Surly’s
182 Campbell Street Surry Hills
surlys.com.au
Brody Petersen and his team — the guys behind Riley St Garage in East Sydney — have cranked up the smoker for their latest venture, Surly’s.
People may remember the site on Campbell Street as being the home of Sticky bar, which closed last year. Petersen has stripped back the space, with plenty of exposed brickwork and weathered floorboards in the venue.
The atmosphere fits with Petersen’s philosophy of eating a bar environment (the large, graceful island bar at Riley St Garage being one of our favourites to sit and eat at), and the emphasis here is very much on the food.
Food wise you’ll need to arrive after 5pm to get your hands on the barbecued meats, but they’re also pushing sandwiches like the Philly Phil’z Philly Cheesesteak and some great fried chicken.
On the drinks side, it’s veering to a distinctly American direction, with a Whiskey Smash (whiskey, lemon, mint) and an Old Pal (rye, Campari, sweet vermouth) making appearances alongside craft beer on tap and a short but sharp wine list (get into the Monsters Attack riesling).