The Ten Best Pubs in Sydney

If there's one thing Australians do well, it's drinking beer. And if there's something that Australia does well, it would have to be pubs. Arguably, Sydney has a few of the very finest anywhere in the world, and there's really no better time than spring to crawl and trawl your way through them.

We have whittled it down to the best of the best, handpicking our favourites for you.  So, without further ado, here is Concrete Playground's top pubs in town.

1. The Lord Nelson

Where: 19 Kent Street, The Rocks

Once sandstone house, now historic pub, the Lord Nelson has to be one of Sydney's best places to enjoy a beer. This is a proper, old English-style pub, set in the right spot to have exceptional views straight across the harbour. Naval prints on the walls, no poker machines and plenty of locals: this is exactly how pubs should be.

The beer on offer isn't half bad either. On tap are the six beers brewed on-site, ranging from a summer ale to a porter. The most popular is the Three Sheets, a pale ale, though we'd also recommend the Victory Bitter, a classic English ale with a touch of caramel. If you decide to venture upstairs and make the most of the view, perhaps complete the picture with the brewery's summer ale, the Quayle Ale. All are completely natural, with no preservatives, extra sugar or other additives.

For review and details, click here

2. The Old Fitzroy

Where: 129 Dowling St, Woolloomooloo

The Old Fitz has been in operation for over a century, and remains one of the few pubs left in inner Sydney with a bit of character to it. It prides itself as being a place with history and substance, as well as a meeting place for artists, writers and musicians. It also stands as one of the last bastions of old-fashioned Australian drinking culture in the heart of one of Sydney's most gentrified areas.

The Old Fitz has thirteen different beers on tap including varieties of Coopers and James Squire, as well as Little Creatures and Guinness. They also have Bulmer's Cider at the ready, which is always good for those of us who don't actually enjoy beer very much but, for fear of derision from one's friends, like to look like we're drinking one. Wines on offer are mostly Australian or Kiwi, the cheapest glass costing a mere $6.80 and most bottles averaging at about $30, and the most expensive bottle of French 'sparkling wine' will set you back $97.

For review and details, click here

3. The Cricketers Arms

Where: 106 Fitzroy Street, Surry Hills

The Cricketers Arms, known more intimately as the Crix, is the kind of local that will make you want to move into the area. It's a beautiful old pub, boasting wooden floors and wall tiles, a laid back atmosphere, and plenty of character behind the bar. The walls are decorated with intimate paraphernalia, strung together with fairy lights, while graffiti runs amok in the toilets.  The local theme stems into the drinks too, with a sturdy wine list and an excellent selection of local beers on tap.

Be warned, this place is busy - and not only on nights that there's a game up the road. Friday and Saturday nights are particularly insane. We think, however, that the wild and varied crowd is all part of the fun.

For review and details, click here

4. The Norfolk

Where: 305 Cleveland Street, Surry Hills

It's amazing what a fresh coat of paint and some mismatched furniture can do for a courtyard. Just take the Norfolk's beer garden, for example. Since it's decidedly hip transformation, the leafy backyard has become a haven for Surry Hills locals to kick back and have a drink, and you'll be hard pressed to find a seat during the packed lunch and post-work hours. It's the jewel in this redone pub's crown.

There's a lot of great reasons to visit the Norfolk, and the trendy interior is just the start of it. Cocktail lovers will like the ingenuity behind drinks like the Bloody Mary, served in a Campbell's tomato soup tin, or the Ciderlicious, combining apple cider with pear vodka and smashed mixed berries. And while they still need to work out the kinks on the sharp-tasting Sangrias, the jugs are good value for groups.

For review and details, click here

5. The East Sydney

Where: 113 Cathedral St, Woolloomooloo

If you want to get yourself a pink pepper martini and some gluten-free tapas you've come to the wrong place, my lad. Get thee up the road and into the bosom of Surry Hills, for the East Sydney Hotel is a proper pub: no nonsense beer, a decent steak and plenty of merriment. And not a cocktail umbrella in sight.

The East Sydney Hotel speaks to what a Sydney pub might have been fifty years or ago, or a hundred years ago for that matter. You can imagine proper men, from the age when men still wore hats and non-ironic moustaches, populating the amiable darkness of the pub and nursing their beers after a hard day. The East Sydney prides itself on being the last proper country-style pub left in Sydney, which has got to be a hard task when you're located between the borders of Surry Hills and Woolloomooloo.

For review and details, click here

6. The Courthouse

Where: 202 Australia Street, Newtown

Popular with students, artists and the battered men who've been frequenting it for the past forty years, The Courthouse is a beloved staple of Newtown's drinking spots. Grungy, relaxed and unpretentious with one of Sydney's finest beer gardens, I have an unabashed devotion to this place.

Inside you'll find pool tables, a collection of pinball machines and a couple of vinyl couches with the stuffing falling out of them. The interior of the pub is exactly what you'd expect: dark wood on scruffy walls, well-trodden carpet and a gallery of old Sydney Swans posters. A pair of arty student types with silly beards sit at the bar alongside a bloke in a Bonds singlet, nursing a schooner, sporting an entirely un-silly beard. During AFL season expect not to be able to hold a conversation anywhere near the football-scarfed fans surrounding the televisions.

For review and details, click here

7. The Hollywood

Where: 2 Foster Street, Surry Hills

It's difficult to speak about the Hollywood without mentioning its owner, Doris Goddard. This is partly because her paraphernalia is plastered onto one of the walls, an intimate shrine to her history. (Goddard emerged from slums of Glebe to become a successful film star, performing alongside big names like Katherine Hepburn and Bob Hope.) Another reason might be that she is often in the pub herself, occasionally for one of her renowned midnight performances.

The hotel itself is perfectly suited to an ex-Hollywood starlet. Nestled amongst the deco era buildings of Surry Hill's long vanished film industry (including the heritage listed Paramount Building), all the right details are in place: from a curved wooden bar to antique toilets. That said, there's nothing fussy or intimidating about the joint. Bar staff are friendly and relaxed. The menu consists of chips in wooden bowls and cheese platters, which are more nostalgic than fancy. And the best beer on tap is the Hollywood's own lager.

For review and details, click here

8. The Hero of Waterloo

Where: 81 Lower Fort Street, The Rocks

One of Sydney's oldest pubs, the Hero lets you time travel and sip a cold beer at the same time. Within these sandstone walls, listening to the lilting tones of the Irish bar staff, it doesn't feel difficult to reach out to your own, or someone else's, colonial ancestor. That said, there's more than that to stimulate the imagination. Ask around about the ghost of Anne Kirkman, join in a Saturday night sing-a-long held around the old piano or sneak a look at the tunnel that runs from the hotel's maze of cellars to the harbour, safe as you are from any shanghaiing techniques.

If you'd rather live in the present, perhaps you should pay a visit to the restaurant. The lamb shanks are hard to beat, with sautéed onion potato mash, green beans, and port wine, garlic and rosemary jus. Otherwise opt for the bangers and mash, with roasted onion, sautéed cabbage and red wine jus. Prices are reasonable, considering your proximity to the harbour, and the food is well worth it.

For review and details, click here

9. The Flinders

Where: 63 Flinders Street, Surry Hills

There is something a little bit saucy about Flinders. Could it be the way that the interior flirts with Americana whilst remaining resolutely local? The audacious opening hours? Perhaps that its namesake drink is a twist on a Bloody Mary? Whatever that secret sauce is, we want more of it. The words 'dive bar' have been floating around this place since it opened, and that can only be a good thing.

The drinks menu, however, may not be what you'd expect. Don't get me wrong: there are certainly tough elements. Tequila, rye whisky and absinthe all put in an appearance. But the way these elements are put together suggests something a little more considered. The Pickletini reworks this classic gin base with pickle juice, while Penicillin (with scotch, more scotch, lemon, honey and ginger) promises to cure what's ailing you. For a fundamentalist, the Aussie Boilermaker might be the go: a schooner of XXX, shot of Bundaberg rum and a home made sausage roll should do the trick. That said, the flashing neon in the window that spells out 'COLD BEER' isn't lying either. There's plenty of good options on tap, with Kirin and James Squire - both Amber and Pilsner.

For review and details, click here

10. The Annandale

Where: 17 Parramatta Rd, Annandale

This pub rock institution is the lifeblood of the Sydney music scene. A '30s Aussie pub, converted in the early '80s into a live music venue, the Annandale has long been the quintessential Australian rock venue. There's the distinct stench of blood, sweat and tears in the air to prove it.

With a substantial stage and lighting rig, and a sound system perfectly worn in to the room, any Australian band worth their salt aspires to play here (or already has). A rite of passage for up and coming bands, a night at the Annandale is memorable for musicians and punters alike. And to help the memory factor, the paved courtyard behind the hotel hosts 'pub cha' every Saturday and Sunday, offering regular favourites as well as weekly specials.

For review and details, click here