Many pubs and bars claim to make you feel like you're in your own lounge room - but the Clare really DOES resemble my lounge room. It's full of mismatched op-shop furniture, strewn pizza boxes, fellow ABC co-workers and a solid collection of current streetpress. And with mix CDs with the likes of Rock Steady Crew and Cyndi Lauper chosen by the bartenders, it has a house party vibe as the night goes on.

Yeah look, it's the only pub near my work that has a cool crowd and a non-pretentious vibe, and it was one of the first pubs to react against the gentrification of Sydney bars and "de-renovate" back to its tiled walls and back alley furnishings. The Clare is a comfy (though at times loud and crowded) corduroy oasis in a city of chrome and stainless steel.

File Under: Dive Bar.

The Clare is at 20 Broadway, Broadway.