A Day and Night Guide to Paddington
From fine art and fancy dinners to sublime pub feeds and twilight bevvies, Paddington's still got it going on.
A Day and Night Guide to Paddington
In partnership with
From fine art and fancy dinners to sublime pub feeds and twilight bevvies, Paddington's still got it going on.
It's hard to look past the historically bright personality and sticky pub floors of Oxford Street when passing through Paddington, but the beating heart of Sydney's eastern suburbs has spent the last few years undergoing a facelift amid the challenges of lockouts and lockdowns.
Paddington has one of the most tightly-knit communities of the city, with a shared pride in both its history and present-day diversity of venues and businesses. Here, we've distilled a taste of it in partnership with Paddo Collective the locals who know it best.
Read on to discover some of our favourite spots to visit in the daytime, then flick the switch above and we'll dim the lights to show your favourite things to do once the sun goes down.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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Tequila Mockingbird is an inspired marriage of the vibrant, bold flavours of Latin America with top-shelf Australian produce. Once you’ve pulled your eyes away from the vibrant interior, they’ll land on a menu that, at first glance, reads like a Latin American history lesson.
Be it a lesson in Japanese influence on Peruvian cuisine or the complexities of Latin American flavour palettes, there’s a story behind every dish. The drinks program boasts a lot of tequila-based cocktails and an incredibly comprehensive tequila list, with dozens of selections as well as a generous selection of mezcal, and flights are available for the equally indecisive and thirsty.
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This cocktail bar below Fred’s is a den of exposed sandstone with an innovative produce-driven drinks list backed by a clever menu of bar snacks. But don’t get it twisted: if you’re at Charlie Parker’s, you are here for the drinks.
If you’d prefer to run the straight and narrow, crack open the wine and beer lists. If you’re here for some real fun, it’s time for cocktails. There’s seasonal produce used across the board, and flavour comes first. We won’t spoil the choices, they’re best seen and sipped IRL.
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Once upon a time the Woollahra end of Paddington was purely a pub hub, then The Wine Library opened on Oxford Street. This reliably winning venue melds a high-top bar at the front, a nook out the back and a courtyard in the middle.
No matter the hour, the challenge is making your way through a wine list with hundreds of options. There’s, thankfully, plenty of room to breathe and time to ponder the clipboarded food menu, which takes a jolly tour all over the world. Desserts are very moreish, but you can take refuge with a glass of Moscato to wrap things up faster.
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The Unicorn, a revered Paddo pub of pubs, is a collective effort from a troupe of Sydney hospo legends. Despite the historically swanky location, there is zero pretension here. You’ll find a dartboard, a pool table, an old piano for drunken sing-alongs, cold beer and good food.
The team in the kitchen proudly serves up very good Aussie pub classics including roast chook, meat pies, and a bloody good pav for dessert. The menu is resemblant of a Sunday roast with the family packed with nostalgic and satisfying classic Aussie feeds. Drinks-wise, Young Henrys is well represented on tap, however, it would be simply un-Australian to neglect the VB, Resch’s and Carlton which feature alongside.
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If you really want to get to know the best of Paddo, the smart thing to do is to book accommodation right in the thick of it. The Mrs Banks Hotel is a boutique stay found on the Paddington end of Oxford Street inside a heritage building that was once a bank but now stands as a design-first hotel.
In terms of rooms, get comfy in one of the several queen rooms stocked with all the essentials, or book one of the more spacious Paddo twin/twin plus rooms with the same offering plus a bit more bed for your buck. Should you feel stately, opt for one of the three suite rooms: deluxe heritage, junior heritage or king heritage.
For more information on the Paddo Collective and for any events planned, visit the website.
Images: Byron Martin for PADDO(collective)
PADDO(collective) is proudly supported by NSW Government and Woollahra Municipal Council.
For more information on the Paddo Collective and for any events planned, visit the website.
Images: Byron Martin for PADDO(collective)
PADDO(collective) is proudly supported by NSW Government and Woollahra Municipal Council.
