Earl's Juke Joint — Restaurant in Sydney

Really enjoyed this bar...music was a relief - made for those lamenting the parasitic nature the Beiber world has had on the normal club/bar scene, atmosphere was relaxed and as friendly as you can hope for in Sydney on a sat night. As it is a converted butcher, the acoustics of the space are not well-fitted to a bar atmosphere, meaning even if the music is not too loud it is still really difficult to speak in a way that doesn't hurt your vocal box (this may just be my pet peeve - I believe all bars that do not involve a live gig or dancing should sway towards a noise level that allows people to chat comfortably as this is the main social activity taking place in bars). It was saturday night so this can be forgiven, especially as it seems the vast majority of their main demographic would probably like these things. I am assuming that this would be an ideal location for me on a quieter night or day and would not be so noisy. On busy nights though getting a drink is awkward due to the re-introduction of the bar fly area...I think the positives outweigh negatives of this...yes its a bit awkward when it is busy and you have to lean across people sitting at the bar in their own conversations and scream your order across them, however, this can kind of set up allows for a movement of flow that encourages sociability and ability to meet new people. All in all...

Waited in line for 20 minutes yesterday. Had a friend coming who hadn’t showed up yet. Security guard was nice enough to say that our friend could get in with us when she arrived. We were at the front of the line with 3 minutes to go before she arrived and told him he could let people behind us in.

Just before our friend arrived he gave us an ultimatum saying we could either go to the back of the line or go inside without our friend. She literally arrived a couple minutes later and he didn’t let us in. We followed the rules, checked in and kept 1.5m away from people in the line. There was absolutely no reason to send us back.

I’ve been to your venue a couple of times and have had a great time but have felt let down by how we were treated last night. I’ve been to plenty of bars where waiting for a friend was allowed even at the front of the line. We did let other people go ahead of us.

Not sure I’ll be...

Ex butcher's shop Betta Meats is now masquerading as a bar in hip & trendy Newtown. I heard about this via friends and absolutely had to check it out for myself.

On Entry, you feel as though there's something clandestine with small groups huddled outside and a well dressed gentleman on the door. The original facade of the old butcher's shop still remains, along with the nylon curtains too.

Walking in, there's a sense of the cool, hip and happening crowd that is Newtown. A flourishing bar menu awaits with classics like a Hobo Julep to a Pina Colada.

Huddled under quaint picture frames and sitting in (what look like) church pews, are folks with candles in mason jars, little pots of Bhuja nibbles and a lot of merriment.

Definitely one to check out, the next time you're in...