Perfect for a rainy day

When it rains, you can still drink or dine outside at The Darlo Bar, under the awning or the big street umbrellas. It also has a remarkable history that not many people know about.


The 19th Century Darlo Bar

The foundations of this wedge-shaped corner pub go back two centuries. The pool table is downstairs, the rooftop is upstairs and the vast space, inside, outdoors and upstairs is quiet and peaceful during the day – but this pub has a few stories behind it.

Bring a book or a copy of The Sydney Morning Herald; the local dog-walkers do. It’s the best place on Darlinghurst Road for people-watching too. You’ll be sitting outside one of the most iconic spots in Sydney.

This 1857 pub has quite a history, having been part of the outsider culture of Darlinghurst and Kings Cross for a long time, from political activists to Pride organisers.

The Old Royal Sovereign Pub

In the 19th century this old place was The Royal Sovereign, known as The Sov.

It was knocked down in the early 20th century and became an affordable hotel for artists.

In the Seventies, musicians also started squatting upstairs. You can listen to the true history of the Darlo Bar here on a free podcast.

Dog and Human Friendly

The Darlo is dog friendly and also all-human friendly, having long been part of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebrations.

Darlinghurst and Kings Cross locals own an awful lot of dogs and many of them come here to find the water bowls outside, while their owners bag a table.

Tip: Be early for Happy Hour as this place fills up fast.

You can also stay at The Darlo in basic retro-styled rooms upstairs for around $150. The bathroom tiling is part of its old heritage charm, but you will also share with other guests.

Holiday Goddess has a partnership with Booking.com and we do recommend The Darlo for affordable stays.

The pub is also great for basic lunch, dinner – or a glass of wine at sunset while you indulge in some people-watching outside.

The Historic Balcony

The balcony which once overlooked the bar was Darlinghurst’s version of Speakers’ Corner.

Local historian Violet Tingle: “From the 1880s to the 1920s, The Royal Sovereign Hotel in Darlinghurst was the scene of numerous political speeches.”

“Local council candidates would use the corner pub as a place to meet the electorate and would either speak from the bar or from the lace-metal balcony. At some meetings, crowds of up to 300 people would gather…”

The building you drink and dine in today actually dates from 1925 and although it has been modernised there are still some lovely signs of the past on the exterior plasterwork.

People Watching on Darlinghurst Road

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore AO dropped the fees for Sydney pubs to host streetside outdoor dining in 2025.

The Al Fresco Revolution as Sydneysiders call it, has turned the pub into Darlo Fresco with traditional Parisian pavement seating.

In fact, the Paris tradition goes back to the coffee houses of the 1600’s when tables and chairs began to spill out onto the street.

Now it’s part of Sydney life and The Darlo is one of the best examples of it. The roof garden has even had its own herb garden in the past (the herbs ending up in Darlo Bar cocktails).

Art, Architecture and Beer

Home to Darlinghurst’s Bohemian painters last century, The Darlo bar has also hosted exhibitions by architectural students and has a wall of portraits next to the scarlet pool table.

Often described as ‘Darlinghurst’s artistic living room’ it has also attracted authors including Mandy Sayer, the award-winning writer of Dreamtime Alice and partner of Louis Nowra.

The living room atmosphere comes from the vintage chairs and lamps – and the books scattered around.

Mandy Sayer

Mandy writes of the pub’s past, “At that time, one area of the Darlo Bar, between the counter and the open windows, was like a private club for comedians, actors and musicians who congregated there daily.” (No Dancing in the Lift).

In fact, Mandy’s father, jazz musician Gerry Sayer had his wake there.

Authors and Academics at The Darlo

The Darlo Bar has attracted not only authors but also academics; Ruth G. Walker from the University of Wollongong was moved to write about the bar, as a Kings Cross local.

Walker describes The Darlo as “an elegant deco hotel that sits like a piece of brown brick pie” – but it has also seen its share of tragedy and mystery, during its long history.

The Kings Cross and Darlinghurst neighbourhoods inhabited by Mandy Sayer as well as Patrick White and Barry Humphries – have been as rough as they have, Bohemian.

Walker herself wrote a true crime story about one death at the Darlo Bar; the story of Brett Adam Sparks.

Many old pubs in Sydney would have similar stories but the atmosphere here today is comfortable, bordering on ‘home away from home’ as one Holiday Goddess writer commented.

What is different about The Darlo is its retro-kitsch design; the craft beer; the cocktails and the long-standing pool contests, which have been running for decades.

The Solomon Family

Hotel baron Bruce Solomon’s father ran the pub for 60 years from the 1930s. In fact, he lived above The Darlo.

These days the bar, still very much in this famous family, hosts Texas Chainsaw Trivia and Viva La Vinyl sessions – something that would have baffled the drinkers of the 1930s.

In fact, when Solomon senior bought The Royal Sovereign Hotel, women were not allowed to drink alongside the men. There were no poker machines either.

The Darlo is one of those classic pubs, known worldwide, where modern life meets the past – seamlessly so.