The Best Bars and Restaurants in Redfern
This inner city suburb is changing rapidly – and now has everything from a rooftop bar to a ramen joint with a line out the front.
The Best Bars and Restaurants in Redfern
This inner city suburb is changing rapidly – and now has everything from a rooftop bar to a ramen joint with a line out the front.
When Ron's Upstairs opened on Redfern Street last year, the team left the space — which was previously occupied by longstanding Thai restaurant Pron Prohm — largely untouched. The panelled walls, the carpeted stairs and the (albeit altered) original sign out the front remain. The decision to keep these flourishes is a reminder that Redfern has changed rapidly in the last five years. Where dining options were limited to takeaway joints, there is now a rooftop bar, a corner wine bar and a ramen joint with a line snaking out the door.
While some small bars like Arcadia Liquors and The Dock have been around for a while now, plenty of Redfern's restaurants and bars are brand spanking new. Here are the places worth checking out for dinner or a drink. Extra points to those that support the local arts community and erase the suburb's history altogether — even if it's just by keeping the sign out the front.
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New restaurants rarely get a clean slate. But in the case of Ron’s Upstairs, the surface has been left intentionally worn. The interior — mostly unchanged since the vacation of the last tenants, longstanding Thai restaurant Pron Prohm — is like stepping into a 90s takeaway joint in the suburbs. But although things may not look that different on the surface, but the shift has most definitely occurred. This little old restaurant now mixes house spritzes and a great savoury ouzo mojito from the fairy light-lit bar, and the food coming out of the kitchen is European. Most dishes come with some meal-making sauce — the stracciatella is topped with mint oil, a zucchini dish has a killer passata and the pipis made memorable from a highly drinkable burnt butter sauce. The real beauty of this lo-fi dining room is that windows line the street-facing side, letting in a welcome spring breeze and some great natural light. Get in before dark and the twilight mixed with the dull festive glow of the restaurant’s fairy lights make Redfern look magic.
Image: Kitti Smallbone.
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You’d be a real boob to pass on Redfern’s brazen arts bar and creative space, The Bearded Tit. Named after a moustachioed song-bird, this is a place where colourful characters flock. The Bearded Tit sits on the quiet side of Regent Street, where the commercial flourish of the neighbourhood peters out into office spaces and convenient stores. That is, until you reach 183. Inside, it’s a museum of oddities, where the weird and wonderful come together in a circus of colour and activity. Leave your inhibitions at the door by the collection of crocheted penises. There are barber chairs, fruit chandeliers and a taxidermy boar playing the trumpet — you get the idea. For so much zaniness, the cocktail list is surprisingly sober, with a short selection of time-honoured classics. While The Bearded Tit doesn’t have a kitchen, it does do some killer cheese boards and you can order food in from Lorentto Pizzeria.
Image: Katje Ford.
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For lovers of small bars, there are few better than Arcadia. The bar is cosy but has high ceilings with mostly bare walls, so even when the venue gets crowded, it doesn’t get claustrophobic. The fairy lights help. Through the back hides a small beer garden with an impressive amount of greenery — it’s almost enough to make you forget your inner city location. The wine list is reasonably priced, and is mostly Australian with a few of the mandatory Spanish and South American inclusions. If you’re after a beer, the list is pretty standard, this time with a few German options thrown in. The bartenders are friendly enough and willing to at least attempt to make whatever cocktail you request in lieu of a list. And there isn’t a menu as such, but toasted sandwiches are available, and bowls of spiced nuts are on the house.
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Redfern’s 28-seat izakaya-style eatery takes its design cues from the plethora of Japanese microbreweries and cafes visited by husband and wife team Scott Gault and Katie Shortland. And it shows. Think warm timber accents, a slight industrial edge and full-length windows to capture the noodle-making magic unfolding in the open kitchen. A special pressure cooker is used to nail that full-flavour broth without the 14-hour wait time, and noodles are made fresh each morning with a 380-kilogram Yamoto machine that’s been shipped in from Japan. On the menu, you’ll find three styles of free-range pork tonkotsu, highlighting the kitchen’s nose-to-tail approach, available in shio, black garlic or with smoky, Japanese chilli oil. The vegetarian ramen comes in either a vegan shio or a miso style, with soy milk lending a flavour reminiscent of pork. There’s also a soupless noodle dish called maze soba — akin to Japanese spag bol, without the mince — plus local cans, Yulli’s Brews on tap and a range of natural wines championing young producers.
Image: Luisa Brimble.
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Moya’s Juniper Lounge takes a reverent approach to all things gin. Since opening on Regent Street, the little hole-in-the-wall venue has been generating industry buzz, and it’s not hard to see why. While the bar references the gin palaces of old with a cosy but plush atmosphere, mismatched velvet lounges, long runner rugs and old fashioned decoration, it’s not flashy or elaborate. Forget extensive menus that cater to your every whim. The mainstay of the operation is the sassy gin-centric cocktail list, each garnished with the words of great drinkers and thinkers of the ages, including the Queen Mother, Robert Downey Jr. and George Costanza. The bar currently serves a small but well paired menu, featuring pickle plates, cured meats sliced to order, and a ham and cheese sandwich on a brioche bun. Get a seat on a Sunday afternoon for $10 negronis and free live jazz.
Images: Steven Woodburn.
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In the proper vein of Diagon Alley, Mjølner is the kind of place you would never stumble upon. The discrete entrance, set on a quiet stretch of Cleveland Street, is easy to miss, but later you’ll wonder how you could possibly have missed it. Like a mirage, the oversized old-world wooden door suddenly appears and opens down into a deep labyrinth of underground, cave-like rooms. Named for Thor’s hammer, the self-described ‘Viking luxe’ space is part-drinking den, part-fine dining restaurant. It may sound gimmicky, but it works — rather than going too hard on the schtick, Mjølner uses the Viking theme as tasteful inspiration. The leather-bound cocktail menu is extensive and a little overwhelming, but, to help, the concoctions are ordered from lightest to booziest. But drinking is by no means the only reason to visit, with the open kitchen turning out a seriously impressive food menu. As expected, the menu is focused around meat, with bone marrow ($20) and spiced pig’s head terrine ($18) making appearances.
Image: Steven Woodburn.
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Push open the door at Bart Jr and the first thing you’ll notice is the welcoming hum of banter. It only takes a quick glance around the room to see that this is a place that lends itself to a long session of good conversations over shared meals, a couple of glasses of wine, or a cocktail or two. Bart Jr — the second Redfern venue from the Scout’s Honour crew — has kept it simple when it comes to the wine list. There’s one of everything, all served by the glass, and, for the most part, they’re all locally grown and often biodynamic. Bart Jr epitomises the friendly local, right down to the Redfern-focused photography series by a local artist. The menu strikes the balance between being rich and flavourful, but not overpowering — expect dishes that include haloumi, burrata, cured fish and pasta. It’s this next-level bar food, casual seating and dedication to good drinks, that makes Bart Jr a no-brainer for catch-ups with mates.
Image: Katje Ford.
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Redfern even has its very own cellar door, courtesy of the team at local contemporary winery, Cake Wines. Located in a renovated warehouse on Eveleigh Street, this inner-city venture from Cake Wines founder Glen Cassidy and winemaker Sarah Burvill, the venue operates as a cellar door, bar and casual dinning spot — and hosts a number of live music and cultural events all built around the love of a good glass of wine. Here, you can also enjoy a neat menu of Italian-style fare and pizza alongside Cake Wines’ current vintage wines and other emerging wine labels. The bar also serves a range of local beers, ciders and spirits. Aside from serving up tasty glasses of vino, the space also hosts casual wine education classes, tastings, talks, low-key Thursdays and live jazz and DJ events.
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This European diner comes from the team with two venues already on this list: Arcadia Liquors and Ron’s Upstairs. And it’s the perfect local dining spot when you don’t feel like Vietnamese takeaway for the third time this week. The dining room is open and breezy — whether you get a seat at the bar, near the open windows or on a long table by the back, you can’t really go wrong. Front of house staff are effortlessly friendly, too, and explain dishes and matching wines with impressive enthusiasm, given the relative affordability of the menu (everything comes in under $30). Meals are hearty, ranging from proteins like the schnitzel (chicken or pork) and fish of the day, through to the five types of pasta. Our pick is the orecchiette with prawns, garlic, chilli and parsley.
Plus, hidden in the depths of the restaurant, behind a wooden door, is Gunther’s Dining Room (known to locals as GDR). Boasting an 80s Eastern European feel, it is a den of retro green velour, vinyl and wooden panelling complete with a disco ball. Cosy up in one of the booths or sit at the bar and pick something fun off the four-page cocktail menu.
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Redfern isn’t exactly beachside, though you can pretend as much at Redfern Surf Club. The venue — which is inside a heritage-listed former bank — is an ode to the quintessential Aussie ‘local club’, a laidback, lighthearted neighbourhood haunt where everyone is welcome. The result is a verdant indoor courtyard, decked out with plants, knick-knacks and even a taxidermy ‘bin chicken’. A pool room is filled with surf-centric works by photographers Luke Shadbolt, James Adams and Nick Lawrence, and classic surf flicks screen on a retro TV set. Classic cocktails have been reimagined in a nod to the backyard barbie, and are headlined by lineup of canned cocktails (including a Passiona, lime and vodka concoction served in a Passiona can) and the Ume team has taken over the kitchen to serve up Japanese-style tacos and rice bowls.
Image: Patrick Stevenson.
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Sydney may be home to a stack of great burger joints already (see: Mary’s, Burger Project, 8Bit, Bar Luca) but there’s always room to smoosh in one more. Especially if that place is Huxtaburger, the obscenely popular Melbourne-born burger chain created by hatted chef Daniel Wilson of Huxtable fame. The first Sydney outpost, and eighth overall, is located on Regent Street, just a 30-second dash from Redfern station. The long, narrow shopfront has been given a gritty subway-inspired makeover, with a graffiti-covered wall, canary yellow signage and a tactile line to impatiently wait behind as they rustle up your lunch. But enough on the design, more about the burgers. Much like Sydney stalwart Mary’s, Huxtaburger is all about recreating the classic American-style fast-food cheeseburger. There’s no sky-high stacking, nor cheffy accoutrements, it’s all about simple done well, coupled with a deep religious-like commitment to high-quality ingredients. The menu’s signature item, the Huxtaburger, is built around the beef, or more specifically, the Moondarra grass-fed wagyu patty, which is grilled to charred-edge perfection. It’s topped with a melty quilt of cheddar cheese — not too plasticky mind you — while refreshment comes in the form of crisp iceberg lettuce, vine-ripened tomatoes and vinegar-washed dill pickles as crunchy as a Granny Smith apple.
Image: Hugh Davies.
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Happy D’s is Redfern’s only dumpling bar. On the Happy D’s menu, you’ll find just eight straightforward steamed options, including pork buns, chicken dim sum, soup dumplings and two vegan options, plus a weekly special. You can round out your meal with some soba noodles or blanched greens, and a few drinks. The booze list features several sakes and whiskies from Japan, as well as a bunch of South Australian wines. You’ll also find Asahi on tap, and some cocktails like the yuzu gin fizz. Four metres by 20 metres, the space is tiny. On one side, there’s an electric red bar dotted with LEDs and, on the other, a six-metre long golden curtain. The pièce de résistance, however, is a 12-metre long, 15-centimetre wide faux fish tank. There’s no water and the ‘fish’ are all attached to fishing lines. On Saturday nights, look out for DJs. The rest of the time, the soundtrack is all soul and disco.
Image: Bodhi Liggett.
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Nestled between a Domino’s and a weird pokies dungeon, Misfits is in stark contrast to its neighbours. Its impressive fit-out includes a cocktail lounge, an outdoor terrace, a public bar and a private dining room with low lighting, plush furnishings and flourishes of vintage gold. The menu features an impressive list of local craft brews, a few chapters on cocktails and several pages of international and local wines. Prices vary from low to baller status, and for those really looking to splash out, there’s an entire page dedicated to magnums. If you’re eating, start your meal with the blue cheese polenta chips and finish with the burnt honey crème brûlée with buttery biscotti and a Grand Marnier orange salad.
Top image: The Bearded Tit by Katje Ford.
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