Enmore Road Is Expanding Its Entertainment Offerings This Spring — Here Are Our Top Picks
Expect comedy shows popping up in hair salons, Sydney Fringe Festival acts taking over bars and live music having even more rooms to ring out loud in.
Enmore Road Is Expanding Its Entertainment Offerings This Spring — Here Are Our Top Picks
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Expect comedy shows popping up in hair salons, Sydney Fringe Festival acts taking over bars and live music having even more rooms to ring out loud in.
Enmore Road has long been a go-to destination for excellent entertainment and nightlife. From the iconic Enmore Theatre to knockout cocktail bars, beloved pubs and incredible restaurants, it's easy to see why the Inner West strip attracts so many.
This spring, the Inner West Council is showing its support of the entertainment precinct by trialling a new program that allows businesses to trade later and hold events without the red tape. That means comedy shows popping up in hair salons, Sydney Fringe Festival acts taking over bars and live music gigs having even more rooms to ring out loud in. Whether you're heading there for dinner, drinks, a show or all of the above, here are our top picks for the next time you visit the beating heart of the Inner West.
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After hosting a series of pop-ups across the city, including one inside Earl’s Juke Joint in 2019, Little Lagos became a permanent fixture in the Inner West. The Nigerian spot has been welcomed into the neighbourhood with open arms — not just by regulars who already loved the food, but also by neighbouring venues like Jacoby’s, Colombo Social and, of course, Earl’s.
Owner Ade Adeniyi aims to bring communal-style dining to the buzzy road. The eatery’s most popular dish is the jollof rice — the grains cooked in a tomato-based sauce with habaneros, capsicum, onions and traditional Nigerian spices. Another go-to is the spicy goat stew, which is thicker than an Indian or Jamaican curry and best eaten with rice or bread. For dessert, you’ll find chewy doughnut holes (called puff puff) topped with a dusting of icing sugar.
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Though it might sound like a standard takeaway joint, this small cafe is not your average kebab shop; the ingredients are fresh, food is made to order and the menu is a knockout — thanks to owner Hesham El Masry (who also owns Summer Hill’s Plunge No. 46).
The falafel here really is next level. Made using split fava beans — the traditional Egyptian way — the small falafel balls are fresh and light, with a crunchy shell and, true to their ingredients, a green centre. They’re then lovingly stuffed into a sesame-crusted warm pita and topped with an array of pickled veg — take one down with a beer and all will be right with the world. The menu also naturally lends itself to vegetarian food, and at night the beers are flowing and the lively atmosphere almost takes on a casual bar vibe. Overall, it’s a simple, straightforward joint that slots right in to the neighbourhood while bringing its own distinct offering — as well as lots and lots of falafel.
Image: Destination NSW
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When it comes to venturing out for a tasty feed, you don’t have to ask us twice. And when that meal just happens to be raising funds for an excellent cause as well? Well, there are wins all round. This is the idea behind Colombo Social. As a social enterprise eatery, it’s lending a big helping hand to Sri Lankan asylum seekers and refugees, assisting them by providing employment opportunities and supporting their integration into Australia.
The restaurant is the brainchild of Australian-born Sri Lankan Shaun Christie-David, who has teamed up with friend and hospitality veteran Peter Jones-Best. Inspired by Christie-David’s own experience of feeling like an outsider during his childhood, the venue will recruit and train asylum seekers and refugees, as well as offering ongoing support through what’s often a pretty rough transition period. A meal here won’t just help out folks doing it tough, though — it’ll also open diners’ tastebuds to a whole world of new flavours. Colombo Social serves up a bold, colourful menu, melding Sri Lankan flavours with clever tweaks and a bit of modern Australian-fusion flair.
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The 1870-built Duke of Enmore is all about loud music and late nights, with a rotating bill of musical acts playing across Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. You can catch live gigs from 8pm on Thursdays, and all night on Fridays and Saturdays. Come Sunday, it’s all about heavy metal and punk from 7pm.
If you want a palate cleanser for your fast-and-loose music adventure, scoot up the street to Jacoby’s Tiki Bar. Here you’ll find tropical-themed cocktails, natural wine, local beers and a laidback vibe to bask in. You can even order a slice from Epic Pizza next door, who’ll deliver it straight to the bar — ideal after all that earlier headbanging.
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Located at the King Street-junction end of Enmore Road, The Midnight Special has everything a small Newtown bar should have: relaxed atmosphere, sharp drink list and unassuming façade. And, after a decade in operation, it’s safe to say the moody spot has stood the test of time for locals and blow-ins alike.
The bar is a space where people can gather to listen to music, chat, drink and eat — all of the best things. It hosts bands and musicians on the reg, including acts like jangly Australiana darlings Flowertruck, dreamy and tender four-piece The Wattles and heaps more. Our rec? Keep your eye on the moody spot’s socials for up-to-date info on live shows. (You never know who’ll be popping up next at this beloved Inner West bar.)
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Mucho Hospitality Group, the team behind some of Sydney’s most beloved bars (Cantina OK!, Tio’s and The Cliff Dive) has added another notch to their belt with Bar Planet. Just a skip from Newtown Station, this tiny cocktail bar swaps margaritas for martinis.
The signature Bar Planet Martini is made with a seasonal gin the team created with Poor Toms — named the Infinite spirit — served with an olive and the citrus hit of a lemon rind. Always accompanied by a bag of seasoned popcorn, the drinks menu is short but self-assured. If you’re particular, nab a Martini How You Like It so you can have it, yep, how you like it. Or opt for something fruitier like the scorpino, which is made from a mix of P&V prosecco, vodka and housemade gelato, which rotates through market-fresh fruit flavours each week.
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Perched right up next to Jacoby’s Tiki Bar is HiWay Enmore — an intimate bar focused on showcasing emerging and independent artists and performers. It’s an inclusive, low cost and welcoming venue with capacity for 150, meaning it’s ideal for up-and-coming acts.
The cosy bar-meets-music-venue has a bevy of local beers on tap — including Grifter and Young Henrys — ready and waiting for thirsty punters seeking experimental entertainment with their cold bevs. Fancy a cocktail? Head to the Bikini Room, the venue’s on-site cocktail bar that slings all the classics and more. During the Special Entertainment Precinct trial phase, HiWay will be putting on 25 nights of entertainment. Keep an eye on its website and Facebook page for details about upcoming shows.
Keen to find out more about what’s happening in the Inner West? For more information on the bustling neighbourhood, visit the website.
