Discovering Newtown

By Ben Stephens.

From Surry Hills, where the coffee is good and hills are steep, into Redfern, where depending on what you need, you will inevitably stumble upon it. As you look further afield from the CBD you begin to discover the diversity of Sydney and in particular the Inner West, a highlight of the area is Newtown. Based around King Street and Enmore Road, one trip out there will have your raving about the food, drinks and the niche shopping that will hold a special part in your heart. To give you direction in an adventure to Newtown, we have jotted down some of our favourites you need to hit up when you make the short trip out that way…

Eat

What a solid place to start, every adventure needs food as a staple ingredient. Let’s go from the top and see where we end up. Hartsyard, Southern American food. Think buttermilk biscuit, fried chicken or confit carrots with cashews and kaffir lime. The menu is split between Seed and Feed and is crafted to be shared. When you head to Hartsyard, grab a group of friends, order a bunch of food and work through that wine list. Looking for something a little different, not to worry, multiculturalism is alive and very well in Newtown. The number of different cuisines that are on offer is incredible and gives life to restaurants like Thai Pothong. No magic tricks, just traditional Thai food in a very traditional setting. The hot tip is the Thai Chicken Salad. Finally, we knew it would end here, when you find yourself in Newtown, make your way to Mary St, just off King. There you will find the original Marys Burgers. Order whatever you want from that menu. Its short, because it doesn’t have to be long. Enjoy the surrounds and make sure you check out their wine list, it’s a surprise winner.

Drink

Just to get them all out of the way, here are all the pubs that are highly recommended when making the trip (inner) west; Marlborough Hotel, Town Hall Hotel, Bank Hotel, Union Hotel, Newtown Hotel, Courthouse Hotel and Newtown Social Club. So now that all those are out of the way let me tell you about a hidden gem in the Newtown, Earls Juke Joint. These legends just took out TimeOut’s 2016 Best Bar Team award and for good reason. When walking into Earls, it’s like going home to an old mate’s place. The cocktails are refined and simple, the atmosphere is relaxed and just sums up the Newtown vibe perfectly. Order a charcuterie board, supplied by the team across the road at Bloodwood and sit back to enjoy a night, hidden away on King Street.

Shop

The first time I stumbled upon Newtown, I was amazed by all the shops. From a plethora of antique stores lining the southern end of King Street, to the bustling opposite end where you will find names like AS Colour, Jack London and Yoshi Jones. As for shopping advice, we want to only leave you with this; grab a coffee, walk down one side of King street and when you hit the end, turn around and walk up the other. You’ll be amazed at the hidden stores that line the main street. It’s a long walk but very much worth it.

Happy adventuring!