Touchdown is the downstairs bar in the Rydges Hotel at Sydney Airport. I'm not sure what is more…read moreconfusing: the fact that it is named after an American football term; or the fact that they couldn't make a basic cocktail correctly. (More on that later). The vibe here was laid back sports bar with a focus on beers, wine and simple drinks. Sadly, the beer list was short and standard (Australian macrobrews like VB, Carlton, etc.) The short food list was actually better than I expected, with a selection of apps (wings, meatballs), entrees (burgers, steak, salmon) and desserts. It was certainly enough to suit me, so I ate here for dinner and watched some local sports (continuing my increasing fascination with cricket). My burger and fries were pretty good, and just what I wanted. But after a few mediocre beers I decided to test the bar by ordering something basic. Specifically, I asked for an Old Fashioned (It's a never-ending quest). The young bartender got busy, muddling some fruit, adding sugar and bitters, before finally adding the liquor (which I couldn't see). The result tasted familiar, but strange...REALLY strange. I sipped slowly, but it never got any better. After about 15 minutes, the bartender proudly showed me the single malt scotch he made it with... [Insert Forehead Slap here]. No wonder it tasted strange - This drink is made with Rye or Bourbon only; and what a waste of a single malt! Dear management- you might want to think about training your bartenders to do something more than pour wine and beer.

Wow wow wow!!! If you sneeze, you could miss the entrance since it's not all that 'in your face' on…read morethe street. There is a cover charge of $20pp to walk in the door. I'm not sure there's an elevator so if you aren't able to walk up two flights of stairs, better give them a ringy-dingy before you head over. We went for the Jazz but started out in the 2nd floor for some finger foods and drinks. What a hoot!! The menu has a good variety of choices and we had the 4 cheese pizza and chips. Both soooooo good! The volume was not so noisy so we could actually talk and hear each other. Then the first band came in and, I'm sorry to say I did not catch their name because they were incredible! Their vocalist has quite a versatile range and adorbs. The guitarists and drummer were da best!!! We sat there longer than planned because song after song was wonderful! And, make sure you check out the ceilings!! Purty interesting to say the least. (If you are more a prudish type, I suggest not looking up. No judgement!) But, eventually we did go to the jazz venue.... Jazz. Hot Jazz! Mellow, delicious and...what can I say? This band was soooo laid back....and talented! Lots of great tunes from the '50's that were well done. Oh and.....definitely (!!!) check out the ceilings in here, too. I can not imagine what this building housed before Lazy Bones, but....just check it out! Parking on a Friday night...not too much in the main drag but we found side streets had plenty of free parking available. One more thing i noticed is the variety of age. Top floor was mostly 20's and up though there was a few more mature people, too. Jazz venue I'd say 30's and older. Yeah...we were the oldies but goodies at both places!! Lol. If you like jazz, if you like good music of any kind, get yoreself over here!!!

This is the most amazing new nightspot in sydney, Great…read morelive jazz bands and the best DJ's that play old records of some real classics Craig the owner and barman is out of this world this place is going to do really well. Hidden just off the main street of Marrickville up a few flights of stairs you walk in to a awesome bar with the roof painted with a huge Kama sutra mural and tin roof tiles and leather lounges. Licensed to 3am with great wines and boutique beers on tap.

It's an airport bar but the guys there are pretty good. However they ran out of the smokey bourbon…read morefor the one drink I wanted. The chairs are a little uncomfortable too unless you get the nice tables out front.

I'm Sitting here having a nice glass of wine before my flight. Their moscato is delicious however…read morethe seating and table space is limited and the airport is doing construction.

The flathead fish was perfectly cooked and accompanied salad was tasty. The manager opened early…read morefor me and allowed me to come in for a drink before they started serving food. Great place to catch a game, drink, or meal!

Best local bar, conveniently located near train. Martin and George are the best bartenders ever…read more We stopped for a short one and spent the whole evening there!!! Cold beer, great company. Highly recommend for a quick drink and some good company. Jozie and Barb Montana USA

Great Staff, Ambiance and Drinks. There is an Elevator to…read morethe 4th Floor and a rooftop area with a retractable roof so all weather catered for.It also have a fantastic Cousin Bar in the Basement called "Old Loves". Both are well worth spending time.

- up four flights of a dusty stairwell of a random office building…read more no elevator the trek is worth it - this speakeasy was a amazing - you would never know what await behind those doors - great steak sandwiches - get there early, its not as spacious - drinks are tasty - I love the dark environment - friendly service - hip hop soundtrack

This place is fantastic…read more It's a teeny tiny wine bar with a spectacular retro feel. It's all sumptuous vintage, plush antique chairs upstairs, a book case and vinyl records you can play. And of course great wine, and also friendly staff and patrons. Perfection.

I dont know why I havent come in, as a very very local person, to The Temperance society until now,…read moreon a whim as a really half arsed attempt by the husband and I at doing the whole valentines thing. Booze brings us together. Wow. This place is very cool. The staff are rather boisterous which brings down to earth, what could easily be a very snobby little locale ( only because of the the high class booze and all those chesterfields and floor to ceiling bookshelves - sploosh) Not having a good sample to go by, this place seems a go to for girls nights, and the night I visited there was a medium sized group of ladies cutting loose and not caring who heard their hollerin. Wine is a gal's best friend and I watched as they palmed off a would be suitor with nothing more than a glance. Heros. Wine by the glass in big bowled wine glasses with a great selection, and Elvis who I presume is the owner, knows his tipples. My pick of the eve was the Alto Monte - $14 a glass but by George that wine is as delightful as a magical miniature new born fawn prancing across your tongue on a rainbow. Food is basically nibbles. Sharing platters: a cheese one, a meat and cheese one and a Vego one with Cashew cheese. Toasties including one with Brie, cranberry and Rabbit terrine. Delicious. Anyone can google the origin of the name of this place, and I think it does every justice to the moniker. I think this may become my regular hangout.

Ooooooo the mushroom and Swiss omelet really hit the spot. Fast and friendly at the bar. Also got…read morea nice Brut champagne waiting for my flight. Lots of places to charge your devices. Comfortable lounge seating. The omelet was really good. Two pieces of toast and a generous amount of Swiss cheese and mushrooms. Great place to chill while waiting on your flight.

This hotel is a hidden gem, I didn't expect the hotel to be so nice inside. The staff were very…read morehelpful the hotel was affordable and comfy.

Whoever thought an old pub could make for party space? My cousin had her 21st in the upstairs…read morefunction room, and I was very, very surprised at how good the place looked. From the outside it looks like just your local run-of-the-mill pub. Upstairs was a very different story. Forget drinks in the city where you end up meeting and greeting your entire facebook list, bring a couple hundred of your closest friends and family to this place. The place is so big it can easily hold that many. There's a separate room at the back to keep all your family's embarrassing antics hidden away, a lounging area with a main bar (with access to the pokies room), and a huge dance floor area with room for all your hired DJ equipment. It's all newly renovated and in perfect condition for you and your friends to make as much noise as you want into the early hours of the morning.

I was about to give up on Marrickville, and as I was wandering down the road towards the railway…read morestation I spied this little hole in the wall bar. A part of me thought that hole-in-the-wall bars was a Melbourne speciality, but it turns out that Sydney has its fair share of them as well. Anyway, I decided to pop in for a beer, and not surprisingly, I loved this place. Not only do they have craft beers on tap (and some good ones at that), but also regular events. I came here on Open Mike Night, though nobody was brave enough to take advantage of the open mike. Oh, and the atmosphere was great as well.

What an exciting venue. It's only open at key times but is small, cosy and busy. It has limited…read morespace & seats when things get really busy. Live music is a winner but it's worth checking prior to just showing up ..... otherwise it's a perfect place for that intimate lounge session. Craft beers are a highlight.... and ..... lots of wines .... spirits...... small snacks ....... enough to keep you happy and switched on. Oh !! ...... the mood lighting will definitely put you in the mood for something saucy.

I've seen many a great band advertised here but as is my wont, the thing that finally got me here…read morewas the lure of a spankin new comedy night. And it doesn't hurt that this deep wild-wild-inner-western venue is on the freakin bondi junction train line! #ftw Hump Night (Wednesdays, in a camel themed bar, capiche?) Comedy's opening night was brilliant, with a stellar lineup & full house. The decor description is best quoted to the night's MC- David Smeidt- who described it ss if a gay pirate was having a garage sale. Camels, camel themes, and some classic posters- the gay pirates responsible for decorating Camelot have definitely never heard the expression, "less is more"... I ordered a garlic pizza cos it was like $8. It was alright & for $8 I ain't gonna complain the crust was a bit hard tho. Some pretty amazing looking mezze plates were doing the rounds and making me regret my decision. Now that I know how easy it is to get to and groovy a venue it is I'm looking forward to joining the camel cult.

Random nights are the best nights, aren't they?…read more My friend Isobel sent me a message last week, with a Facebook link saying, wanna check this out next week in good old Marrickville? I was like, yeeerrrppppp, let's go. Why not, right? So tonight, I look at the Facebook page to figure out where it is and its like all trendy and ambiguous "in the back streets of Marrickville".... well, where the FUCK is that, eh??? Bloody thing. Well, I figured it out and I can't tell you how AWESOME it was! Dimly lit, trendy, hipster kitch. Think Shady Pines, but not so much Americana. Yes, cowboys. But also gypsies, persian carpets, camels and eastern flair. The owner, came over and introduced himself to us and was like, how did you hear about us? Well, we have the very uncool story that Isobel's mum told her about it. Yeah, I'm serious. LOL. We think it's funny as hell too, especially since the place was so great, so unknown. Her mum saw some live music here a few weeks ago. I should probably make up a cooler story about how I know about the place that makes me sound really awesome with my finger right on the pulse of avant guarde Sydney or something, so when I bring people here I can be like... yeah... I'm cool... man?!! We had wines which were delicious. I had an SA Pinot Noir. Hey, look! I'm trying to learn my wines! Be impressed. I'm a wine doofus. Downstairs is "Django Bar" which is I guess, not a music venue. Camelot is technically on the top floor, and is a music venue with some food... the garlic pizza is amazing. Perfectly garlicky and cheesy melty goodness. Sean Taylor was playing, he was described as a Chris Isaak acoustic guitar type.... well, wow, I could have easily stayed out til past midnight if it wasn't a school night. He was amazing. Everything was 5 star. I'm really glad to be able to write this review for such a great NEW establishment, but it's even better that it's in my home suburb of dear old MARRICKVILLE!!! Marrickville is seriously Sydney's Brooklyn. Seriously. Its coming up in the world. Watch out.