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Drinking in Surry Hills

Centred along the spine of Crown Street, Surry Hills is the thriving, beating heart of Sydney, with a wealth of fantastic restaurants and, perhaps more importantly, excellent pubs and bars.

With some of the city's most glamorous haunts, from the baroque palace of the Dome to the quirkier charms of the Winery, it's also home to some grand old institutions like the rockers haven the Gaelic Club and the faded art deco glamour of the Hollywood Hotel.

It's also a birthing ground for the new laneway ethos and shabby chic more often associated with Melbourne's drinking scene. Surry Hills is a suburb on the move.

Here are our top tips:

Mr Fox - a huge chalkboard wall is crying out for your drunken interpretation of modern art, while Ralph Steadman's stencils are the real deal. Fun, with a dash of tasty cocktails
Cru54 - ridiculously mouth-watering tapas washed down with a heap of European wines, largely French and Spanish. Adds a touch of old world finesse to Surry Hills.

Hotel Hollywood - everyone loves a glimmer of tinseltown, and Hotel Hollywood delivers in spades. Run by former silver screen beauty Doris Goddard, this art deco institution is a wonder.

The Winery - the younger but no less sexy sibling of Elizabeth Bay's Gazebo Wine Garden, The Winery is a thing of beauty with over 50 varieties by the glass. Oozing elegance with an almost Alice in Wonderland kookiness thrown in, they also make a mean cocktail.

Monkey Magic - excellent name brings fond memories of crazy childhood rushing back in this dark and sexy joint with zingy cocktails adding Asian flare to the traditional, including a Lemongrass Julep.

Dome - a grand Baroque place with stunning mural, golden ceiling, glittering glass bar and chandeliers, Dome is a thing of a wonder with enormous red leather beds in which to lord it like a French king's consort.

Emmilou Lounge & Tapas Bar - there are few things I love more than a late ante chess platter with a startlingly good glass of shiraz, and there are few places in Sydney that do it better than Emmilou.

Fico Wine Bar and Food - everyone loves a challenge, so Fico's unmarked door down a side alley should have them lining up, and it does. All Italian charm in a teeny weeny package, the wine list's awesome and so is the calamari - wish it all down with some grappa.

The Clock Hotel - time stands still in this old school pub while the rest of Surry Hills rushes around gentrifying itself. A huge beer list, competitive games of pool with your buddies and seemingly half of Sydney floating through, it's a great place to while away the hours

Forresters Hotel - $5 steaks: that is all you need to know about Forresters. Get in quick.
Gaelic Theatre - the home of Sydney's rock scene, this is where the big boys cut their teeth on guitar strings and sticky floorboards.

Stephen Russell, May 2011

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Drinking in Surry Hills

Mr Fox

Mr Fox has quietly emerged as a funky little spot down the Redfern end of Surry Hills

Category: Bars & Clubs // Venue Type: Bar

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Cru54

54 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills

-33.8841597263359 151.210922598839

Cru54 has injected Surry Hills with a healthy dose Euro wines and culinary flare. Make a date to enjoy their extensive wine list and tapas plates.

Category: Restaurants, Bars & Clubs // Mains from: $5.00 // Cuisine: French // Venue Type: Bar

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Hotel Hollywood

2 Foster St, Surry Hills

-33.879634 151.210574

Hooray for the Hotel Hollywood and its grand old faded silver screen glamour.

Category: Bars & Clubs, Restaurants // Venue Type: Pub // Cuisine: Modern Australian

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The Winery

285a Crown St, Surry Hills

-33.881336 151.21446

Gazebo Wine Garden's little sister, the beautiful Winery, is a cut above the rest.

Category: Bars & Clubs, Restaurants // Venue Type: Bar // Mains from: $20.00 // Cuisine: Modern Australian

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Monkey Magic

Shop 3-4, 410 Crown St, Surry Hills

-33.884965 151.216046

Monkey Magic captures Japanese-fusion beverages and food and distills it into cool, street cred-laden portions.

Category: Bars & Clubs, Restaurants // Venue Type: Bar // Mains from: $17.00 // Cuisine: Seafood

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Dome

Crown Hotel, 589 Crown St, Surry Hills

-33.8893 151.213224

An orgy of Baroque detailing, Dome simmers with chandeliers of smoky crystal, decadent couches and flame-coloured glasses. When you've finished wiping the drool from your lapels, sit back and sip away at a cocktail confection or tuck into the tapas selection.

Category: Bars & Clubs // Venue Type: Bar

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Emmilou Lounge & Tapas Bar

413 Bourke St, Surry Hills

-33.882058 151.216188

Serious cocktail aficionados get their drink on at Emmilou Lounge and Tapas Bar - one of Surry Hills's most well-known drinking establishments.

Category: Bars & Clubs // Venue Type: Bar

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Fico Wine Bar and Food

A magical slice of Italian charm, Fico is Il Baretto's richly sweet sibling.

Category: Bars & Clubs

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The Clock Hotel

470 Crown St, Surry Hills

-33.886417 151.214074

Lazy, cocktail-fuelled evenings are back in style at the Clock Hotel, complete with the ideal balcony to take in the evening while you party into the wee hours.

Category: Bars & Clubs // Venue Type: Pub

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