Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Dining Out Like a Local
Unless it's a very special occasion locals don't dine at Circular Quay or The Rocks. And
unless they barely venture into the central city or have out-of-towners to entertain, they
shun Darling Harbour as well. Those in-the-know head to reliable Surry Hills or to that
just-opened place that everybody's been talking about in one of the hip inner suburbs or
near the beaches. For those seeking cheap eats, Chinatown is the standby, or they'll rock
up to their tried-and-true neighbourhood favourite or local pub.
But above all, locals head to cafes. Oh, the comfort of settling into the reliable local
where staff make a decent flat white without bubbling the milk, serve consistently good
food without charging the earth and always have a newspaper to read. For many urban
Sydneysiders, brunch has replaced religious services as the main weekend ritual. And if
not brunch, then yum cha.
Drinking Like a Local
Australians have a bad reputation for binge drinking, particularly when they're overseas,
but generally you'll find Sydney pubs and bars pleasant places to be. Sure, Kings Cross
can be unpleasant on weekends, but that is precisely the neighbourhood that soon-to-be-
vomiting types gravitate towards. Licensing laws punish venues that serve drunks, so
you're more likely to see this kind of behaviour on the streets than in the bars themselves.
The British-style local pub survives throughout the city, although you're less likely to
see cross-generational family groupings in them than you would in the 'mother country'.
The local passion for sport and the monopoly of coverage by pay-TV operators makes the
pub a popular place whenever the local side is playing.
Hipsters gravitate to the new crop of small bars in Surry Hills, Darlinghurst and the
city, while those wanting to give their glad rags an airing might make for a cocktail bar
with a harbour view.
Shopping Like a Local
The advent of the mega-mall has killed many a neighbourhood shopping strip. Once ex-
clusively the province of supermarkets, midpriced chain stores and bain-marie food
courts, malls like giant Westfield Sydney and Westfield Bondi Junction have added de-
signer boutiques and fancy dining to the mix. Paddington, the former go-to neighbour-
