Firefly Walsh Bay

You may just walk right on by this tiny, tapas-wine bar if you weren’t looking for it. Set up on a little wooden deck jutting out the back of one of the Wharf buildings, it blends right in with the surrounding piers. There is only a handful of tables on hand and a few counter spots higher up so at peak times – say directly before or following a STC production – you’d be hard pressed to get a seat if you didn’t book ahead. You do have to order a little something to eat in order to have a drink here, but they have a cracking snacks menu that comes in single serves for not much more than pocket change. Order a single piece of sourdough with buffalo mozzarella and mushrooms or three marinated pork riblets to help take the edge off, or if you're feeling lucky you can play Spanish roulette with a dish of salty padron peppers where one in 20 is hot. For something by the glass there are a handful of options on the blackboard that change depending on what is open. They tend to go quickly so if you find one you like, lock it down. If you are due for some meditative staring at the harbour with a glass of the refreshingly tart house sangria in hand then there really is no better place for it.