Tilbury Hotel

This Woolloomooloo gem has bequeathed Sydney one of the best beer gardens in town – no mean feat considering we Sydneysiders are outdoor animals. Truly, we’d camp out back of the Tilbury if we could. Only in Australia would you find frangipani and olive trees coexisting in a happy tangle.

This popular Sydney waterside haunt is in one of the best spots by the restaurant-studded wharf where jellyfish blob about and highflyer and advertising types stroll up and down the promenade in white pants and billowing shirts. Best to get a spot in the beer garden if you can, or out on the deck one of their regular barbecues. Or prop up the room length polished bar. Sure, they’ll do you a cocktail but they’re not exactly their strong suit. They do, however, have a fair wine list and pull a mean schooner. Bar snacks are few and far between but there’s a great Italian influenced dinner menu.