Sydney’s hospitality scene is world-renowned during the warmer months for its countless beer gardens and sun-drenched rooftop bars. But, when winter rolls around, we sometimes need reminding that our city is also brimming with cosy pubs and bars ideal for a warm night in with mates. We’re talking about features like old couches and fireplaces, menu items like roasts, bangers and mash or pies, and winter-perfect drinks like dark beers, mulled ciders, neat whisky, or a perfect glass of red wine.
Most pubs or bars are ideal in any weather, but some become seasonal favourites and shine brightest as the weather turns cold and the sun retreats. These are the snug, warm and welcoming winter joints we want to celebrate and recommend as we prepare to do away with shorts and thongs and dust off our beanies and jackets.
Come out of the cold and into the warmth; here are the best cosy pubs and bars in Sydney.
The Lord Dudley
PADDINGTON
Some Sydney suburbs are built differently if we’re talking old, cosy pubs. Paddington is right near the top if you’re after some comfortable winter vibes for dinner and a drink. Leading the charge in the Inner East is The Lord Dudley, which has been the local favourite watering hole since 1895.
If it weren’t for the English pub’s name written out front, you might glance past it and confuse the building for someone’s very nice and very old home—that’s always a good sign in the cosy pub game. The Lord Dudley checks a lot of boxes inside too: a beautiful wooden public bar, quirky, old carpets, authentically vintage furniture, English-style handpump beer taps, and of course, a functioning fireplace. On the menu, expect old-school English pub classics like Lamb’s fry and bacon or Scotch egg, or their famous rotating potpies which are a must-try with a pint for any cold night in.
The Welcome Hotel
ROZELLE
Sometimes the name says it all—this local joint on the edge of Rozelle and Balmain is inviting and cosy both by name and by nature. While the leafy beer garden space out the back is a great spot for day drinking all year round, inside at the public bar is where the winter-warming magic happens. The Welcome Hotel prides itself on a few things: a substantial craft beer collection (with plenty of dark beers when the weather drops), a strong pub menu featuring fresh and seasonal ingredients (including a mean Sunday roast), and a wonderfully inviting and friendly staff behind the bar, true to venue’s name. As displayed by the pub’s emblem (an English Fox Hound named Winston), The Welcome is also dog friendly, so you don’t have to leave your furry pals back home for a night out or a Sunday roast by the fire—everybody wins.
The Duke of Clarence
CBD
Nowhere in the city screams winter-warmer quite like the Victorian-era bar, The Duke of Clarence. With its comfy couches, bookshelves, working fireplace, an endless list of spirits and dedicated wooden aesthetic, you’re unlikely to just pop in for one—you’ll be settling in. The bar menu is unapologetically custom-made for this list, with dishes like pork and cider apple sausage rolls, a ploughman’s platter, chicken laksa, and a chicken, bacon and leek pie. Sealing its place in your winter hearts, the Clarence Street tavern offers five different Sunday roast options. It also hosts a "Saturday Scotch Egg Club" ($60pp), which includes a cocktail on arrival, a choice of a Scotch egg dish and a 12yr whisky flight. We weren’t kidding when we said the bar had an impressive spirits list ready to warm your insides—with 500 different offerings, you’re assured of finding something to your liking.
The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel
THE ROCKS
Of course, we had to feature somewhere in the historic Sydney suburb that is The Rocks, and none has a cosier vibe than the home of Lord Nelson Brewing. Continually licensed for 180 years, Lord Nelson Brewery is billed as the oldest brew-pub in the country. That seems about right as you walk into the sandstone building to find pints hanging down above the wooden bar, a working fireplace and the craft beer menu written in chalk, tapped as freshly as can be. Upstairs in the restaurant, you’ll find modern Australian dining, but you can also stay in the public bar for a beef pie with mushy peas, potato mash and gravy, best served with a pint of Lord Nelson’s iconic Old Admiral Dark Ale.
The Doss House
THE ROCKS
If like us, you turn to the dark side (whisky) as winter rears its head, then The Doss House will hit the spot. The underground Rocks bar knows a thing or two about the beautiful brown spirit—walk in and put your tastebuds in their hands. Opt for a single nip from the endless whisky collection behind the bar, a specially curated whisky flight showcasing different regions of the world or choose from the range of signature cocktails. It won’t surprise you to hear that the George Street bar also regularly hosts whisky masterclasses. You can pair your choice of drink with tasty sharing platters like a ploughman’s, a cheese board, or our favourite, the native platter with kangaroo prosciutto, wild boar salami, blue cheddar, bush chutney, native fruit and nuts.
The Lord Wolseley Hotel
PYRMONT
, hidden away in the back streets of Pyrmont, may be one of the quirkiest pubs in Sydney. Not only is it technically the narrowest pub in NSW, but it allows patrons to spread out and drink anywhere within reasonable proximity of the entrance, across the courtyard and in the adjacent park. If you’ve never spent a Sunday afternoon, drink in hand, with people and dogs sprawled out al fresco on the grass or around small tables like a typical European city—you’re missing out. Inside the small and old English vibes of the main bar is where the cosy magic happens and where you’ll pull up a stool, order from the bistro and spend your night with a smile on your face.
The Little Guy
PYRMONT
Sometimes cosiness and comfort are unexplainable qualities. The Little Guy is as much a part of the fabric of Glebe as Glebe Point Road, and it’s one of the cosiest and most comforting hangs in all of Sydney. If the sun is out, the bar’s retractable front window is wide open. But when closed, The Little Guy becomes an insular hub of friendly banter and protection from the elements. It might be the bar’s lovely rustic aesthetic, or the constant supply of warm, spiced popcorn, or perhaps it’s the option to head upstairs, sit on some comfy couches with your glass of wine and play old board games—but if we’re in Glebe and needing shelter from rain or the approaching cold, you’ll find us at The Little Guy.
The Foxtrot Inn
CROWS NEST
Likely, venues north of the Harbour Bridge and within earshot of beaches specialise in those beautiful summer vibes and sunny afternoons. But that’s not to say that you won’t find the ideal winter hang up that way as well. The Foxtrot Inn, which stays open until 3am on weekends, can please all year round with its gigantic retractable window letting in that Northern Beaches breeze to the garden-like first level. But its cosy downstairs, with plenty of exposed wooden beams and rustic brick face, is primed for the cold months. Also featuring old school lampshades and ornaments, a working fireplace, a piano in the back corner, and seasonal cocktails aplenty—downstairs is definitely a winter vibe.
The Shakespeare
SURRY HILLS
The iconic Shakespeare Hotel may have the strongest cult following of locals in Surry Hills—and with good reason. Established in 1879, "The Shakey" has earned a reputation for cheap beers and food and a laidback attitude. But don’t let the menu prices fool you into thinking you’re settling for a lower quality meal—you’d be dead wrong. You’ll routinely find a showcase of great Sydney craft brews sitting alongside classics like Reschs, prominently featured in vintage artworks inside and outside the pub. From the carpet to the wooden island bar and from cosy living room vibes in the upstairs bistro to fresh Guinness pouring on tap—the locals are there all year round, but we at least recommend checking out The Shakey when winter rolls around with a good chance it becomes your new favourite.
Corridor
NEWTOWN
We realise that there might (obviously) be a direct correlation between small spaces and cosiness. Add some dark lighting and a lot of candles, then sprinkle in the affectionate and inviting nature of Newtown’s hospitality—you get yourself a bar like Corridor Newtown. Shuffle past the queue at the bar to get in, then grab a comfortable seat upstairs or pull up a stool downstairs and order yourself a cocktail, away from the bustling sounds of vibrant King Street. If there are two things Corridor knows, it’s happy hour specials and shaking cocktails. With a different beer or cocktail happy hour every day, it’s kind of like throwing a rock at the ocean—you’re bound to hit water/savings.
Image credit: Kitti Gould, Kitti Gould, The Foxtrot Inn, The Lord Nelson Brewery, The Duke of Clarence