Both close to the city centre and yet its own little world, the Balmain Peninsula is a truly unique side to Sydney. And its restaurants, cafes, shops and historic pubs make this waterfront suburb the perfect spot for a bit of romance.
Brought to you by Balmain Rozelle Chamber of Commerce
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A travel photographer friend of ours, who had never been to Balmain before, once commented that it feels like someone’s plucked a well-to-do county town from regional NSW and dropped it in the middle of Sydney.
And I can see his point.
From its narrow streets and sandstone cottages to legendary pubs and cosy restaurants, Balmain feels a million miles from the hard high-rise hustle of the CBD that looms across the water.
But it’s the strong neighbourhood vibe here that creates that intangible ‘couldn’t be anywhere else’ feeling that very few other suburbs of the city have.
Couple this to a fascinating history with deep links to so much of modern Sydney and some spectacular harbour views, and you’ve got the perfect environment for romance.
Balmain is also such a pretty suburb. In fact, it was the subject of Christina’s first ever Colourwalk, a wonderful way to explore your neighbourhood and improve your photography skills at the same time.
So we’ve put together some of the places to go and things to do in our favourite part of Sydney. Please remember, this isn’t an exhaustive list of everything on the peninsula; it’s just some of the places we love most.
Click on each of the following to jump straight to each category:
> Cafes
> Restaurants
> Drinks
> Entertainment
> Shopping
For location maps and more details of many of these places, check out the very handy Balmain Rozelle Chamber of Commerce site.
Balmain and Rozelle are easy to get to and from. Four bus routes and four ferry routes come here, there’s a permanent taxi rank in the town centre and if you’re driving, you can even park on the main street for free after 7pm.
Check out our video Shorts of Balmain and Rozelle date spots:
Cafes
Here are our favourite brunch spots on the peninsula:
Dates don’t always have to be an evening thing. The cafe scene in Balmain and Rozelle is strong, with some of the best breakfast and lunch options that Sydney has to offer.
• Euforia Espresso, 58 Darling St, Balmain East
• Kafeine, 260 Darling St, Balmain
• Bertoni, 281 Darling St, Balmain
• Contessa Cafe, 371A&B Darling Street, Balmain
• Hungry Bull Co, 411 Darling Street, Balmain
• Home Croissanterie, 1/418 Darling St, Balmain
• The Old Rosebud, 654 Darling St, Rozelle
• Dirty Red, 711 Darling St, Rozelle
Restaurants
There’s a huge gamut of options for restaurants in Balmain. Everything from cheeky burger shops to superb Thai and Indian food to fine-dining right on the water.
• Capello Ristorante & Pizzeria, 79 Darling St, Balmain East
• L’Auberge du Bout du Monde, 358 Darling St, Balmain
• Casa Esquina, 79 Elliot St, Balmain
• The Fenwick, 2-8 Weston St, Peacock Point Reserve, Balmain East
If Balmain’s famous for anything, it’s the pubs here. Although there are fewer than there used to be, the ones that remain are still here for a reason, and not least for their food.
Here are our top picks for pub restaurants on the peninsula:
• The Dry Dock Dining Room, 22 Cameron St, Balmain
• The Riverview’s Birchgrove Restaurant, 29 Birchgrove Rd, Balmain
• The Cat & Fiddle Bistro, 456 Darling St, Balmain
• The Sackville’s Chez Blue, 599 Darling St, Rozelle
Best pub burger on the peninsula? Bald Rock Hotel, Rozelle
Drinks
Once the haunt of labourers at the power station, the docks or even the mine (Birchgrove used to have two!), Balmain’s pubs are the perfect option for a laid-back date night—or at least the start of one.
• The Bald Rock Hotel, 15 Mansfield St, Rozelle
• The London Hotel, 234 Darling St, Balmain
• The Dry Dock Hotel, 22 Cameron St, Balmain
• The Riverview Hotel, 29 Birchgrove Rd, Balmain
• The Cat & Fiddle Hotel, 456 Darling St, Balmain
• The Balmain Hotel, 72-76 Mullens St, Balmain
• The Royal Oak, 36 College St, Balmain
• The Merton Hotel, 38 Victoria Rd, Rozelle
• The Native Rose Hotel, 68 Victoria Rd, Rozelle
The ever-growing trend of small bars, and craft breweries and distilleries in Sydney, we’ve has seen some superb watering holes pop up on the peninsula.
• Corner Bar Rozelle, 632 Darling St, Rozelle
• Cantina Bar Balmain, 350 Darling St, Balmain
• Bar 26, 26-30 Halloran St, Lilyfield
• White Bay Brewery, 26C Mansfield St, Rozelle
• Blackwattle Distilling Co distillery & cellar door (tastings only), 26F Mansfield St, Rozelle
Lastly, never underestimate the virtues of a good BYO.
Many of Balmain’s restaurants have a BYO licence and cheap corkage. Check first though as Fridays and Saturdays are different for a few venues.
Entertainment
Live music has really made a come-back in Sydney, especially in pubs. Everywhere from The London to the Bald Rock to the Cat and Fiddle and the Unity Hall have band nights with some serious talent up on stage.
Make sure you check each venue to see the nights that the bands strike up.
There are some beautiful galleries around Balmain, like Art Gallery on Darling, Balmainspace on Beattie St, Artereal in Rozelle and Lara Scolari Gallery.
For an art overload, in 2024, the famed Biennale came to Balmain. Taking over the long-dead White Bay Power Station, this large-scale international art exhibition makes the most of the impressive space.
There’s even a free bus to and from the city to the power station and, on weekends, a free shuttle that goes right into Balmain and Rozelle from the Biennale.
You can find out more about this here.
With so much of Sydney’s harbour foreshore at its disposal, Balmain is prime for a picnic. Pick up some local produce from the little shops on Darling Street and make the most of views of the city, the Harbour Bridge, Cockatoo Island or Sydney’s north.
Follow the Tom Uren Trail, which follows much of the shoreline around the eastern tip of the peninsula, to discover tiny parks around Balmain East with the best views.
For sunsets over the water, head to Callan Park in Rozelle to explore the huge grounds and set up in a hidden picnic spot just off the Bay Run.
Shopping
When we’re shopping for a picnic date or for tasty morsels to have at home, there are few shops we love going to in Balmain and Rozelle.
Our favourite spots are Field Blend Wine & Cheese Store in Balmain on the way to Balmain East, and Cheese Celebration in Rozelle. They have everything you need for the charcuterie of your dreams.
It’s also a lot of fun mooching around the long-standing Rozelle Collectors’ Market on a fine Saturday morning, especially if there’s a snack at the end of it for me! The range of things you can find here is dazzling.
Nearby, there are unique shops like That Plant Shop and We Are Mindful clothing store, which are fun to browse through.
In fact, this is one of the main things we love about the area: the number of interesting independent boutiques and tiny shops along Darling St in Rozelle and Balmain. One of our favourites is Bits of Australia in Balmain East, perfect for Aussie souvenirs, cards and gifts, and even local art.
I just hope that us giving away all our secrets doesn’t mean our local will be too full to find a table—but these businesses deserve the attention. Just save a seat for us!
