Best places to stop on Crown Street, Surry Hills
Crown Street sits at the heart of the historic inner-city suburb of Surry Hills. Lined with Victorian terrace houses and leafy green trees, the bustling street is a thriving hub of restaurants, bars, cafes, galleries and boutique shops. Whether a foodie, art-lover or shopaholic, take a leisurely stroll with us to discover the best places to stop on Crown Street.
Bad Mama Surry Hills
First stop on your crawl down famous Crown street is Bad Mama, a lively three-level bar, eatery, gallery and live music venue where Taiwan meets Japan. Upstairs is Sakura Bar, with an extensive list of cocktails, wine, craft Japanese beer, sake and shochu. Downstairs is Bad Mama's Dungeon, an underground whiskey bar serving up an impressive selection of Western and Asian whiskies while neon signs and live acts light up the intimate stage with a mix of blues, jazz and funk.
Bringing added wow factor is Bad Mama's award-winning decor and Asian fusion food menu, featuring edamame and oysters, San Choy Bun, dumplings and Bad Mama's duck, pork belly, popcorn chilli chicken and king prawn tempura sliders.
Credit: https://www.instagram.com/badmamabar/
TITLE Store
TITLE Store, another must-visit spot on Crown Street, is a treasure trove for the true music lover. The store first opened in 2006 with a curated selection of limited edition and hard-to-find records and has since expanded to include an equally unique array of films and books. Think film noir, French cinema and fashion books, anime and architecture with vinyls from artists new and old, including Childish Gambino, Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, Bill Withers and Nina Simone, to name just a few. In the words of owner Steve Kulak, "Title is not about what's new. It's about what's great."
Credit: https://www.instagram.com/titlestore/
Rosie Campbells
Bringing a little colour and Caribbean flavour to Crown Street is Rosie Campbells. Slip into one of Rosie's cosy booths and sip on tropical cocktails with little umbrellas, from crowd-pleasing Coco Coladas served in coconut shells to One in a Melon Mojitos with mango, lime and mint. Rosie's is also home to one of the most impressive lists of rums from Jamaica, Fiji, Panama, St Lucia, Barbados and Guatemala.
On the food menu are Jamaican-inspired jerk eats with a modern twist and a lot of soul. Start with a round of crispy jerk chicken wings, corn and jalapeño fritters, Montego Bay calamari, followed by Caribbean curry, house marinated pork belly or cajun spiced pan-seared barramundi.
Credit: https://www.instagram.com/rosiecampbells/
The Winery
Another Crown Street classic, The Winery, is an urban wine bar and restaurant located down a leafy laneway. Upstairs is the dining area and a popular spot for Bottomless Brunch, with the charming main bar sitting on the ground floor. Outside is the garden terrace with twinkling fairy lights, the perfect place to sample the bar's extensive wine list with over 30 meticulously selected wines by the glass.
The food menu is euro-inspired with grilled olive bread, artisan burrata, crispy butternut and goats cheese ravioli, beef cheek ragu, ribeye on the bone with truffled steak fries. Romantic and relaxed, The Winery is the ideal date spot or setting for a sophisticated celebration.
Credit: https://www.instagram.com/thewinerysurryhills/
Gelato Messina
No trip to Crown Street is complete without a scoop (or three) from famous Sydney gelateria Gelato Messina. With fresh and creamy jersey milk supplied by their own dairy farm and an in-house team of pastry chefs making everything from scratch, it's safe to say this is not your average ice-cream shop.
Take your pick from Messina's 40 flavour cabinet of freshly churned ice creams, with 35 traditional flavours and five rotating weekly specials. Sample a refreshing mango or lemon sorbet made with Eureka lemons and candied lemon zest, or for something a little more indulgent, Strawberries and Cream, Salted Caramel and White Chocolate or Panna Cotta gelato with a swirls of fig jam and amaretti biscuits.
Credit:https://www.instagram.com/gelatomessina/
Where to Stay in Surry Hills
Ideally situated just 5 minutes from Crown Street is a luxury boutique hotel, Crystalbrook Albion. Delightfully intimate and refreshingly unpretentious, Crystalbrook Albion combines the luxury of a five-star hotel with all the comforts of home. The historic Surry Hills hotel, where no two rooms are the same, features an array of luxury amenities from plush queen or king-sized beds to rain showers, soak-in tubs, fast and free Wi-Fi, Smart TVs and cosy bathrobes and slippers.
Book your stay at Crystalbrook Albion:
Top image credit: Destination NSW