Sydney's best Beer Restaurants
Food and beer - a happy marriage stretching back centuries. Here's five places that do it the best
Red Oak gives the green light to all, even vegetarian
Red Oak
The beer seers at the decorated Red Oak do an excellent menu of beers paires with a multiplicity of beers. They cater for carnivores and herbivores alike and there's also an a la carte menu. Our favourites were a tangy Organic Hefeweizen and a muddy Oatmeal Stout. The room's got a pleasing, heavy (red oak) wood feel and you can either sit at the bar, one of the benches on the perimeter or be a little fancy and sit down to silver and linen. Although they could turn down the music - it's so loud it makes us want to drown ourselves in our boutique beers.
201 Clarence St, Sydney 2000. (02 9262 3303)
Bavarian Bier Café
Built into an old art deco bank, this is one of the more opulent beer halls in Sydney. Elegant high ceilings, white columns propping up the ceilings (and quite a few punters) and all manner of beer glasses hanging and tinkling and shining on glass racks around the bar. They've got a great range of beers on tap and also a couple called ‘lady beers', one of which is chocolate flavoured and presented in a gigantic novelty martini glass. And they also serve giant pretzels. Always a bonus.
Level 2 ?24 York St,?Sydney 2000. (02 8297 4111).
Una's
Beer, beer and more beer. Beers in steins, beers the size of your arm, beers with unpronounceable names like Fransziskaner and Schofferhofer. Sister site to the old Darlo digs, it's not all German and Austrian beers here (though that's where they're pitching it), you can also buy the usual garden variety brewskies like VB and Crown but you can drink these anywhere so try something different like the rich, bitter Trumer Pils or the lighter and more universally known Grolsch. Oh, and go easy on the potato rosti - it's a gut buster.
133 Broadway, Ultimo 2009 (02 9211 3805).
Epoque
Classic stylings, steins to swill (and swing) and all manner of pork products to accompany your Leffe. They've styled the entire place like a traditional Belgian beer palace and now the weather's starting to get a little cooler you'll be able to do some serious drinking. Try the Epoque beer paddle - a taster of all the beers they've got on tap (Bellevue Kriek, Leffe Blonde, Leffe Brune, Hogaarden and Stella Artois) including a little cup of house-made cocktail sausages. Beer and meat!
429 Miller St Cammeray, 2062. (02 9954 3811).
Prague Czech Beer Restaurant
Set inside a stunning old sandstone terrace in Potts Point (née the X), these are the only people that sell Czech beers on tap in Sydney. They also sell Slivovice (kind of like Czech moonshine) which is more deadly than grappa. Unless you're out for an evening of total annihilation, better stick to the soft stuff and try some of the mind boggling selection of beers (we like the Kruovice lager). Big with the backpackers - it's great value - this is a great spot if you've got a bit of a crew and want to drink (and eat) on the cheap and still have a bang up time. And hey, they serve mince on toast. Czech style.
42 Kellett St, Potts Point, 2011. (02 9368 0898).