Bars | Warm Winter Bars


If you’re still chasing alfresco dining and drinking under the stars this late in the season, then you probably know exactly how close you can get to those umbrella heaters before your skin melts off your face.

Ditch the singed hair, shivers and shakes for warmer pastures and get familiar with some of Sydney’s best winter-friendly pubs. OutInSydney have made up a list of cockle-warming venues all across town that provide shelter from the storm.


The Local (Taphouse) - Cnr Flinders & South Dowling St, Darlinghurst 

The Taphouse is the epicentre for craft beer in Sydney and knows how to cater to the cold. Winter sees the 21-strong tap beer list go dark with some of Australia’s best porters and stouts being poured as I type.

With cosy nooks and warming wood-and-leather décor, head to The Taphouse and settle in with Sunday roasts, a fireplace and 5-beer tasting paddles.


Hero of Waterloo - Cnr Lower Fort & Windmill St, The Rocks

There isn’t a person alive who can really say they went to the Hero of Waterloo before it was cool – given it was built by the sweat and brawn of convict workers. It’s been a pub since 1845 and awesome ever since. Nestle in amongst the pockmarked sandstone walls, grab a beer and park yourself by the open fireplace. We’ve never needed to be told twice.


Old Growler - Lower Level, 218 William St, King’s Cross

There’s something naturally warming about a basement bar. The Old Growler, hiding underneath William St, provides a welcome contrast from the Cross’ streets above. Grab a pint of something dark, revel in the dim lighting and sparse décor and grab a plate of their hickory-smoked pork ribs served with rice pilaf and made-out-the-back BBQ sauce. Watch out though, hours seem like minutes down here and the clamber up the staircase gets less and less appealing as the pints pour on.


Royal Albert - Cnr Commonwealth & Reservoir St, Surry Hills

Nipping at the Taphouse’s heels for top-spot in the craft beer scene is another example of how ‘older’ is sometimes ‘better’… The ‘Ralbert’ has been a pub since the 20s. Their salute to the old-school comes in the form of two hand pumps on the bar constantly pouring out beers that sit at the dark and heartier end of the spectrum. Oh, and did we mention that they’re attached to a dumpling diner?


The Lord Dudley - 236 Jersey Rd, Woollahra

Tucked away in the inner-east, the Dudley looks and feels like an old Englishman sneezed it into existence between puffs of his pipe. Kitsch-free Pommy bric-a-brac covers every available surface of this wonderfully cosy, and gives off the very English feeling that if it’s not raining, it should be. Pull up a stool, order the 12-hour slow cooked Wagyu beef pie and contemplate your choice between the eighteen tap beers.


The Lord Nelson Brewery - Cnr Kent St and Argyle Pl, The Rocks

One of many pubs in The Rocks vying for the title of Sydney’s Oldest Pub, the Lord Nelson is home to the much-adored Three Sheets Pale Ale. With the onsite brewery feeding the bar, there are a number of beers here that aren’t available anywhere else. If, like us, you’re not looking to be refreshed when its 12 degrees outside, tuck into a pint of Nelson’s Blood – a fantastic dry style porter available only at the pub and only on tap.


The Nag’s Head Hotel - 162 St Johns Rd, Glebe

We have a serious soft spot for The Nags. It’s a charming, traditional, no frills English-style pub with an air of calming unpretentiousness. Their $20.00 Pie & Pint Saturdays and a $16.00 Sunday roasts have carried us through the cold on the night before pay-day many times before. Take advantage of the loft bar upstairs through the week for your own pool table and leather sofa filled corner of the pub. If you’re into your various ball sports, the same space becomes a slightly rowdy and very entertaining place to watch the footy across the weekend.


Australian Youth Hotel - 63 Bay St, Glebe

You know it’s winter when the central argument revolves around who serves Sydney’s best-poured Guinness. The Aussie Youth sits just down the road from Broadway shopping centre and has been a long-standing local favourite. Slight Irish influence is apparent here and the bar menu is heart warming. With an opportunity to sink into a chesterfield sofa along side an open fireplace with a bowl of their highly recommended chips, it’s easy to understand why this place is so well loved. 


Written by Jackson Davey
Twitter @JDavey91


Images Via Flickr