The Resy Guide to Where to Drink Outdoors in Sydney

The ‘Corn is a pitch-perfect pub with Sydney style, thanks to its epic bone-in schnitzels, dartboards and an occasional dancefloor. Out the back, a quaint beer garden seals the deal, where picnic tables are the hottest seats in town on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The wine list is also well above your average pub selection, with drops from Australian minimal intervention producers as the focus.

This multi-level tapas bar may be in the more touristy end of town, but its outdoor seating along Bulletin Place feels both intrepid and intimate. Make the most of the European laneway set up and work your way through bottles of Spanish vino, red and white sangria, classic cocktails and Estrella lager fresh from the tap.

This small-but-mighty Bondi wine bar has just a few seats out the front (along with a private courtyard out the back), but if you’re after a post-beach vino it’s well worth booking in. Showcasing natural-leaning independent wine producers from the Hunter Valley, Adelaide Hills, Margaret River and more, you’ll find unique drops alongside wine-friendly small plates of hibachi-grilled meats, charcuterie and just-shucked oysters.

This Rocks brewhouse situated in a heritage-listed building is home to a beer garden in which you can sink craft beers pulled from 12 ever-rotating taps. Said beers are always from Australian independent brewers, which may be a refreshing raspberry Berliner Weisse from Hope Estate, or tropical XPA from the pub’s own brewing project, the Pickled Monkey. Once the pub of choice for the legendary Margaret Fulton, you’ll also find classic counter meals to enjoy alongside your schooners.

If you want your outdoor imbibing to have a little more New York or Melbourne edge, this obscured laneway Mexican restaurant and bar is the ticket. Tables line Temperance Lane, from which you can work your way through one of Australia’s largest collections of top-shelf tequilas and mezcal, or said spirits in a citrus-forward cocktail.

Slinging some of Sydney’s best slices may be Dimitri’s strongest calling card, but its newly opened rooftop bar and dining area is now a close second. Alongside a charred mozzarella-topped pie, sink tins of Grifters watermelon pilsner, glasses of vibrant Momento Mori syrah and Poor Tom’s Negroni spritzes.

This alfresco disco diner makes the most of its prime Taylors Square location, with plenty of colourful tables spilling out onto the sidewalk. Here you can order up six different spritz cocktails, tins of beer or cider, or try the selection of low-to-no alcohol options that are minimal on booze but big on flavour.

Mayan cuisine from the Yucatan Peninsula is the focus at this Potts Point diner. The terrace-front channels a Meridan style house and you can prop yourself up on one of the outdoor tables and peruse rare mezcals and top-shelf tequilas, alongside Margaritas and tropical riffs on classics.

Behind the bustle of Oxford Street, this unassuming craft beer bar has its own keg garden out the back. Sink boutique beers from Copenhagen, North America and Sweden or stay local with brews by the likes of Wayward, White Bay Beer Co and Mountain Culture Beer Co.

Located just a few blocks back from Avalon beach this coastal Mexican hot spot has outdoor tables that are ideal for kicking back at with a punchy Paloma or a jalapeño-infused Margarita. The Northern Beaches haven has plenty of seating out front, and with its easy-going seafood-food focused menu you’ll be changing gear to a summer holiday state of mind on any given day of the week.

This all-day wine bar takes up the prime position on the corner of Stanley and Crown Street. The city’s new outdoor dining rule relaxation means you can park up with a Bloody Mary, a chilled skin contact red or a stirred down Americano and watch the world of Darlinghurst unfold.

While there’s only a handful of outdoor seats at this Marrickville wine bar, it’s worth getting one to be able to work your way through Where’s Nick’s considered, approachable-but-interesting and eclectic wine list. The laid-back staff will help you through the wine list, whether you’re a natural wine fanatic or newbie, letting you explore light, textural chilled reds; aromatic and arresting whites; or tannin-forward skin-contact orange wines. As a wine bar and shop you can also buy whatever wine captures your imagination to enjoy again later at home.