture | Instagram
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