This is a fun place to go with friends, whether you love absinthe or have never tried it before…read more This was actually not my first time having absinthe, but honestly it's the first time I've probably enjoyed it. There are a few things to know on how to prepare your drink (water dripped over a sugar cube) and the staff working here makes sure that you're preparing your absinthe correctly. They have a 3 drink limit per person. It's recommend that you start with a more mild (low proof) absinthe and then work your way up. They range from 45-74 proof. I started with "Libertine Originale" and my second drink was the "Eichelberger Limitee" -- I never would have remembered those names but thank goodness they have the menu on their website. They have 24 absinthes listed on the menu. I guess it takes a few visits to the Absinthesalon to try them all.

Everything from walking up to this corner to the final sip of your absinthe is a great experience…read more It's somewhat speakeasy-esque but easier to find. You can buy a bunch of Abinsthe related parafanelia here also if you were interested. I walked in, no reservations at around 6pm on a Friday night and was the first guest. a few minutes later a couple and another gentlement came in. My gf and I ordered two Abinsthes, and honestly we felt fine. No hallucinating or getting buzzed! The gentleman who served us was extremely knowledgeable and very proud to keep his establishment of the highest quality. We sure hope you bring this over to Hawaii!

This bar... this bar... is just amazing. Delicious burgers, great variety of drinks for purchase…read morebut most of all the staff are some of the most amazing people I have met.

I love you Tav, but as with all things popular in the Inner West you've let the fame go to your…read morehead so I'mma down grade ya. I visit the Tav every-single-week, but upon inquiring about hiring out your beer garden for a private function on a Thursday night, you say you wanna charge me a minimum 15 grand because the beer garden currently quote unquote makes "a lot of coin" and that by the time I want to hire it you reckon it will be making a lot more coin than it currently makes? I gotta tell ya you're dreaming. Not only that but I wouldn't be allowed to play my own tunes? Piffle. Yep you dont have pokies, but you dont have live music neither. You've mixed up our food order more than once, and well those tacos are starting to get soggy my friend. I am dissapoint. I guess profit really does come before locals.. It's a fine line between being the new kid on the block and a flash in the pan.

Came in on a Tuesday night with a fairly large group. Was pretty empty besides us. Super hipster…read morebar with a dark seediness to it. Both bartenders were quick, courteous, and gave awesome recommendations. I usually drink beer but since this was more of a cocktail bar, I started with a margarita. I asked for the basic, but the bartender quickly tried to get me to try the jalapeno margarita. I was quick to decline since I'm not into jalapeno or spicy drinks. The drink was mixed and strained into a martini glass... didn't seem to be as full as it should have been, but I wasn't upset. Drink tasted great, not too strong, too sweet, or too tart. I noticed lots of people getting the freshly pressed apple drinks, so I decided to try one. When in Rome, er, Newtown.... Asked for the Sailor Jerry and apple, but once again, the bartender was quick to recommend something different. He wanted me to try JD Tennessee Fire and apple. I know it's like Fireball, which I hate, but he was very persistent with his glowing recommendation, so I obliged. I'm glad I did, because it was delicious. You could only taste a hint of the whiskey, but mixed in with the fresh apple juice - which had a nice frothy foam on top - it was like cinnamon spiced apple sauce. Yum! If you don't listen to the bartender's advice, listen to mine! Prices? Eh, it's Sydney, not cheap. It is what it is. In the end, very pleased with my visit. Kind of annoying that both times I asked for a drink, they tried to convince me to make me something else (must have been competing on a promo or something), but hey, their advice was sound and if I didn't listen, I would't have had my delicious applesauce drink!

Great little bar to catch up with friends or to kill time!…read more Bartender is very chilled and down to earth, very hospitable. Lots of beer choices as well as wine, fresh apple juice to go with your vodka for those on a health kick ;) First time visit and already I feel at home. If your in the area stop by for a beer and some hot dogs.

This place is fantastic…read more It's a teeny tiny wine bar with a spectacular retro feel. It's all sumptuous vintage, plush antique chairs upstairs, a book case and vinyl records you can play. And of course great wine, and also friendly staff and patrons. Perfection.

I dont know why I havent come in, as a very very local person, to The Temperance society until now,…read moreon a whim as a really half arsed attempt by the husband and I at doing the whole valentines thing. Booze brings us together. Wow. This place is very cool. The staff are rather boisterous which brings down to earth, what could easily be a very snobby little locale ( only because of the the high class booze and all those chesterfields and floor to ceiling bookshelves - sploosh) Not having a good sample to go by, this place seems a go to for girls nights, and the night I visited there was a medium sized group of ladies cutting loose and not caring who heard their hollerin. Wine is a gal's best friend and I watched as they palmed off a would be suitor with nothing more than a glance. Heros. Wine by the glass in big bowled wine glasses with a great selection, and Elvis who I presume is the owner, knows his tipples. My pick of the eve was the Alto Monte - $14 a glass but by George that wine is as delightful as a magical miniature new born fawn prancing across your tongue on a rainbow. Food is basically nibbles. Sharing platters: a cheese one, a meat and cheese one and a Vego one with Cashew cheese. Toasties including one with Brie, cranberry and Rabbit terrine. Delicious. Anyone can google the origin of the name of this place, and I think it does every justice to the moniker. I think this may become my regular hangout.

You could say that this was the first half decent pub I had come to in the entire day, but then…read moreagain considering where I had been traveling that is probably quite understandable. I guess for that fact alone I gave this place a five, even though the guy that served me certainly didn't deserve a rating that high (sort of one of those lets try and start a conversation, and then decide that he doesn't want a conversation after all people). However, putting that slight inconvenience aside, this place had a pretty decent beer garden, and craft beers on tap, even though that seems to be part and parcel of pubs these days. Still, it's a pretty awesome establishment, particularly since what it was like something like thirty years ago.

This wasn't a bad pub at all. In fact it is one of those pubs that just seems to be tucked away in…read morethe inner suburbs that could quite easily be missed if you don't know about it. Of course I did, and I'd say that I did quite like the beer garden, though the beer selection wasn't that great. Still, it had a nice atmosphere, and was a reasonably nice place to have a beer.

Great local for a cheap schooner or 5 in the big open beer garden. Always filled with groups of…read morelocals catching up in the afternoons. Used to come here a lot during the $5 steak era (RIP). But after a string of failed culinary enterprises (including thai) there is new blood in the kitchen and a new $10 steak special that I might just have to try. Occasionally I make it down here on a Friday night for the meat raffle (provided by one of the best butchers in Sydney!). I really shouldn't be advertising this as if you show up and buy tickets my odds wont be so great...

Come Friday night you can expect this place to be absolutely packed, but then again it does happen…read moreto be Newtown, and this is one of those pubs that happen to be tucked away down a side street. A hidden gem if you will, but then again, from the crowds it attracts, it doesn't seem to be all that hidden. They do have some nice beers available, but as I suggested it can be very difficult finding a seat. Still, I loved this place, and wouldn't have a problem coming back when it doesn't happen to be a Friday night.

The Courthouse is THE Inner West watering hole…read more Coming from a small town, I'm used to walking into a pub and knowing most of the faces. And yet, I wasn't expecting this familiarity to follow me to Sydney. Between walking through The Courty's front doors to finding a rare empty table in the buzzing courtyard out back, you inevitably run into someone you know. In country towns, this is because there's no where else to go. In Newtown, it's because you wouldn't want to go anywhere else. Monday to Sunday, the courtyard is packed with hundreds of indie 20-somethings slurping ciders, scooping sour cream onto wedges and screaming to be heard over the raucaus laughter of the three other groups of people sitting at their table. Capturing the heart of Inner West casual cool, there is nothing boastful about The Courthouse. In fact, with consistently great tunes pumping from the jukebox, good pub-food at decent prices, two different ciders on tap (yes, cider is a game-changer for me), a courtyard that defines summer drinks and weekly Crab Races (no word of a lie), it's safe to say that considering how clearly superior it is, The Courty is pretty modest. See you there.

Wow, so many great bars in such a small area. This has to be the inner city of Sydney (or…read moreMelbourne, but no, it is Sydney). This is one of those bars, and even though they didn't have a great range of beers, they still have a decent enough selection to make this place worthwhile. I guess it is one of those places that simply have that atmosphere about it that gives it a real electric feel. Yep, this place is actually pretty awesome, and certainly a place I'd have not hesitation in returning to.

Arcadia opened last Friday, and it's already apparent that these guys are pros. Pros with beards…read more One is quiet, one of them never stops talking. He used to run The Old Fitz in Woolloomooloo. After several months of hammering shit together and an injury or two, these two fellas have found their Arcadia, and joined the Sydney small bar scene. Arcadia is right near that really ugly sculpture on the corner of Redfern & Regent. When you walk in, the light is warm (maybe a little too bright?) and the place is decked out delightfully: exposed bricks, rustic metal chairs, stunning glass mirrors (from Rozelle markets), and a back patio area full of well tended plants. It's a gorgeous garden space, and yes, this does provide a spot for smokers. The bar itself is large & wooden), with the bar stools just a tiny bit too low. Like The Dock nearby, this is a place where it's fine to linger at the bar all night, chatting with the owners. It's a spacious place, and we spotted an upstairs - though didn't venture up there on this visit. There are 2 beers on tap (Coopers & a crisp German Larger of some description), and right now they've printed up their wine list, with the cocktail menu still in the works. Actually that's quite good because you can ask the guys for classic cocktails & they're happy to oblige (at approx $12, depending on what you order). The Old Fashioneds were excellent, and mixed with precision & humour. You can order food from Wah Fung (across the road) and eat it in the bar, and they'd probably let you bring in a Vietnamese roll from that little place nearby. It's pretty laid back. All in all, this place is excellent, and will most likely get rather busy on weekends. I almost wanted to give it a bad review just so we can keep it to ourselves.