Corridor Bar Review

Review By Nastasia Campanella

Corridor is the newest addition to the thriving Sydney bar scene and it is quite literally a corridor in every sense of the word. The former inner west apartment was converted into a bar years ago. When Tess Robens and her mates took over, they turned the place from a run down tapas bar to a cute hole in the wall. Extensive renovations were quickly underway on the space and Robens, a former hospitality worker and the crew went right back to basics. They stripped the space down until nothing but the shell was left.

Three months later, on Australia Day 2010, the placed opened with a rustic look and three revamped levels. The first floor hosts the bar, backed by massive mirrors and a kitchen pumping out average nosh. The upstairs deck has a real homey feel, complete with rickety benches, baskets of sweet flowers and heaters. The last room hosts chesterfield sofas, adding an upmarket touch, while the cool wallpaper brings an arty feel to the place without being overly ambitious. The vibe is laid back and it's a small space which is packed out on weekends and lately, weeknights too. You'll have to snake your way through the crowded joint and watch you don't knock someone's beer off their knee as you tip toe through the dimly lit bar.

While the decor is worth raving about, the food needs work. Order the beef burger if value for money is what you're after and the nachos are top, served with the lot. Give the chips a miss - no one wants hard, cold fries with no actual potato in the middle right? Ditch the relatively tough salt and pepper calamari too, but be sure to lick the plate to get every inch of the hearty buttery garlic sauce served with the dish. Trust me; it's worth having bad breath just for a taste of this! The amazing avocado and capsicum salsa saved the salty prawn fritters which had very little actual evidence of prawns in them.

We got over the fact we needed to wait 25 minutes for our food the second we sipped our drinks. Choose a fruit, pick a type of alcohol and let the bar staff work their magic! I was over the moon with my fizzy mix of peach nectar, pear liquor and tequila, while my friend revelled in her mixed berries, orange juice and vodka served martini style. Staff aren't scabby on the nips of alcohol and are more than happy to suggest new, interesting flavours to match with your nibbles.

We love that staff aren't afraid to create drinks off the menu and the cosy feel of the house turned bar. It’s not a place for dancing [there's just no room], but awesome indie pop serves the cool crowd well. It's an affordable place with promise of a great night out that is, if your not claustrophobic or at least, happy to be rubbed up. There are currently only three bars in the Newtown area and while this one still has a thing or two to prove, it fits into the suburb perfectly. It's a bit of a hole in the wall, but so many places in Newtown were like that. It's keeping Newtown's dream alive!

Make a Function Enquiry