Lazybones Lounge

Overview

For a long time, Marrickville has been yearning for a good bar. In fact, even just a bar. In all other food and drink respects, the suburb excels, with hip cafes, cheap Vietnamese pork rolls and swanky restaurants. Now, come to join the mix, is LazyBones Lounge and, luckily, it's not just any old bar, it's a great one.

The locals think so as well. LazyBones only opened three months ago and business has been booming ever since. The bar is open seven nights a week, with live jazz music starting around the 7pm mark most evenings. Don't worry about forking too much out for the night; most of the gigs will only set you back $10, and many are even free.

Owner Craig Pietersen has brought his expertise from Melbourne, where he owned a number of hip bars in Fitzroy. LazyBones is "all about music", he says, so it's no surprise that the bar's name was inspired by a Fats Waller song. There are no TVs or gambling in the bar; the Lounge is a place for people to relax a good drink while some funky tunes pump through the sound system.

You'll be rapt to find - or discover - the Young Henry's Real Ale ($7) on tap, alongside a delicious Indian Pale Ale from Parramatta ($7) and a cider which is on permanent rotation. The Funny Label sauvignon blanc ($8) is the standout of the wine list, which brings together a solid selection of Australian and international wines.

There's not a hugely substantial food menu on hand, but it does include some good staples to munch on. It's a somewhat surreal experience to sit in a lavish, gilded armchair while chomping on a hot dog ($10). One can choose from such aptly-named variations as the 'James Morrison' (beef sausage), 'Louis Armstrong' (pork sausage) or the 'B.B. King' (vegetarian sausage). The highlight of the menu is the Bunny Chow ($10), a traditional street food dish from Craig's homeland, South Africa. Served in a paper bowl, aside thin and crispy fries, is a small, hollowed-out roll filled with your choice of tasty spicy lamb or potato curry.

Don't fret about finding a babysitter, as LazyBones opens its arms to young'uns, from newly born to those just under the drinking limit (although they won't get away with being served any alcohol, of course!). "We love kids," says Craig, who has three of his own. So, as we see it, there's no excuse not to pop into LazyBones for a drink sometime soon.