Small Bar

Aptly named, this is the first small bar to have appeared under the new NSW Liquor Licensing Laws. Part of City of Sydney's Live Laneways project designed to reanimate the unused alleys of the CBD, Small Bar - opened by Chris Lane and Luke Heard - is the antithesis to the ubiquitous beer barn. Perhaps, though, it should've been called Tall Bar. Multi-levelled and very narrow, it has perilously steep stairs that lead down to tables spilling onto the back laneway. You'd be safer to find a seat inside, really. This CBD hole in the wall provides sanctuary from bustling Erskine Street. They offer a modest selection of beer and wine and their house pour is the highly quaffable Bogan shiraz. They also have Beez Neez by the bottle as well as a very drinkable rosé by the glass. Speaking of wines by the glass, the range is broad (from Adelaide to Provence) and the value's sound ($6.50–$14). The cosy little room upstairs holds a few seats along the bar and a scattering of tables, but you wouldn't want too many people in there at once during summer. If you're sure-footed enough to get down the stairs, do it. You'll be able to sit in quite possibly the cleanest laneway in Australia. There's live music every Thursday evening, and if you order a main course, the good folks at Small Bar will shout you a glass of Bogan wine. Wander down Erskine Street and pop your head in. It's worth having a look at this bar purely for the fact that it has paved the way for a new era of Sydney bars and laneways.