Sydney Brewery Surry Hills

Sydney Brewery Surry Hills — small-batch brews and pub classics on Albion Street

A short stroll from Central, Sydney Brewery Surry Hills is the craft brewer's homecoming. The brand started life in 2005 at the old Macquarie Hotel a few streets away, and since 2018 it's been back in the neighbourhood with a working brewhouse on Albion Street, attached to Rydges Sydney Central. The setting is pure Surry Hills: industrial warehouse bones, exposed brick and concrete, street art splashed across the walls and the brewers at work while you drink.

The on-site brewhouse turns out small-batch, limited-edition specialty beers alongside the core range, and the trophy cabinet backs it up, with the Lager collecting its third straight gold at the Australian International Beer Awards. Beyond the Lager, the taps pour a crisp Pilsner, a juicy Hazy Pale, an East Coast IPA and a toasty Dark Lager, plus the Original Cider. Executive chef Kevin Weng's kitchen dishes up pub classics with a bit of polish: wood-fired pizzas like the San Daniele with prosciutto and fig, kingfish crudo with pink grapefruit, beer-battered fish and chips and scotch fillet with chimichurri.

There's something on most nights. Tuesday is trivia from 6.30pm, Thursday brings live acoustic sets from local artists from 7pm, and happy hour runs every day from 4pm to 6pm. A rotating lineup of daily food and drink specials keeps the week ticking along, brewery tours take you behind the tanks for a tasting, and you can grab a fresh growler to take home.