A firm inner-west favourite that ticks all the boxes, cocktails, beers and wine, and channels the soulful spirit of New Orleans.
What happened when Pasan Wijesena – former boss at Shady Pines Saloon, one of Australia’s pioneering small bars – branched out on his own and opened a bar? People turned up in droves, naturally. And they’ve been turning up ever since to what’s become a bona-fide Newtown institution, hidden behind a vintage butcher’s shopfront on a bustling stretch of south King Street.
Back in 2013, most of Sydney’s cocktail scene revolved around the CBD and city fringes. When Earl’s came along in the middle of that year, it brought a big-smoke level of sophistication to an area long known for historic pubs, cafés and cheerful local restaurants. And it succeeded because it left all the pretense behind and stuck to a simple premise that’s so very hard to get right and never wears thin: great drinks made by great people in a comfortable, welcoming space. It hasn’t wavered since.
The Juke Joint is named after Earl Palmer, the legendary New Orleans drummer who helped establish rock ’n’ roll. And while there’s no specific theme to speak of, exactly, the place nods to New Orleans in more than a couple of ways – from the rusty, corrugated-iron ceiling to the posters of bygone blues musicians, voodoo bric-à-brac and church-pew seating at the back.
All the elements here come together to instill in patrons the grown-up feeling that comes with being in a proper bar. Or maybe that’s thanks to the bar itself – an 11-metre-long behemoth of a thing that commands the room – and the awe-inspiring stockpile of premium spirits behind it that glimmer in the candlelight. Add a soundtrack that spans classic rock, bluegrass, honky tonk and Wu-Tang, and you’ve got a recipe for a cracking night out.
