Bars in Paddington and Woollahra

Four in Hand

Best for... Dinner and drinks

This one's for you, sports fans. There are regular screenings of all the latest in ball sports, but it's no sports bar. One of the nicest places to wet your whistle in Paddington, it has barely been touched aside from the odd paint job. The restaurant adjoining it gets much props for chef Colin Fassnidge's well-priced and hella tasty menu. 105 Sutherland St, Paddington 2021. (02 9326 2254).

The Wine Library

Best for... Cheap wine and a three-day growth

This little wine bar is Paddington's newest and most exciting bars addition and has fast become a darling on the wino circuit. There are bocadillos (that's Spanish for sanga) and baked eggs for brekky (yes! breakfast drinking!) and more substantial offerings on the food front available lunchtime onwards. A snappy wine list, great service and a real European wine bar feel means the Wine Library is permanently packed – get in early to get a seat. 18 Oxford St, Woollahra 2025. (02 9328 1600).

Grand National

Best for... a good old fashioned pub night with all the trimmings

One of several off-the-beaten-path pubs in Paddington's back streets, the ‘neighbourhood watering hole' atmosphere is favoured by locals, as well as the art-loving crowd who drop by for a drink on their way between Paddo's galleries on exhibition night. While it might sound like a bit of a posh clientele, inside the pub there's no such pretence, with a warm atmosphere featuring wood paneling, the comfortable hum of conversation and friendly service. The bistro offers classic pub dishes displayed on the hulking blackboard. But a pub is a pub, so what about the drinks? It's nothing fancy, just a friendly line-up of familiar beers that you'd expect to see at your local and a fair-to-middling priced wine list. 161 Underwood St, Paddington 2021. (02 9363 4557).

The Royal Hotel

Best for... four levels of boozing mayhem

The Royal's venerable main bar encourages bar-propping with plenty of choice on the beer front, including all your favourites as well as some from outside the box. Its huge island bar also serves as a holding pen for people waiting for tables at neighbouring local Five Ways restaurants. They also serve pub staples upstairs, with nothing over $30. Up one more level is the quieter Elephant Bar - more of a cocktail lounge with comfortable seating, soft lighting and relaxed music. 237 Glenmore Rd, Paddington 2021. (02 9331 2604).

The Lord Dudley

Best for... a little Britain

Afternoons spent with a pint of ale on a footpath are a rarity in a city obsessed with finicky licensing laws, but this bastion of Britishness – resplendent with ivy-covered walls and cosy nooks and crannies – offers a little slice of London. The pub is home to tradies, Paddington sophisti-cats and expats alike. With four separate bars, each subtly themed with English paraphernalia, or endowed with wooden bars and fireplaces, the Dudley is a warren of intimate drink and dining spaces. Here, bangers and mash, pork pies and pickled eggs are staples, while English ales and cider are showcases of the drinks list. Though the pub welcomes all and sundry, it leans towards the sporty side, with blokes often sardineing in to watch Super 14 and One Day International games on Saturday afternoons. 236 Jersey Rd, Woollahra 2025. (02 9327 5399).

The Light Brigade

Best for... trivia

On the one hand, the Light Brigade is a beautiful old pub at the Woollahra end of Oxford Street that's been around since 1880. On the other hand, like the famous cavalry charge after which it is named, it's also something of a battleground – here throwing together both sides of Sydney's modern day bar fight. In the trenches (ie downstairs), it's more a noisy sports bar than a lounge bar. But go over the top (ie upstairs) and you'll find plush privacy and original features such as rounded windows with beautiful wrought iron detailing. Oh, and join the fray for trivia on Mondays at 7pm. Chaaaaarge! 2a Oxford St, Woollahra 2025.
(02 9357 0888).

Fringe Bar

Best for... comedy

The Fringe Bar is all about fun and great value. The eclectic interior of exposed brick walls, bordello-chic velvet curtains and mirrors attracts an equally mixed clientele, from the after-work crowd to wayward shoppers and blow-ins from further down Oxford Street. Whether it's stand-up comedy Monday or trivia Tuesday, there's plenty of good cheap fun to be had. Thursdays, offering both $10 all-you-can-eat pizza and $8 cocktails, are particularly good value. The menu features burgers, salads and chicken schnitty throughout the week, all for a mere tenner. All the usual suspects are available on tap here, but try a cocktail. Oh, and if you want to get your nerd on, there's free Wi-Fi. 106 Oxford St, Paddington 2021. (02 9360 5443).

The Bellevue

Best for... a day at the races at the pub

Things slow down the moment you enter this bar whose doors have been open since the 1880s. Even the menu has a way-back-when flavour, with distinguished Sydney chef Damien Pignolet dishing up classics like prawn cocktails, bangers and mash and steak Diane, not to mention pavlova. The Bellevue's not what you'd call a slick pub - about the only technology they have at their fingertips is the telly for the races – but that is part of its charm. Happy hour runs from 5.30pm to 6.30pm Monday to Friday and if you find yourself desperate, date-less or merely aimless there's $3 bubbles all day every Friday. 159 Hargrave St, Paddington 2021. (02 9363 2293).

Paddington Bowling Club

Best for... barefoot bowls and a Sunday roast

The Paddo Bowls is one of the original purveyors of Sydney's social barefoot bowling trend – so much so the club has practically traded its white-dressed bowling oldies for trendy shoe-free hotties. After a quick tutorial, settle in for a relaxing arvo of bowls, served with a hearty meal and jugs of beer from the newly refurbished bar. 2 Quarry St, Paddington 2021. (02 9363 1150). There are three sessions Sat& Sun 11am & 8pm. $12.

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