British food in Sydney: a proper cuppa, a roast and the footie

Sydney isn't short of brunch, but now and then you want a roast with all the trimmings, a bag of Percy Pigs or a pint at 2am watching your team lose. Here's where to find a taste of home.

The short version

• The Rocks is the place for old-school pubs. The Fortune of War has been pouring pints since 1828 and does a Sunday roast; the Lord Nelson brews its own ale and takes Sunday roast bookings [1][2].
• Cream tea: The Tea Cosy in The Rocks serves Devonshire tea with scones baked daily and loose-leaf tea in pots [3].
• Black pudding, haggis and square sausage: David's Larder, a Scottish family butcher in Maroubra and North Ryde [4].
• British sweets and fizzy drinks: Redfern Convenience Store in Redfern and The British Lolly Shop online [5][6].
• The footie: a 3pm Saturday kick-off in the UK winter is 2am Sunday in Sydney. Plenty of pubs show the big games, but always check first [7].

Pubs: where to start

First, a bit of translation. In Australia, many pubs are called "hotels", even when there's no bed in sight. You'll order a schooner or a middy rather than a pint, although many pubs that lean British pour pints too. Lager rules, but proper ales are easier to find than you might think.

The oldest corner of Sydney, The Rocks, by Circular Quay, is where you'll feel most at home: sandstone buildings, narrow lanes and pubs older than most in your local high street.

Both are from the pubs' own websites, checked in November 2026. Hours and menus change, so check before you trek across town.

Outside The Rocks, the inner suburbs, Paddington, Surry Hills, Balmain and Glebe, are full of corner pubs with a lived-in, British feel. Many put on a Sunday roast in winter, which runs from June to August here.

Sunday roast and a full English

A roast in Sydney is a winter thing, and it's more of a pub special than a family ritual. Book ahead on Sundays. Expect lamb more often than beef, Yorkshire puddings only where the chef is a Brit or has been told off by one, and gravy that varies wildly.

The full English is harder to find than you'd expect. Australian cafés do a brilliant "big brekkie" with eggs, bacon, mushrooms and sourdough, but baked beans, black pudding and proper bangers are the exception. The easiest fix is to cook it yourself with supplies from a British butcher (see below). The Fortune of War's bistro opens at 7am if you'd rather someone else did the washing up [1].

Australian bacon is closer to British back bacon than the American streaky kind, so breakfast at home is easy.

A proper cuppa and a cream tea

Tea in Australia is fine, but the default café cuppa is a bag in a cup of hot water with the milk on the side. Order "English breakfast, strong, milk in" and hope for the best.

For a treat, The Tea Cosy at 7 Atherden Street in The Rocks serves an old-fashioned Devonshire tea: scones baked on the premises every day with thick cream and jam, a three-tier stand if you're hungry, and loose-leaf tea in pots [3]. They do take-away scone packs too, and gluten-free and vegan options on request [3]. Yes, it's jam then cream or cream then jam; we're not getting involved.

At home, you'll find familiar tea brands on supermarket shelves, though not always your favourite. Import shops and online shops fill the gaps.

Butchers: bangers, black pudding and haggis

David's Larder is a family butcher founded by a Dundee-born, third-generation Scottish butcher, serving NSW since 2011 [4]. It has shops at 56 Moverly Road, Maroubra, and in the Coxs Road Mall at 211 Coxs Road, North Ryde [4]. The range is Scottish rather than English, which is no bad thing: black pudding, haggis, tattie scones, Scotch pies, square sausage, and haggis and black pudding pies, plus bacon and sausages [4].

It also takes pre-orders for St Andrew's Day, Christmas and Hogmanay, so it's the place to start if you want a British Christmas table [4].

Sweets, crisps and fizzy drinks

A word on "lollies": in Australia that means sweets of all kinds, not just ice lollies. And "chips" covers both crisps and chips, which takes some getting used to.

Prices for imported treats are steep compared with home. That family-size bag you'd grab at Tesco becomes a weekend luxury. Supermarkets' international aisles often carry a small British range too, worth checking before you pay import prices.

For Marmite, Bisto, Branston and your favourite squash, keep an eye on the import shops and online, and pack a jar or two after trips home. Vegemite is everywhere; whether it's an acceptable substitute is a matter of personal conscience.

Watching the football, cricket and rugby

The time difference is the real enemy. Sydney is 11 hours ahead of the UK during the British winter, and 9 hours ahead during the British summer, with a few weeks around the clock changes when it's 10. So:

Most Brits watch the overnight games at home on a streaming service. Which service holds the Premier League rights in Australia has changed in recent seasons, so check what's current before you subscribe.

For the big games, plenty of pubs show the football. A 2025 guide to watching English football in Bondi, updated in August 2026, names The Royal Bondi, the Beach Road Hotel, Hotel Bondi and North Bondi RSL among the venues with screens, and suggests messaging the venue the day before for early or late matches [8]. Not every pub will open at 2am for a mid-table clash, so ask.

The upside of the time difference? The Ashes in Australia, the Boxing Day Test and the rugby are on at civilised hours, and you'll have an Australian work colleague to wind up for the whole summer.

Christmas in 30°C

The first Australian Christmas is a strange one. Many Brits go full traditional on the 25th, oven on in the heat, while Aussie friends do prawns, ham and a pavlova outdoors. Plenty end up with a bit of both, and a Christmas in July (a winter roast in mid-winter) to scratch the itch.

For a Christmas pud, mince pies and crackers:

1. Order meat early. Butchers' Christmas order books close in early December [4].
2. Shop the import stores in November for puddings and treats.
3. Pack a suitcase on any trip home in the autumn. Check Australia's strict biosecurity rules on bringing food in first, and declare anything you're unsure about.

Sydney's Brits swap finds all the time, from a decent pork pie to a pub that really will open at 2am. Join our community group for Brits in Australia and you'll have a roast recommendation within the hour.

Sources

1. Fortune of War, The Rocks
2. Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel
3. The Tea Cosy, The Rocks
4. David's Larder
5. Redfern Convenience Store
6. The British Lolly Shop
7. Australia Football: How to watch the Premier League in Australia (10 February 2026)
8. Visit Bondi Beach: Where to watch English football in Bondi

Keep reading

• British life in Sydney
• Nightlife in Sydney
• Cost of living in Sydney vs London and the UK average
• The emotional move