Your checklist of Sydney’s best neighbourhoods for indie cool and delicious eats

Something is brewing in Sydney. Australia’s harbour city is in the midst of an exciting renaissance, playing host to both local startups and global powerhouses. Just ask chef Rene Redzepi who did a pop-up of his famed Noma restaurant in the city for 10 weeks earlier this year.

And as the city gears up for another round of its ever-popular Vivid Sydney event from May 27 to June 18, you will want to look beyond hot spots such as Bondi Beach, Paddington and the Opera House. It’s in the city’s up-and-coming neighbourhoods where things are really buzzing. Independent art galleries sit alongside celebrity chef ventures nestled within boutique hotels celebrating the city’s history and heritage — both in structure and spirit. Here are the must-explore locations you need to be geotagging for your next visit to the New South Wales capital.

Show off on social media at … Alexandria

The first thing you need to do upon touching down in Sydney? Say hi to, and upload a picture of, Kevin Bacon, The Grounds of Alexandria’s own resident pig that’s named after the Hollywood star. Consisting of a cafe, coffee roastery, bakery, bar, garden, florist and animal farm, the area is situated within the well of a former pie factory.

Be sure to go early or make a reservation — we booked a table for four at 9am on a Thursday, zipped past the queue into the already-full cafe, and tucked into our breakfast of avocado toasts and flat whites within minutes.

On weekends, discover wares from artisanal producers at The Grounds Fair. Emerging from its industrial past of warehouses and factories, the rest of the suburb is chock-a-block of other must-visit foodie destinations. Every dish at wholefood canteen Bread & Circus is organic and Instagram-worthy, while Salt Meats Cheese is a massive one-stop emporium for fans of everything its name entails.

Get first dibs on … Chippendale

With The Grounds of Alexandria checked off, it’s off to Chippendale. Singaporean hotelier and restaurateur Loh Lik Peng has a knack for opening hotels in neighbourhoods on the verge of becoming the next big thing. And the owner of Unlisted Collection has done it again with the launch of The Old Clare Hotel on Kensington Street. Housed in two heritage-listed sites, The Clare Hotel pub and the Carlton & United Breweries Administration Building, the hotel clearly shows the obsessive levels of attention and care that went into retaining key original features of the structures while incorporating the slick design elements that are a signature of the group.

Another signature? Buzzworthy restaurants helmed by hotshot chefs, and The Old Clare Hotel has three of them: Kensington Street Social with frequent collaborator Jason Atherton, Automata with Clayton Wells (formerly of Momofuku Seiobo) and Silvereye with Sam Miller (ex-executive sous chef of Noma).

The buzz extends to the rest of the ’hood, which is dotted with art galleries, bars, eateries, creative agencies and production houses. The best way to take it all in is to wander the streets: Across The Old Clare Hotel, fans of Masterchef Australia 2015 contestant Reynold Poernomo flock to Koi Dessert Bar to indulge in his fine-dining desserts.

Elsewhere, on an unassumingly quiet lane, you’ll know you have arrived at LP’s Quality Meats when the sliding doors open to reveal the glorious smell of smoked beef short ribs, porchetta, sausage and lamb belly. Three-year-old Brickfields is legendary in these parts, with residents and out-of-towners alike queuing up for its freshly baked breads and sweet treats such as Persian love cakes.

Epitomising the neighbourhood, White Rabbit Gallery brings food and art together in style, boasting one of the world’s largest collections of contemporary Chinese art while serving up dumplings and tea in its teahouse.

If you’re worried about missing out on some of the harder-to-find spots — after all, a self-respecting hipster enclave should boast multiple sign-less speakeasy-style joints — tour company Culture Scouts conducts a series of tours designed to show you the best of Sydney’s art scene combined with visits to the best shops and eateries preferred by the locals. Our session took us on a gallery-hopping tour through Chippendale and Redfern, where we visited acclaimed independent art spaces including Wellington Street Projects and Gallerie Pompom as well as under-a-year-old Tiny Tailor. Combining retail, a gallery and a creative agency, Tiny Tailor aims to make art accessible to homeowners and the young. Trust us, you won’t be able to leave without picking up something from its well-curated, wallet-friendly selection of crafts and artwork.

Celebrate the community in … Redfern

While most of Chippendale’s art-spotting happens indoors, a street-art project in Redfern led by local Aboriginal people has produced striking, vibrant murals depicting the area’s rich indigenous heritage, culture and community. This sense of community is palpable both in beloved local stalwarts like Arcadia Liquors, and the newer establishments, which have popped up along Regent Street in recent years.

It’s a sentiment expressed by the owners of Chee Soon & Fitzgerald, who moved their cult home furnishings store to Redfern three years ago after having been in Surry Hills for 17 years, and echoed a few doors down at The Bearded Tit. This wonderfully quirky neighbourhood art bar opened in 2014 and sees itself as a community space — one that holds knitting sessions where grannies sit alongside bearded and tattooed chaps, and where dessert is of their signature cocktail-turned-into-gelato, courtesy of their next-door neighbour Ciccone and Sons.

Art, food and history collide once again at the cavernous Carriageworks arts centre, a heritage-listed site housed in the old Eveleigh Rail Yards. A rotating series of exhibitions and performance art concerts now take place where railway carriage and blacksmith workshops once were, alongside the award-winning weekly Carriageworks Farmers Market. Here, you can buy fresh gourmet produce directly from the people who grow, raise and make them — the perfect way to celebrate the community indeed.

Chomp on the coolness … Newtown

If you plan your travel itinerary around must-eat dishes, there is no doubt you will be scheduling a visit to Newtown. This neighbourhood has been name-checked frequently to see and be seen in. We prefer to concentrate on eating at Black Star Pastry, home of the famous Strawberry Watermelon Cake. Once you’ve polished off a slice and imbibed a cuppa, you’ll be more than ready to spend the rest of the day exploring the surrounding streets with colourful murals, countless cafes, pubs and restaurants, and indie stores selling everything from vintage clothing (The Collective Ensemble) to books (Better Read Than Dead) and vinyls (Repressed Records). The cool bohemian vibe has also translated to new and noted eateries such as burger joint Jacks Newtown — which has been called Sydney’s answer to Shake Shack, and seen queues since it opened last September — as well as D’Munchies, a cafe specialising in “food for stoners by stoners” opened by hot-shot Sydney chef David Pyne. And D’Munchies’ deep-fried ravioli nachos sound like they’re reason enough to head to Newtown.