A Day and Night Guide to Paddington

Fred’s is one of those classic Paddington spots that speaks to the culinary power of the area. Entering on street level, you’re greeted by an industrial-meets-vintage cocktail bar with marble aplenty and down in the basement, you’ll find a jazz-inspired hidey hole for your post-dinner digestif needs, more on that later.

In the main dining area, a Tuscan-inspired kitchen with open hearths glows with a welcoming buzz. Examining the lunch and dinner menu, the seasonality and quality speak to farm-to-table old-world cooking practices. The food is produce-focused, classic and delicious. Tipples-wise, the full wine list spans 26 pages so put your palate in the capable hands of the team and leave the decisions to them.

Like the surrounding area, Paddo Inn is full of character, ready to welcome you for an experience that still has a neighbourhood vibe even after all these years and a new lick of paint in 2017. The menu is instantly appealing, with a good number of dishes and interesting flavour combinations.

Starters come light in style but heavy on the seafood, and the mains are straightforward but satisfying takes on traditional Aussie pub fare. Shoutouts have to go to the wine list — which is compact, thoughtful and food-friendly — and the cocktail list which stars all the classics plus signatures worthy of a second or third round.

This classic Oxford Street pub captures the hearts of patrons with a casual atmosphere, fantastic menu and a commitment to all kinds of service — from long lunches to dinners after hours. Often busy, waitstaff work the bar and weave through the crowd like pros.

When it comes to the menu, it’s not your grandad’s pub feeds. The Paddington menu is unpretentious and bloody good. Don’t sleep on the chicken. Chef Ben Greeno famously installed three custom-made rotisseries for the job and the result is the best bird on the block. Pair it with some simple starters and great cocktails. And add it to your list of late-night spots because The Paddington is open until 2am Friday and Saturday nights.

This beloved wine shop joined the Oxford Street strip in 2017 and was instantly embraced for the wonderful personalised service of the P&V team and as a top-notch community small bar. P&V focuses on unique and less-recognised brews and bottles from producers across Australia and around the world — there’s no boring stalwarts in sight on these shelves.

There’s also a fair share of charcuterie-themed food to be purchased, and bits and bobs to be both used and worn. Once you’ve made your purchase, you can take it to the back courtyard and crack it, or sip on a pre-determined by-the-glass option. There’s a selection of bar snacks to be enjoyed in the courtyard but most of the food can be found upstairs in the independently-run Porcine bistro.

Right near Paddington’s Five Ways junction, a vintage set of industrial windows give way to Saint Cloche, an independent art gallery championing contemporary Australian art and some of the best creatives in the game. Inside, concrete and polished marble provide the ideal blank canvas for a number of exhibits, works and installations chosen by gallery founder and curator Kitty Clark.

At any given time you can find a range of disciplines and mediums including painting, photography, ceramics and sculpture created by both up-and-coming and well-established artists — all in a setting that encourages aficionados to better connect with the work. Saint Cloche also exclusively represents an excellent lineup of local artists for any purchases of works or potential commissions.

Image: Kitti Gould