Shady Pines interior
Photograph: Anna Kucera

Darlinghurst area guide

Hit up hidden bars, intimate restaurants and happening clubs in Darlinghurst
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We're not meant to pick favourites, but if we had to, Darlinghurst would be one of our most loved Sydney suburbs. Sandwiched between Surry Hills and Kings Cross, this eclectic rainbow spot is home to many excellent bars like Love, Tilly Devine and The Cliff Dive. There’s also the new neighbourhood boozer The Waratah, and old favourite the Darlo.

If it's a feed you're after, Victoria Street is choc-a-block with great eats and home to one of Sydney’s most popular ice cream shops, Messina. Pick up brilliant baked goods and coffee at Shadow Baking. You'll find seriously good pizza and a banging set menu at Dimitri's Pizzeria. Plus, we love Italian hole-in-the-wall Sagra, charming diner Bar Vincent and killer wine bar Paski Vineria Popolare. You can spend your time hopping in and out of art galleries, perusing high-end furniture shops, catching a show at Darlinghurst Theatre Company or dancing at a live gig at Oxford Art Factory. Take our word for it: Darlinghurst is where it's at.

Darlinghurst highlights

The Waratah
Bars

The Waratah

A table on the terrace at The ’Tah, as it’s affectionately known, is considered prime real estate for people-watching long after the last of Mardi...
Australian Museum
Museums

Australian Museum

The country's oldest museum (established 1827) is the custodian of 21.9 million specimens and cultural objects, including the permanent 200 Treasures...
Bar Reggio
Restaurants

Bar Reggio

There's a lot to love about this classic red sauce joint, not least is that if you split the bill you can get out without hitting the $20 mark.
Big Poppa's
Restaurants

Big Poppa's

  • price 2 of 4
Where can you go and eat a full, delicious restaurant menu until 3am every night of the week? Big Poppa’s is open 'til the wee hours on Oxford Street.

The best restaurants in Darlinghurst

Bar Reggio
Restaurants

Bar Reggio

  • 5 out of 5 stars
This cheap-as-chips red sauce joint in Darlinghurst is perfect for long lunches with hungry hordes
Fabbrica Pasta Bar Darlinghurst
Restaurants

Fabbrica Pasta Bar Darlinghurst

  • 5 out of 5 stars
On-point pasta, a groovy dining room and a banging soundtrack are what you can expect from this Darlinghurst spot
Lankan Filling Station
Restaurants

Lankan Filling Station

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4
It doesn't matter whether it's noon or night, O Tama Carey’s Sri Lankan food always delivers the goods
A.P Bread & Wine
Restaurants

A.P Bread & Wine

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4
Purveyors of excellent baked goods, A.P Bread’s newest Darlinghurst venture is open for brekkie, lunch and dinner – plus, there’s booze
Nomidokoro Indigo
Restaurants

Nomidokoro Indigo

  • 4 out of 5 stars
Pull up a stool at Darlinghurst’s intimate sake and Japanese snack bar
Amuro
Restaurants

Amuro

  • 4 out of 5 stars
Highbrow meets lowbrow at Darlinghurst’s latest Japanese joint – and you have to talk for a tipple
Indian Home Diner
Restaurants

Indian Home Diner

  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • price 1 of 4
The orange neon signage and lacklustre shopfront may not look like anything special, but anyone who’s tried an Indian kebab from here knows that this...
Moku
Restaurants

Moku

A boutique Japanese fusion omakase restaurant inspired by Australian native ingredients
Kaska Eatery
Restaurants

Kaska Eatery

Room Ten’s OG founder has opened another sweet spot in Darlinghurst, with a focus on house-made ingredients and local produce
Bones Ramen
Restaurants

Bones Ramen

This exciting pint-sized Japanese diner is making waves

The best bars in Darlinghurst

The Waratah
Bars

The Waratah

  • 4 out of 5 stars
A double-decker bar in Sydney’s Darlinghurst has quickly become a cornerstone in the community
Love, Tilly Devine
Bars

Love, Tilly Devine

  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • price 2 of 4
A new chef with a flair for elegant invention steps things up at the laneway favourite
The Taphouse
Bars

The Taphouse

  • 4 out of 5 stars
The rejuvenated Darlinghurst pub has swapped wedges for wontons, and taken to morphing into a three-storey house party once dinner’s cleared

Shopping in Darlinghurst

My Plants and Garden Centre
Shopping

My Plants and Garden Centre

This tiny shop front on a corner opposite the National Art School packs a lot of  lush greenery into very limited space. The savvy use of footpath and...
Stoneheart
Shopping

Stoneheart

This colourful, street-front space is an easy ten-minute walk from Town Hall Station and it’s open seven days week. The current roster of...
Dust
Shopping

Dust

It’s an oldie but a goodie – this mini emporium has stacks of diverse finds
Spunky Bruiser
Shopping

Spunky Bruiser

Owners Rebecca Frost and Christian Orso make one-off men’s, women’s and children’s clothing by hand, using reclaimed and repurposed...

What's on in Darlinghurst

Oxford Street Markets
Shopping

Oxford Street Markets

Oxford Street has welcomed two new weekly markets – a Friday night market and a Saturday morning farmers' market
Darlo Night Markets
Shopping

Darlo Night Markets

Sydney's trendy Inner City suburb is hosting a free monthly night market with vintage fashion and tasty street food
Drag Queen Walking Tour
Things to do

Drag Queen Walking Tour

Do a walking tour of Sydney's secret queer history led by a famous drag queen

Arts and culture in Darlinghurst

National Art School
Art

National Art School

Housed in the historic walls of the old Darlinghurst Gaol, the National Art School is the oldest, most prestigious visual arts institute in Australia, with...
Stanley Street Gallery
Art

Stanley Street Gallery

This multidisciplinary gallery is owned and curated by artist pals and former SCA students Liza Feeney and Merilyn Bailey – who also run their...
Chalk Horse
Art

Chalk Horse

This contemporary art gallery was started by artists Jasper Knight, Oliver Watts, Julian Meagher and Dougal Phillips in 2007, and showcases emerging...
Always Was Always Will Be
Art

Always Was Always Will Be

This artwork was removed in November 2017. One of the most recognisable pieces of public art in Sydney – thanks to its colours and its prominent...