Sydney's Best New Pubs of 2016

The new Dolphin Hotel has made a splash in the Sydney food scene for its ultra-chic interiors, high-flying Italian cuisine and charming salumeria and wine bar. As you can probably tell already, this ain’t no ordinary boozer. At the helm of The Dolphin is foodie heavyweight and fashion designer Maurice Terzini (Icebergs, Da Orazio). From Icebergs he’s managed to pluck chefs Monty Koludrovic and Dan Medcalf and drinks specialist Lenny Opai, who are working alongside Sam Cheetham (ex-Victoria Room and Becasse) and the 2015 Sommelier of the Year, James Hird. Don’t count on a return of $10 nacho night.

The biggest talking point is the interiors which have been designed by George Livissianis, who is known for his work on The Apollo, Cho Cho San and Billy Kwong, among others. Like one big interactive art installation, the public bar has been clad in swathes of fabric, while the dining room is graffitied in eye-popping monochrome motifs. The stark white interiors that dominate throughout will have you weeping for the cleaners on a Monday morning.

Vote for The Dolphin Hotel.

One of Sydney’s hidden rooftop gems reopened this spring atop the recently revamped East Village Hotel. After much anticipation, the folks at Goodtime Hospitality Group revealed two of three newly revamped sections of the much-adored, 100-year-old drinking spot in late October — we’ve seen the Public Bar and Athletic Club, a slick, minimalist wine bar and a vintage-inspired sports bar, respectively. And, the third and final space, Terrace, opened in late November.

We’d been waiting to see what design team Alexander & Co.(Busby, The Village Inn, Surly’s, Daniel San) would do with this 100-square-metre rooftop space — it’s got one heck of a CBD skyline view. Climb four flights of stairs and you’ll find high bar tables, lower lounge-like seating, handcut terrazzo slabs, plenty of plants and a retractable roof. It’s the perfect spot for lazy weekend cocktails, with general manager Lee Potter Cavanagh and bar manager Reece Griffiths putting together a Terrace-only menu. For the strong-stomached, there’s a ‘Squidmark Sour’, with Bulleit rye whiskey, Tempus Fugit gran classico bitters, crème de cacao, cherry, grapefruit, shichimi togarashi and squid ink— yep, squid ink.

Vote for East Village Hotel.

Vegans must have a tough time in pubs, with meat and cheese usually front and centre of most menus. The Green Lion — the new eatery above The Red Lion Hotel in Rozelle — however, is catering exclusively for vegans and recreating pub classics like burgers, hot dogs and nachos with meat- and dairy-free alternatives.

If you’re not vegan or a regular to the category, it can be hard to judge how good vegan pub food is. Visually though, the resemblance is uncanny. Here, soy-based products are turned into beef patties, mince, battered fish, pepperoni and even melting cheese — the success of which is variable. For instance, a Green Mack Burger with a beefless patty, ‘cheese’, pickles, and special Mack sauce ($18) definitely resembles a cheeseburger; the mind boggles at what has to be done to soy products to make them look, and taste (sort of) like meat. If you’re vegan, the experience of being in pub — and being able to order anything off the menu and drink anything behind the bar — is a fantastically rare experience. It’s worth a visit for the vegan and the non-vegan, the curious and the ardent alike.

Vote for The Green Lion.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” It seems that Jane Austen’s sardonic criticism has been taken literally by Chippendale’s previously single-and-ready-to-mingle The Lord Gladstone, as his new lady love The Lady Hampshire is open for business to the hungry-thirsty residents of Campderdown.

Headed by co-founder and ex-CEO of the Riversdale Group Paddy Coughlin (and now founder of boutique Sydney pub company Bourke Street) and publican Ben Johnson, the gents behind The Glad have taken over the old Hampshire Hotel on Parramatta Road — and they’ve given the old girl a pretty epic facelift. From the mural in ‘Larrikin Laneway’ to the carefully mismatched furniture in the beer garden, the pub has strived to maintain the classic feel of the vibrant local while adding a little extra inner west spice to the old favourite.

Vote for The Lady Hampshire.

A landmark property of the Northern Beaches since 1880, the Newport Arms officially reopened this year as The Newport, with the Merivale empire behind the wheel. Design-wise, there’s been some hectic landscaping that’s been done on Australia’s largest outdoor waterfront beer garden — all by landscaper Daniel Baffsky. The actual Newport building draws on influences from Montauk, The Hamptons and Mediterranean and has been designed by Kelvin Ho and Emilie Delalande (Akin Creative), stylist Amanda Talbot and Justin and Bettina Hemmes.

In classic Merivale-style, there’s multiple, eclectic, themed spaces to drink and dine in (and take in that view), with natural stone paving, locally-made furniture and plenty of marble. The Newport also features a ‘vintage gymnasium’ with badminton, exercise bikes that can charge mobile phones, ping pong tables, a giant magnetic scrabble board, outdoor petanque and concrete table tennis courts. Food-wise, there’s range of different unique noshing experiences, with executive chef Sebastien Lutaud behind the wheel. Lutaud has fried escargot alongside France’s Oliver Elzer, prepared sashimi with Tetsuya Wakuda and headed up Felix Bar and Bistro.

Vote for The Newport.

The shutters of prime corner pub The Paddington Inn have finally reopened. Just like other recently refurbished Oxford Street greats like The Unicorn, The Paddington and The Light Brigade before it, the Paddo mainstay has received a new lick of paint and, with it, a new lease on life. The team behind the unveiling is Sydney hospo group Solotel, the company behind venues like North Bondi Fish, Aria and The Sheaf.

The old front bar of the Paddo Inn has been renovated into a smart bar and casual dining spot, with a more formal eatery out the back. The chef is Justin Schott (ex-Rockpool Bar & Grill and Kitchen by Mike), who’s pumping out two different menus — burgers, steaks, salads and snacks like croquettes for the front bar (where the focus is on cocktails and spritzers), and a modern Australian menu out back.

Vote for The Paddington Inn.