The Bearded Tit, Redfern

The Bearded Tit, the latest bar to perch along Redfern’s Regent St opened quietly a week ago. Part bar, part art gallery and creative space, it is located in the old Legge Gallery building within an easy three minute walk from Redfern Station.

Photography © by Gourmantic – Copyright: All rights reserved.

The Bearded Tit refers to a unique songbird not a hairy mammary as you might think. Step inside the 120 person capacity bar, and you’ll transported into a world of art, kitsch and colour that grips you with curiosity.

You’ll find meticulously restored barbers shop chairs at the entrance, complete with a striped pole, art and taxidermy on the walls, along with tableaux and curios placed throughout the space. An intimate outdoor area includes the Caravan of Love which will soon have seating inside it.

Owners Joy Ng, Pete Manwaring and Emma Price have created an inviting and quirky space that makes guests feel welcome and at home. The venue seats twelve persons comfortably around the wrap around bar but it is the cosy and comfortable booths with images of naked women that beckon. The design is based on wallpaper which has been imaged then recreated onto a waterproof fabric. The timbers of the booths have been salvaged as is the majority of furnishings. A photogenic venue, it invites exploration, be it the front window with the odd crocheted penis or even the unisex amenities.

The drinks menu includes classic cocktails such as the Margarita, Dark & Stormy, a balanced Negroni made with Four Pillars Gin and Whiskey Sour with Maker’s Mark bourbon. A rotating selection of seasonal cocktail will follow. The wine list is eclectic in parts, with new and old wines including Salton Volpi Chardonnay from Brazil. Resch’s, Murray’s Angry Man Pale Ale and Peroni are available on tap and you can find more unusual brews such as Celia organic Czech beer, Cerveza Aguila from Columbia and local lads, Batch Brewing AP and Hillbilly Cider.

In keeping with supporting the community, food is available from neighbouring restaurants such as Wah Fung (Chinese), Yens (Vietnamese) and Pizza from Lorentto Pizzeria. Order at the bar, and when the food is delivered, it will be plated in the kitchen at no extra charge.

Aside from the bar offerings, The Bearded Tit is a space for artists, writers, painters and sculptors. The venue will have a Starving Artist In Residence which will be exhibiting their art and will be offered free food and half price drinks for the duration of their exhibition.

The Bearded Tit will be launching in the middle of October but if patronage is any indication, the queues will be long forming. This eclectic community bar is arty and very welcoming, devoid of pretension and with friendly staff and patrons who make you feel like a regular.

The Bearded Tit is “In Memory of Now”, the kind of neighbourhood bar you first visit out of curiosity then return to with your friends.

The Bearded Tit
183 Regent St, Redfern
Sydney, Australia
(02) 8283 4082
Hours: Mon – Thu: 4:00 pm – 12:00 am; Fri – Sat: 12:00 pm – 12:00 am; Sun: 12:00 pm – 10:00 am
www.TheBeardedTit.com