Bars and Nightclubs
Inner West, Sydney

The Little Guy

87 Glebe Point Road, Glebe
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Located on buzzing Glebe Point Road, The Little Guy is a comfortable social environment where friends can meet, strangers can become friends and our neighbours are our best customers.

Pull up a stool at the large wooden bar and have a beer (the banter and spiced popcorn come free).

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The Little Guy Photos

The Little Guy Review

Review by Olga Andreev

Since the introduction of the small bars bill a little while back, a few Melbourne-style hole-in-the-wall places have sprung up in Sydney, giving it a much needed touch of back-alley charm. The Little Guy deserves a special mention: not only was it just shortlisted for Best Small Bar in Sydney, but it is also the pick of the bunch from the round-up.

A converted terrace on bustling Glebe Point Rd, it is, as the name implies, a small and friendly little place. It is there not to compete with ‘the big guys’, the busy pubs and energetic university bars around. Instead, The Little Guy provides tailored customer service and an approachable attitude to a sophisticated drinking experience to a quiet crowd of under-30s, mostly Glebe locals and in-the-know university students.

Walking a fine line between nostalgic and quirky in terms of décor, the bar flaunts wine box shelving, colander lampshades and old suitcases for tables - and that’s just the first floor.

The real secret lies upstairs. Looking like someone’s lounge room straight from the seventies, complete with a rotary phone, gaudy wallpaper and mismatched couches, it is a warm and surprisingly lovely place to sit and talk. A bunch of old books (only the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica) and board games (Scrabble!) complete the atmosphere of relaxed intimacy. Easy-listening seventies tunes fall perfectly in line. While quiet and intimate, the area is well-looked after by attentive bartenders, who will see to your every need.

The Little Guy wine menu is extensive, but pricey. Though a glass of house wine will only cost about seven dollars, going up and up can mean an expensive night. A number of interesting imported wines can pique your interest, and by all means, do splurge if you can afford it. The selection is eclectic, but it seems to complement the bar’s ideology of picking the fringe and showcasing it in the favourable light of the retro lampshades.

Similarly, with the tapas-style food selection (8 dollars for a single dish, $20 for three), it is all little snaps of strange but delectable wonders (gin, dill and beetroot-cured salmon, anyone?).

Beer-wise, this is a happy place for the lovers of the boutique. Lord Nelson, Wicked Elf and Bee Sting are but a few names on the far-reaching list. To add to the bottled ambrosia, their three taps offer a cider, the delicious Hangman Pale and the Redhill Scotch Ale. In true beer-drinking style, you either get a half (around five dollars) or a pint with a handle, which will set you back about ten dollars, but will definitely be worth it.

The handwritten cocktail list changes weekly or fortnightly, priced reasonably at about $15 a pop. This week, the highlight is definitely the Rye Tai, which twists the perennial favourite, the Mai Tai, by swapping rum with rye whiskey and playing with amaretto instead of Orgeat syrup. A very pleasant amaretto start bleeds through the tart lemon into a long lasting rye finish, this is why cocktail-making is an art and these guys certainly have what it takes.

While the selection and the quality of drinks are fantastic, it is the openness and friendly smiles of the bartenders that makes me want to come back and that, especially in Sydney, is no small thing indeed.



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