Photography courtesy of Scott Purcell of Man of Many
No Sydney visit is complete without a stop in Darlinghurst. Once a slummy red-light district, this city-skirting suburb is now a bustling creative hub.
World-famous Oxford Street isn’t even the main event anymore, here you’ll find coffee shops, boutiques and quirky bars nestled into the nooks and crannies of the tree-lined streets (there’s also just enough grit and vice lurking around to give it a little edge).
All you need do is take the time to explore.
But for those looking for a quick Darlo fix we’ve cornered Man of Many Editor/Founder all-round man about town Scott Purcell. The man spends the majority of his days writing and sharing the latest in products, culture and style from across the globe, so it makes sense he’d settle Man of Many HQ amongst the hustle and flow of Darlinghurst’s hip brewhouses and stores.
Here’s where you’ll find him next time you’re in town…
Boots Darling
333 S Dowling St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Serving up tasty brews made with Joshua Bailey beans (Thursdays Child and Milky Bar Bandido blends), owners Dano & Justin’s little café on South Dowling is our first-port-of-call each day. Apart from their primo coffee, we love the carpentry and the charm of the space – it’s easily our favourite café in the area.
Workshop Makery
106 Oxford St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Smack-bang in the middle of Sydney’s iconic Oxford St is The Makery, an initiative by creative giants Work-Shop to get people’s handmade wares on display to the public. A quick whip around the store offers a wealth of coolness, including paintings, sculpture, t-shirts, furniture and jewellery, to name just a small selection of their quirky and unique goods.
Service
84 Oxford St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Also on Oxford St, Service is all about denim. As Sydney’s official stockists of NEUW, our favourite go-to jeans, this store is chockers full of cool man-stuff to go with the perfect pair of duds and is a must for anybody looking for some retail therapy (or gift-hunting for the man in their life) when in Darlinghurst.
Fine Fellow
11 Foley St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Like so many of Darlinghurst’s best haunts, this little store is hidden in a back-lane (right behind our office, no less). Go here for high-quality and unique menswear, accessories and trinkets, or one of their occasional in-store events – you won’t be disappointed.
Feit
20 Burton St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Handmade from all natural materials, the Australian-born, New-York based shoemakers have a store on Burton St, and it’s easily one of the area’s must-visit shopfronts. A set of kicks from here is one of the best things you can get for yourself if you’re in town.
Chaco Bar
238 Crown St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
This tiny hole-in-the-wall serves up some of Darlinghurst, nay, Sydney’s best Japanese fare. Eschewing the done-to-death dish of sushi, chef Keita Abe treats his lucky few diners to yakitori skewers, tataki, and gyoza, with offerings ranging from the safe to the very traditional, and everything in between.
Scott Purcell is the Co-Founder of Man of Many – manofmany.com, a leading Australian online men’s lifestyle magazine which showcases the latest in products, culture, and style. You can follow them on their Instagram @manofmanytastes.
Looking for a more laid back and blissed out place to hang? Get your eyes around designer Jillian Beed’s favourite places to hideout from the hectic pace of fashion in Byron Bay, New South Wales.
