The New Stanley Street
Once known as Sydney's Little Italy, tiny Stanley Street in Darlinghurst now takes its culinary inspiration from five continents. A new breed of bars, cafes and restaurants has injected new life into one of Sydney's most pleasant eat streets. From 60 year old institutions to just-opened bars, here's the cream of the crop.
EAT
Corner Stanley Street and Yurong Street, Darlinghurst
Mon-Fri 12pm-3pm & 6pm-11pm, Sat 6pm-11pm
What do Frank Sinatra, Mick Jagger, Rihanna, three generations of the Packer family, John Howard, Bob Hawke and Gina Rinehart have in common? They've all eaten at Beppi's!
Beppi's opened in 1956 and was a centrepiece of Little Italy. Today you can enjoy lunch, dinner or supper at a piece of Sydney's history.
72-74 Stanley Street, Darlinghurst
Mon-Sun 6am-12am
Another original cast-member of East Sydney's Little Italy, Bill and Toni's was founded in the 1970s.
Today, the two level venue has a cafe located on the ground floor and a restaurant on the upper level. If you have friends who complain about the lack of cafes (i.e. not Gloria Jeans or Starbucks) that stay open after hours, bring them here for an evening coffee...and throw in some cannoli for good measure.
75 Stanley Street, Darlinghurst
Tues-Fri 12pm-2pm & 5:30pm-10pm, Sat 6pm-10pm
Brick Lane is part of the new wave of food sweeping Stanley Street. Service is friendly and professional (I somehow scored a $50 voucher for my birthday...who's in??), and the kitchen serves up some seriously good (and spicy!) Indian food. I can personally vouch for the samosas, Nepalese goat curry and kachumber salad.
83 Stanley Street, Darlinghurst
Tues-Thurs 12pm-3pm & 6pm-10pm, Fri-Sun 12pm-10pm
An offshoot of the Elizabeth Bay original, Dumplings & Beer is a no-fuss, no-frills establishment where you can roll up your sleeves, tuck into some great dumplings and sample an interesting selection of international beers. Great place dinner mid-week.
71-73 Stanley Street, Darlinghurst
Tues-Wed 5pm-10:30pm, Thurs 12pm-3pm & 5pm-10:30pm, Fri-Sat 12pm-11pm, Sun 12pm-5pm
Inca's lays claim to being Australia's first Peruvian restaurant. Inca's is one of the larger restaurants on Stanley Street and as a result, it is divided into a cafe, a bar and a restaurant. Drop in for some piqueos (Peruvian tapas) or sample something substantial from the restaurant menu.
78 Stanley Street, Darlinghurst
Mon-Fri 12pm-3pm & 6pm-9pm & Sat-Sun 11am-3pm & 6pm-10pm
From the team that bought Sydney the Devon phenomenon (Barangaroo and Waterloo), comes a new Malaysian-fusion concept; Lucky Suzie. Lucky Suzie's dinner menu is as diverse as it is interesting, also offering a good selection of vegetarian and gluten free dishes. The weekend brunch menu is - I think - one of the most interesting in Sydney.
85a Stanley Street, Darlinghurst
Tues-Thurs 9am-11pm & Fri 9am-11:30pm, Sat 8am-11:30pm
Reggio Lounge is a recent offshoot of Bar Reggio (round the corner at 135 Crown Street). With no less than 15 pasta dishes available for under $20, Reggio Lounge must surely lay claim to the biggest range of well priced pasta in Sydney...and that's just for starters!
62 Stanley Street, Darlinghurst
Mon-Fri 12pm-2:30pm & 6pm-10pm, Sat 12pm-2:30pm & 6pm-10:30pm, Sun 12pm-5pm
Sagra is arguably the most critically acclaimed restaurant on Stanley Street today, having been awarded one chef's hat in the past two Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guides.
Set in a quaint Stanley Street terrace, Sagra typically offers a small selection of dishes from entree through dessert. What it lacks in quantity however, it more than makes up for in quality. If you're lucky, you're visit may coincide with a special event, such as a Tuscany Regional Dinner (great value at $65 per person).
85 Stanley Street, Darlinghurst
Mon-Sun 11:30am-10pm
A perennial favourite, Sushi on Stanley is constantly heaving with locals after its great value sushi, sashimi, bento boxes et al. No wonder it is a regular on any Sydney's Best Japanese lists.
Corner Stanley Street and Riley Street, Darlinghurst
Mon-Fri 12pm-3pm & 6pm-12am, Sat 6pm-12am
Verde is another restaurant providing a connection to Stanley Street's Little Italy origins. Verde specialises in Southern Italian food and is open for lunch and dinner throughout the week.
Fun fact - the Verde team is launching a brand new champagne bar immediately adjacent to the existing restaurant on Thursday 7 September. Toto will be accessible off Riley Street.
DRINK
77 Stanley Street, Darlinghurst
Tues-Fri 5pm-12am, Sat 12pm-12am
Johnny Fontane's has given Sydney the gift of deep dish pizza. Throw in a good drinks list and a terrace location which opens up onto Stanley Street itself, and Johnny Fontane's seems almost tailor made for a good time.
64 Stanley Street, Darlinghurst
Mon-Sat 10am-12am, Sun 11am-10pm
A classic Aussie pub which dates from 1867, the Lord Roberts keeps a busy schedule - live music, DJs, trivia, sport and pretty much everything in between. The Lord Roberts also has a large outdoor deck...perfect for long summer evenings!
79 Stanley Street, Darlinghurst
Wed-Thurs & Sat-Sun 5pm-12am, Fri 4pm-12am
So if Johnny Fontane's channels The Godfather, Stanley's lays claim to being a Wes Anderson (of The Grand Budapest Hotel fame)-inspired bar. Stanley's offers a great happy hour deal with discounted drinks and free snacks.
Unfortunately, the City of Sydney rejected their 2am license request...but hopefully the two parties can find a happy middle ground (is 2am Friday & Saturday too much to ask?!)
83 Stanley Street, Darlinghurst
Tues 5pm-11pm, Wed-Sat 5pm-12am, Sun 5pm-10pm
Located directly above Dumplings and Beer (from which you can order food in), The Long Goodbye is a quaint cocktail bar. The old school furniture discrete upstairs location provide a bit of a unique counterpoint to most other Stanley Street venues, making it perfect for cold or rainy nights.
Wings and Tins
2 Chapel Street, Darlinghurst
Tues-Thurs 6pm-11:45pm & Fri-Sat 12pm-11:45pm
The newest kid on the block, Wings and Tins is located on the top floor at 81 Stanley Street, but accessed via the rear staircase (from 2 Chapel Street). With burgers, chicken wings (Alfie's hot sauce FTW), beers on tap, TVs, tinnies and the completely-awesome-and-totally-satisfying tinny crushers, Wings and Tins channels a good old fashioned dive bar with ease.