The best bars in Sydney’s Inner West

There are few places in Sydney, or indeed Australia, this writer loves more than Sydney’s Inner West, and not just because I’ve lived there most of my adult life. There is a community and air to the Inner West side of Sydney that is incomparable to the rest of the city. Recently, it has seen some development and a bit of change, but the beating heart of the area remains the same – after all, the Inner West is best. 

This fierce loyalty to what is essentially a subculture of Sydney is in part due to the eclectic crowd and the establishments found scattered among it. The very best drinking holes in Sydney are tucked in Redfern’s neighbourhood streets, nestled among Marrickville’s industrial warehouses, or built behind Newtown’s old city facades, each one a new experience for exciting foods and outrageously good bevvies. And best of all? It’s where you’ll be served by local legends that we Inner Westies have come to know as friends. 

So, take a trip to our neck of the woods. Sit at the bar and have a chat with Dylan at Fortunate Son. Say g’day to Hawkey with a spring roll and a cold schooey at Hawke’s Leisure Centre. Cheers your mates at Continental Deli with your Gildas (the single best ‘one-bite’ food in Sydney) or make your way through the old 404 Betta Meats for what is, in my opinion, arguably the city’s best bar – Earl’s Juke Joint. Experience for yourself the camaraderie, colour and love these Inner West bars have to give. I’ll see you at the bar.