This is the insider’s guide to eating and drinking in Newtown, Sydney.

In a row of four early-1900s shops on Australia Street in the Inner West suburb of Newtown, Sarah Doyle, along with her husband, Elvis Abrahanowicz, and their business partner, Elvis’s brother-in-law Joe Valore, have founded a family empire. Paisano and Daughters, named for their combined seven daughters, includes the sassy 10-year-old Continental Deli, plus three newcomers: the seafood-focused Mister Grotto, vegetarian Flora and Osteria Mucca, a classic Italian in a former butcher’s shop. Creative director Doyle has also steered the opening of the Australia Street Suites, three two-bedroom short-term accommodation options above the restaurants. “We want to make places with heart,” she says. These are some of her favourite local spots.

Soulmate for coffee and breakfast

1/7

“I always see someone I know at this café, which is a hidden gem. It has a young, buzzy vibe but I never feel like an old dag here. It also has great coffee – I usually order a soy piccolo but I’ll do batch brew as well. Everything on the menu, from the tofu scramble to a brekkie burrito, is done so well.”

Rising Sun Workshop for ramen

2/7

“I have a soft spot for this restaurant in a cool backstreet warehouse. It has an interesting concept that really works – it’s both a DIY motorbike workshop and an eatery with a Japanese-inspired, ramen-focused menu. I always get The Monk ramen, which has a shiitake and sea kelp broth and comes with miso pumpkin and marinated egg. My tip is to get the gluten-free noodles; I actually think they’re better.”

Image credit: Monde Photo

Young Henrys for a beer tasting

3/7

“Young Henrys is an unpretentious beer bar down a back lane. It’s one of Sydney’s original microbreweries and is still the greatest, hands down. It’s quintessential Newtown and I love their motto – ‘Serve the people’.”

Café Paci for the carrot toast

4/7

“I love chef Pasi Petänen, his contemporary restaurant and the consistently good modern classic food he serves. If it’s on the menu, my go-to is the carrot toast, which is slices of fermented carrot on rye. Sometimes it comes with the French sausage andouille or ’nduja, a spicy spreadable salami, but I’m a vegetarian so I just have it with the carrot.”

Ante for Japanese snacks and sake

5/7

“I don’t know anything about sake so when I visit Ante I leave myself in the hands of the fabulous staff, whose knowledge is extraordinary. The modern, Japanese-style snacks are always changing but you might find things such as a beef tartare crostini with curried egg or tagliatelle with fermented shiitake mushroom. They don’t take reservations so you just have to rock up.”

Image credit: Earl's Juke Joint

Earl’s Juke Joint for a Negroni

6/7

“This fun, hopping bar has the soul of the American South and is one of the city’s best. There’s no food so it’s all about the drinks and the cocktails are beautiful. I’ve never had a bad Negroni there.”