Buddy’s Newtown Is Sydney’s First Self-Service Craft Beer Bar With 45 Taps

A self-service craft beer bar with 33 taps (soon to be 45) has arrived in Newtown, Sydney. Shaped into the former site of long-standing Newtown favourite Lentil As Anything, Buddy’s Newtown is a two-storey venue from co-owners Jimmy Row and Duncan McGeoch, presenting Sydney’s most avid craft beer enthusiasts with something relentlessly modern and carefully curated to showcase some of the best brews in the country.

And there’s really not much more to it than that. Roe and McGeoch have kept the fit-out relatively simple and quintessentially Newtown. Think exposed brick and local artwork framing plenty of indoor-outdoor seating. Visually, focus is kept on the massive beverage wall on each level, hosting a considerable drinks list taken from a curated lineup of local craft beer, house-made cocktails, natural wine and a few non-alcoholic options. All of them are stored in kegs, tapped so punters can just rock up and self-serve off the back of a specially-made charge card.

The way it works is very straightforward. You rock up, grab a Buddy’s venue card and pre-load it with your budget. Each time you head up to the beverage wall to pull a beer, you simply use the card to activate the tap and pour your own drink. The system keeps stock of volume limits to align with RSA requirements.

RSA requires food as well, so local catering crew Rub-A-Dub has been brought on to put together a list of beer-friendly snacks like nachos, chicken rubs, Italian flatbreads and even some fairy bread.

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Buddy’s Newtown

Address: 391 King StNewtown NSW 2042
Opening Hours: Wednesday – Friday (4 PM – 12 AM); Saturday – Sunday (2 PM – 12 AM)