Oxford Street Darlinghurst is Sydney's most famous strip for a night out. How to plan the day and night around it, and where to eat a few minutes away.
Oxford Street Darlinghurst is one of those Sydney streets that everyone knows, even people who have never walked it. It is the parade route for Mardi Gras, the spine of Sydney's LGBTQ+ nightlife, a shopping strip, a bus corridor and, depending on the hour, either a quiet morning coffee run or the loudest few blocks in the city.
This guide is about how to use it well: what the strip is like at different times of day, how to get there, and where to eat a few minutes away when you want a proper meal rather than a slice at midnight.
A Short History of the Strip
Oxford Street runs from the south-east corner of Hyde Park out through Darlinghurst and Paddington towards Bondi Junction. The Darlinghurst stretch, from the park to Taylor Square, has been a centre of Sydney nightlife for decades. Taylor Square itself is watched over by the sandstone Darlinghurst Courthouse, and a few blocks north the old Darlinghurst Gaol is now the National Art School.
Since 1978 the street has been bound up with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, and every February or March the parade turns it into the biggest party in the country. The rainbow crossing at Taylor Square and the bars along the strip make it a destination all year round.
Oxford Street by Time of Day
- Morning: quiet, bright and walkable. A good time for coffee and a stroll from Hyde Park, before the shops open.
- Afternoon: the strip fills with shoppers, gym-goers and people heading to Paddington. Easy to get a table almost anywhere nearby.
- Early evening: the best window for dinner. Restaurants on the side streets fill between 6pm and 8pm, before the bars get busy.
- Late night: Oxford Street belongs to the bars and clubs, especially Thursday to Saturday. Plan dinner before, not after.
Getting to Oxford Street
Buses including the 311, 333 and 380 run along Oxford Street between the city and the eastern suburbs. Museum station sits at the Hyde Park end, and Kings Cross station is a walk to the north. Parking around the strip is tight in the evening, so most people walk, catch the bus or take a rideshare.
Where to Eat Near Oxford Street
The trick with Oxford Street is to eat just off it. The side streets of Darlinghurst, including Crown, Victoria, Burton and Stanley Streets, hold dozens of small independent kitchens, and they are calmer, better value and easier to book than the main strip.
Cappadocia Cafe is on Stanley Street, about seven minutes' walk north of Taylor Square. We serve dinner from 5pm Wednesday to Saturday, and the menu is built for exactly the kind of evening Oxford Street invites:
- Share first: a cold mezze plate ($16) or a few dips such as hummus, babaganoush, haydari and ezme ($6 each) with Turkish bread.
- Then something from the charcoal grill: Adana kebab ($23), lamb shish ($27), chicken shish ($23) or the mix grill for the table ($43).
- Or something handmade: gözleme ($18), mantı, beef dumplings with garlic yoghurt ($22) or Ali Nazik, slow-cooked lamb on smoked eggplant and garlic yoghurt ($27).
- Finish with hot künefe ($15) or baklava ($9) and a Turkish coffee before heading out.
Oxford Street During Mardi Gras and Big Nights
On parade night, and on the big weekends either side of it, the whole precinct runs at capacity. Roads close, buses divert and every table within walking distance is taken. If you want to eat nearby, book well in advance, arrive early and plan to walk rather than drive. The same rule applies on most Friday and Saturday nights in summer, just on a smaller scale.
Before and After: Planning the Night
If you are heading to a show at the Eternity Playhouse on Burton Street, it is about a five minute walk from us. If you are meeting friends at a bar on Oxford Street, dinner at 6pm gives you a relaxed meal and puts you on the strip just as it wakes up. And if you want a quieter morning after, we open at 7am on weekends with Turkish breakfast, strong coffee and plenty of tea.
Dinner Wednesday to Saturday from 5pm at 82-84 Stanley St, Darlinghurst, a short walk from Oxford Street and Taylor Square.
Or order online for delivery:
