Newtown

Things to do

King Street is the pulsating heart of Newtown. As well as being a delicious eat street, it’s also a cool shopping strip, with an enviable range of designer boutiques, vintage stores and specialty shops, selling everything from records to plants. For books, visit the cavernous Gould’s Book Arcade, Elizabeth's Bookshop and Better Read Than Dead.

The southern end of the King Street strip is nicknamed SoKi, short for south King Street. SoKi institutions include Leo Monk Handbags, Vintage.at.313, Repressed Records and All Buttons Great and Small. Nearby Enmore Road is another popular shopping strip, home to vintage store Route 66 and The Stinking Bishops cheese shop.

 Op shop on King St, Newtown 

Enmore Theatre is Sydney’s oldest, longest-running theatre, and where some of the best musicians and comedians perform. Visit The Vanguard for chilled-out jazz and performance art, and the New Theatre for community theatre performances. Check out the exciting events calendar to see what else is on.

For fun of a different kind, grab your friends and break out of a vintage escape room at The Cipher Room, take a self-guided walking tour of the area's street art, or enjoy a picnic or stroll at Camperdown Memorial Rest Park.

The Vanguard, Newtown

Eat & drink

The edgy vibe of Newtown extends into its small bars, cafes and craft breweries. You’ll find an assortment of restaurants and cafes along King Street, Enmore Road and Australia Street. Book a table at Continental Deli Bar Bistro, Ante, Golden Lotus, Odd Culture, Bella Brutta and Cafe Paci in Newtown.

Continental Deli, Newtown

In neighbouring Enmore, head to Bar Louise for Spanish share plates, Colombo Social for Sri Lankan roti tacos and lassi cocktails, Cairo Takeaway for Egyptian street food, Little Lagos for Nigerian plates, Osteria di Russo and Russo for Italian in an intimate, candlelit setting, and Queen Chow for Chinese pub food. In Stanmore, the tiny, seven-table Sixpenny is one of the best finds in the city.

Cairo Takeaway, Enmore

Want to eat your way through the neighbourhood like a local? Join the three-hour guided Newtown Chewtown foodie safari with Local Sauce Tours to get a taste of the vast multicultural cuisine on offer, from Pakistani to Japanese and everything in between. 

When it comes to traditional pubs, it’s hard to beat the Courthouse Hotel and its sunny beer garden. While the Warren View Hotel pours a great selection of local craft beers, the Newtown Hotel has a fantastic upstairs balcony for people watching and the Bank Hotel’s dog-friendly beer garden makes for a great afternoon.

Crowd enjoying the Warren View Hotel beer garden, Enmore

For cocktails, Earl’s Juke Joint, Fortunate Son, Jacoby’s Tiki Bar, 1989 Arcade Bar, Enmore Country Club and Bar Planet are popular go-to's. American-style dive bar Mary’s is a local institution that serves decadent burgers, as is microbrewery Young Henrys, where you can enjoy a beer tasting and brewery tour.

Jacoby’s Tiki Bar, Enmore

Getting there

Getting to Newtown is easy with many public transport options. It’s a roughly 10min train ride from the city centre to Newtown, Erskineville or Macdonaldtown stations. There’s plenty of bus options too.