The best bars in Newtown

Go here for: A late-night boogie and wild time.

Best time to visit: Pleasure Club has live music on most nights, so check their Insta for when the fun kicks off.

Pleasure Club is a late-night entertainment venue, cocktail bar and debauchery den by the Odd Culture group (also Odd Culture Newtown, Spon). It's the first Newtown bar to be granted regulatory approval to trade until 4am, seven days of the week, in more than 100 years. This purple-hued, disco-ball-lit bar located in a grungy basement just off King Street is a place where hedonism in all its forms is encouraged. The mix of entertainment (live music and other types of performers) will ensure a different type of experience every single night. Come get your freak on.

Go here for: Cocktails that are expertly made.

Best time to visit: There's never a bad time to hit up Earl's, but if you want to nab a seat, head here around 6pm as it gets packed quickly.

Once you've graduated from smashing jugs of beer at your local it's time to crank up the drinks quality substantially and order some of the best cocktails in Newtown at this low-lit bar with a New Orleans voodoo vibe. Earl's Juke Joint is all class. It's built to outlast all the Saturday nights Newtown can throw at it, the drinks list is spectacular and the vibe stays at a potent simmer.

Go here for: World class Martinis served from a height.

Best time to visit: Head here for a Martini (or two) to kick off the night.

From the industry legends that brought us Sydney institutions Tio’s, Cantina OK and the Cliff Dive comes the next great nocturnal adventure: Bar Planet, a psychedelic Inner West dive-bar re-imagining the world's most divisive cocktail, the Martini.

Go here for: A crash course in the art of sake.

Best time to visit: While excellent sake is the hero at Ante, chef Jemma Whiteman's menu is spot on, so come here for a feed too. They don't take bookings, so the earlier, the better.

If you walked straight past Ante on the first attempt, you probably wouldn't be the only one. Double back and look for an understated, chic façade. The words SAKE & SOUNDS adorn the glass in gold lettering and while that’s the general premise, there’s plenty more to discover behind the door.

Go here for: Cold cuts and a tinned Martini.

Best time to visit: It's easy to pass the time at Continental Deli Bar Bistro. Come here early in the evening for a few drinks and a yum bite to eat

The only people who don’t like this place are your wallet and your waistline. But that’s the price of true love, and it’s one we’re more than happy to keep paying so long as they keep the drinks coming.  

Go here for: Cosy vibes, yum snacks and excellent wine.

Best time to visit: Our fave time to visit Famelia is after work during the week.

Have you been to Famelia, Newtown's gorgeous wine bar and bottle shop, yet? If not, you should. Here, owner-sommelier Amelia Birch spotlights female winemakers and offers "wine flights" so you can taste new and interesting drops (without getting too boozed). Intimate and warm, Famelia is one place you'll want to drink up again and again – just like a great bottle of wine.

Go here for: One of Sydney's best beer gardens.

Best time to visit: When the sun is shining and you've got a hankering for a cold one.

The beautiful thing about this old boozer is that it’s a pub designed to facilitate a good time on your terms. Want to sit up at the bar with a huge plate of fish and chips and watch back-to-back AFL games? This is the best place for it. Prefer to sink your tip money in pinball machines while you annihilate jugs of Stone and Wood Pacific Ale and Young Henrys Newtowner? Right this way. 

Go here for: Rare, funky and eclectic drops.

Best time to visit: When you're after a glass of something interesting and want to take a bottle home.

Created by the Odd Culture group (also The Old Fitz, Odd Culture Newtown), Spon is a hybrid bar and bottle shop. Each day they feature 12 new wines, ales and ciders to try, with two of them chosen by the team, and the rest is up to you. So if you see a bottle that you like, you can take it home. And if you want to park up there with a glass for the afternoon, you can also do that. How good.

Go here for: Quiet time with excellent wine.

Best time to visit: She Loves You is perfect for date night or when you're with one of your best friends and a D&M is on the cards.

With the right little bar in your neighbourhood, ‘me time’ can also be ‘wine time’, which is certainly the case at She Loves You, a tiny hole-in-the-wall wine bar in Newtown. A swing jazz soundtrack pairs excellently with a very serious wine list which makes a lot of sense when you find out that one of the owners was once the sommelier at Billy Kwong. 

Go here for: A howlin' ride through middle America.

Best time to visit: Tuesday nights, when cocktails are $15. And Friday and Saturday evenings are always fun.

By the look of this dive you’d expect peanut shells crunching under foot. Regulars – like birds on a wire – perch at the bar and a American accent comes from behind it. The worn-in, down-home atmosphere, though, belies expert cocktail, beer and wine chops and sophisticated bar bites. 

Go here for: A rowdy glass of wine with everyone in town.

Best time to visit: Happy hour, Wednesday to Friday, 4-6pm.

Natty wine and funky ales are the go at this Newtown spot, but we love its food just as much. If you’re in the hood and looking for a killer feed and a drink, come here.

Go here for: Martinis and salty snacks out the front, and fruity cocktails and oysters out back.

Best time to visit: Come here from 4-6pm daily and make the most of the $3 fresh oysters. Shuck yes.

Huelo is a general store, a wine bar and a hidden cocktail bar with Miami tropical glam vibes. If you think that sounds like a good time, you'd be right. Choose your fighter.

Go here for: Confident, old school hospitality.

Best time to visit: Later in the evening, for a top-notch nightcap.

You’re in good hands at Fortunate Son. The bar itself is an unpretentious haunt for good times, great music and exceptional drinking. It feels effortlessly cool, with a custom made Jack Daniels sign, 300 bottle strong back bar, and, of course, more than a few Creedence tracks filling the air. Old-school service and a clear obsession with quality make this drinkery as good for a mid-week date as a weekend knees up, and with only a dozen or so vinyl stools lining the dark wood bar you get a sense of intimacy without feeling crowded.

Go here for: Total beer hall vibes.

Best time to visit: This brewery bar is a solid stop on a bar hop throughout Newtown.

The expansive venue (a former second hand furniture warehouse) can seat 155 patrons and on a Friday night they're busting at the seams. Nordic chic with a serious Newtown flavour, Mountain Goat is laid back and has one of the friendliest bar teams in town. There are 12 taps lining the bar and a kitchen for when you need a foil for all that foamy refreshment.

Go here for: Kitchy and killer cocktails.

Best time to visit: If you're on a double date, Jacoby's is a fun and fruity option pre- or post-dinner drinks.

There used to be a time when everyone was happy drinking sugary shots with suggestive names and average beers. Then small bars hit and profoundly changed Sydney’s tastes. Now we scan wine lists for skin-contact whites and funky pet nats and confidently go three rounds with a barrel-aged cocktail. But, somewhere in among all the positive growth and taste development, we lost some of the fun. Enter, Jacoby's, a Twin Peaks-inspired tiki bar that is determined to make you party, whether or not you meant to.

Go here for:  A cold beer and a laid-back vibe.

Best time to visit: When you're CBF for chit-chat and wanna pour your own beer.

Buddy’s has a laid back, almost house party-like feel. There are no bartenders. Instead, the Buddy’s staff provide you with a card that you load up with your funds ($30 should get you started). Peruse the glorious wall of taps until you find a beer, wine or cocktail that tickles your fancy, grab an appropriate glass, tap your card on the scanner above and pour yourself a cold one.

Go here for: Delicious vino, cheese and charcuterie.

When to visit: Sunset.

There are a handful of substantial dishes on the menu at Newtown’s rustic wine bar and bistro, Pistou. But we reckon you should skip the mains and instead go to town on the cheese and charcuterie, which are tops. Here, you can pair sharp Roquefort, nutty Manchego and creamy Brie with paper-thin slices of jamón, fennel-and-chilli-spiced pork and saucisson. We say head up to the cabinet to have a sticky beak and chat with the friendly team before you place your order. Then, enjoy it all in the sunlit space with a crisp white for a bang-on time.

Go here for: Daytime drinking with dogs.

Best time to visit: Young Henrys' crisp beers always go down a treat, but we're fans of a Sunday sesh here.

Kick things off in the early afternoon with the freshest beers in town, and a hangover-busting cloudy cider if you need a little gentling back into the saddle. In fact, given this brewery bar shuts at seven, the earlier you get here the better your chance of securing a table with prime sausage dog patting potential.

Go here for: Ace burgers and natural wine.

Best time to visit: Come here when you've had a few, order the burger, and thank us later.

If you don't want to queue outside this burger bar that's more popular than a pop-up puppy party catered by Messina, timing is everything. Get in early for any chance at a table, or wait until the dinner rush has worn off – well after 9pm, but there are still no guarantees. Territory is hard won here so barricade yourself in with baskets of fried chicken and bottles of natural wine (ask for the list from behind the bar) once you get a seat.

Go here for: Swanky bar snacks.

Best time to visit: When you're on a date with your lover.

Bridging the gap between cheap Thai and a bazillion-course molecular journey at Oscillate Wildly, Bloodwood is the place where you lay down the foundations for a top-notch evening with their moreish crispy baby potatoes - these guys know how to do booze-friendly snack plates. And if you score a table up on the back terrace you may never want to leave.

Go here for: A funky vibe and the opposite-of-pedestrian cocktails.

Best time to visit: Anytime. The word uncanny may carry unsettling connotations, but we reckon you’ll leave here feeling good.

There’s also a lot to like at Newtown’s small bar, Uncanny, including the fact that this King Street haunt is a family-owned-and-run affair by sister-and-brother duo Laura and Julien Bouskila. Then there’s the opposite-of-pedestrian cocktail menu, with drinks like the Julio Richter (mezcal, tequila, lime, cucumber, agave, and za'atar) and the Rogue Gimlet (Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin, elderflower, lavender, lime, and mint oil). They also have a monthly cocktail range called the ‘Bartender Series’ featuring tipples made by the team. Nice. 

Go here for: Rooftop drinks with Newtown locals.

Best time to visit: Starting your night at Corridor is not a bad option.

What we like about the folks at Corridor is that they're friendly and down to earth. They're just doing what they do and they're doing it well: long necks of Coopers pale, simple mixers (get ‘em to do you a ginger beer with rum and limes), local wines by the glass — you get the picture.

Go here for: Local brews and live music.

Best time to visit: Come with your mates and check out the band – there's live music on most nights here.

This corner pub, just a stroll from the Enmore Theatre, has long been the unofficial pre-drink (or post, given that it stays open until the wee hours on weekends) location for every gig, serving a different crowd each night: indie kids, crusty punks, comedy fans, theatresports aficionados, old rockers, metalheads and hoodies. But the old liege was getting a little worn around the edges. Courtesy of the Odd Culture Group, the Duke has had a spruce up, but a respectful one - and they've pretty much left the excellent sheltered beer garden right as it always was, just cleaner.