Where to Shop Like a Local In and Around Surry Hills

Filled to the brim with lively drinkers and diners, 10 William St seems more like a brand-new opening than an establishment over a decade-old. Since 2011, the Italian eatery and wine bar has been a launching pad for some of the country’s best chefs, with an honour roll that includes Dan Pepperell (who you’ll now find at Bistrot 916, formerly at Restaurant Hubert) to Garagistes founder Luke Burgess, Pinbone’s Mike Eggert and Jemma Whiteman (now at Totti’s and Lankan Filling Station, respectively), Trisha Greentree from Brae in Victoria and Enrico Tomelleri, who’s continued serving Sydney’s best Italian cuisine at Paski Vineria Popolare. The good-looking Italian venue, an old converted shopfront just a few strides down from Oxford Street, has aged gracefully, from the walnut leather banquettes to its green laminate bar rimmed with golden rails. Don’t fit downstairs? Don’t be surprised, the front room is about as big as a hallway but there’s a whole other level of dining upstairs.

If you love cheese, Formaggi Ocello won’t leave you disappointed. It has a whopping selection of more than 200 cheeses, from well-loved French classics to lesser-known imports, as well as an impressive stock of cured meats, cheese equipment, truffle products, condiments and other deli delights. Fellow gourmands are invited to join monthly in-store cheese and wine nights, where owners Sogna and Carmelo Ocello pull out six farmhouse cheeses with matching wines. If you’d rather just pop in for a wine, you can do that, too — aperitivo hour runs daily from 4pm and you get a free cheese tasting plate when you buy a glass of wine.

Are you a bookworm? Luckily, Title isn’t far away. Head back down Crown Street towards Cleveland and you’ll find this Surry Hills browsing oasis. Title’s selection of books spans fiction, fashion, graphic novels, photography, poetry and travel, as well as an impressive selection of CDs, vinyl and DVDs. If you’re looking for some new hi-fi equipment, there’s also a range of amplifiers, speakers, turntables and headphones to browse. Our recommendation? Nestle into quiet corners and browse through some of its beautiful art and photography books.

From New York’s Rachel Comey to London’s You Must Create, Denmark’s Henrik Vibskov to Greece’s Esiot and Paris’s Cuisse de Grenouille, The Standard Store is the place to find international brands in Sydney. Its carefully curated and constantly evolving selection of high-end clothes, shoes, accessories and homewares is always a pleasure to browse — if only to get a good idea of what’s happening in fashion and design around the world. Run by Sydney-based Nicola and Orlando Reindorf, the store also hosts small pop-up events from time to time, so it’s worth keeping an eye on its Facebook page for workshops and talks.

If you’re doing all that browsing, you’ll need a coffee. Down towards Central Station, you’ll find Single O serving all kinds of coffees, from espresso to pourover and even self-serve filter on-tap. As well as immediate caffeination, you can also buy stuff for your home. Get a freshly roasted bag of coffee beans to take home with you, or maybe an Aeropress or some new filters.

Did you know Surry Hills is home to Sydney’s very own rum distillery? Rum, made from cane sugar, used to be made at the old Pyrmont CSR factory until the 80s, but wasn’t being made in the inner city until Brix opened its distillery right on Bourke Street. Co-founders and old friends James Christopher, Damien Barrow and Siddharth Soin serve their own brews and educate people about rum and its origins. Whether you have it neat, in a cocktail or take a bottle home with you, this should be your number one booze stop in Surry Hills.

While technically in Paddington, Surry Hills will claim this bookstore as its own everyday. And when a bookstore doubles as a cafe, it really is the best of both worlds. Reading material to peruse with your coffee? A spot of shopping pre- or post-brekkie, brunch or lunch? The kind of atmosphere that can only come from stacks on stacks on stacks of books? You’ll find all of the above at Ampersand Cafe & Bookstore.  The cafe likes to think of itself as a library with food, and it has the packed shelves, cosy reading nooks, welcoming armchairs and sizeable menu to back up that claim. And yes, you really can just grab a novel, enjoy its contents while you sip your coffee and then put it back again.