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Photograph: Anna Kucera

Balmain area guide

Restaurants, bars, shops and events in Balmain

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Everybody knows the story of good ol' Balmain, the former working class borough that became a gentrified haven for every bendy yoga mum and her Bugaboo. (We suspect most Balmain folk these days wouldn't know what a "Balmain Tigers" was let alone support them). But along with gentrification has come one of the most vibrant food scenes in Sydney.

We here at Time Out can think of few better sounds than the crunch of a Victoire loaf, the whir of an espressso machine at the Little Marionette or the sigh of delight when you bite into one of those Zumbo macarons - yes, the Zumbo legend was born in a sliver of a store of Darling Street. At the end of Darling lies one of the best views of the Harbour at the super convenient ferry terminal.

The best of Balmain

The best pubs in Balmain
Bars

The best pubs in Balmain

Balmain is one of the most pub-dense suburbs in Sydney, thanks to its proud working class history as a working wharf and the place where the Australian Labor...

The best ferry trips in Sydney
Things to do

The best ferry trips in Sydney

The jewel in Sydney’s crown is its harbour – always has been, always will be. This love affair with the crushed sapphire liquid expanse of the Harbour dates...

Restaurants in Balmain

Casa Esquina
Restaurants

Casa Esquina

Come to Casa Esquina for whole suckling pigs cooked on the parrilla grill and Limoncello-spiked Aperol Spritzes

The Riverview
Bars

The Riverview

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4

Enjoy some fine neighbourhood love at this Balmain local

Adriano Zumbo
Restaurants

Adriano Zumbo

  • price 1 of 4

Eat Adriano Zumbo's pastries and you imagine some formidable 50-year-old French chef with a massive belly and handlebar moustache. Talk to him and you'll...

Royal Oak Hotel
Bars

Royal Oak Hotel

  • price 1 of 4

Located in the back streets of Balmain, The Royal Oak is a neighbourhood hotel with scads of room for a pub meal (they even have a separate steak menu),...

Bars in Balmain

The Dry Dock
Bars

The Dry Dock

  • 4 out of 5 stars

Nobody is left high and dry at Balmain’s fanciest pub makeover

The Riverview
Bars

The Riverview

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4

Enjoy some fine neighbourhood love at this Balmain local

The Balmain Hotel
Bars

The Balmain Hotel

  • 3 out of 5 stars

An ambitious transformation saw this Balmain local go from the little-pub-that-couldn’t-be-arsed to the something-for-everyone-tiki-express

Royal Oak Hotel
Bars

Royal Oak Hotel

  • price 1 of 4

Located in the back streets of Balmain, The Royal Oak is a neighbourhood hotel with scads of room for a pub meal (they even have a separate steak menu),...

Shopping in Balmain

The Darling Parlour
Shopping

The Darling Parlour

Boasting seven in-house tattooists and a constant flow of prized guest artists, the Darling Parlour caters for a wide-range of styles including traditional...

Paper Eskimo
Shopping

Paper Eskimo

If you just can’t get enough cutesy stationery, you’ll love the new Paper Eskimo concept store opening in Balmain

More to do in Balmain

Nature's Energy - Balmain Bath House
Health and beauty

Nature's Energy - Balmain Bath House

This day spa has just been recognised in the 2023 World Spa Awards, taking out gongs for both Australia’s Best Day Spa and Oceania’s Best Day Spa

The Darling Parlour
Shopping

The Darling Parlour

Boasting seven in-house tattooists and a constant flow of prized guest artists, the Darling Parlour caters for a wide-range of styles including traditional...

Dawn Fraser Baths
Things to do

Dawn Fraser Baths

This much-loved heritage swimming spot has been serving dappled light and salt water swims since the 1880s