There’s certainly no shortage of pubs in Balmain, but when it’s cold out, the best place to be when on this side of the river is by the roaring double-fronted wood-burning fireplace in the cosy Lounge Bar of the Dry Dock Public House and Dining Room. One side of the fireplace has a comfortable leather Chesterfield couch, the other has cosy leather booths for two. Either will do very nicely. The extensive all-day bar menu complements the wine list, which includes 36 drops by the glass. Treat yourself to oysters and caviar bumps, or go the whole hog with a rare breed black Berkshire crumbed pork cutlet with beurre noisette. 22 Cameron St, Balmain; thedrydock.com.au

Woolloomooloo may be best known for its wharf, but it also has its fair share of excellent pubs. The ground-floor, trattoria-style public bar at the Woolly Bay Hotel is anchored by a striking central fireplace set on a rippled granite hearth, surrounded by dark leather finishes and timber joinery. The nearby floor-to-ceiling French doors also deliver waterfront views. It’s a cracking spot to while away the hours on a cool winter’s afternoon. 2 Bourke St, Woolloomooloo; woollybayhotel.com.au

The Old Fitz has been doing its thing since the 1870s, and these days it’s doing it better than ever. There’s a proper fireplace, 16 taps, a nationally lauded theatre space through the back, and someone – a genius, clearly – has thought to leave a pot of marshmallows beside the fire. That detail is the whole vibe in miniature: warm, unpretentious and the kind of friendly brilliance you see less and less these days. Add live music, short-film nights and a great Sunday roast offering, and you’ve got one of Sydney’s most genuinely loveable pubs. Go on a cold night, and you’ll immediately understand why people are so devoted to it. 129 Dowling St, Woolloomooloo; oddculture.group/venue/the-old-fitzroy-hotel

The Red Lion Hotel in Rozelle is 196 years young, and was recently restored to its Inner West glory by Laundy Hotels. It blends traditional charm with modern comfort, which includes crackling fireplaces. Yes, plural. 726 Darling St, Rozelle; redlionrozelle.com.au

Walk through the door of The Lord Dudley on a winter evening, and the warmth hits you before you’ve even unwrapped your scarf. There are two fires going in the timber-panelled rear lounge, soundtracked by the hum of a happy crowd all enjoying a menu built around the kind of British pub food that makes perfect sense in this setting. The Sunday roast is a genuine event, the beer selection is long and well-curated, dogs are welcome, the staff are brilliant, and the whole place has the comfortable, unpretentious energy of somewhere that’s been getting it right for a very, very long time. Where else would you want to be? 236 Jersey Rd, Woollahra; lorddudley.com.au.

When Merivale bought the Duke of Gloucester Hotel, affectionately known as ‘The Dog’, back in 2020, there were fears it would change. But the classic corner pub is still a welcoming local, with an extensive range of beers on tap, a bustling bistro and a cosy fireplace. 2 St Marks Rd, Randwick; merivale.com/venues/the-dog

A group of hospo locals, including Andy Emerson from Bar Elvina and Brad Jacobsen from Avalon Brewery, have breathed new life into the old golf club house. Royal Avalon has an open fireplace, a great pub-style menu and a heritage character. Avalon Golf Course, 32 Old Barrenjoey Rd, Avalon Beach (enter off The Crescent); royalavalon.com.au

What would an English-style pub be without a fireplace? The Duke of Clarence has certainly nailed the brief. As well as crackling flames, you get a room that wouldn’t look out of place in an English country manor, complete with upholstered chairs, walls lined with bookshelves and an aristocratic portrait to boot. It’s the perfect spot to cosy up for a cold evening. Laneway, 152/156 Clarence St, Sydney; dukeofclarence.com

The Glebe Hotel (formerly The Australian Youth Hotel) has been at it since 1862 – through Federation, two world wars and more trends in pub design than anyone wants to count – and it’s emerged from all of it with its two original fireplaces, its warm front bar and its excellent Sunday roast entirely intact. The renovation that brought it back to life a few years ago was done with real care: the bones were kept, the food got better and the welcome – buoyed by those dual fireplaces – stayed the same. It’s dog-friendly, reliably vibey on a weeknight and exceptional on a cold Sunday, especially with a Guinness pie and a crackling fire in front of you. 63 Bay St, Glebe; theglebehotel.com.au

The Newport may be better known as a summer venue, but its large outdoor fire pits are perfect for big groups. Rug up in beanies, puffer jackets and scarves and spend an evening warming yourself by the glowing flames with friends. It’s kind of like camping, but with plenty of freshly made woodfired pizzas, tap beer and cocktails. 2 Kalinya St, Newport; merivale.com/venues/thenewport

The blackened sandstone on the mantle of this historic pub in The Rocks is testament to how many nights the wide hearth has been ablaze when the mercury dropped. The Lord Nelson has a dual claim that nobody else in Australia can make: it’s the country’s oldest continuously licensed hotel and its oldest pub brewery, both in one. The ales are brewed right upstairs, and on a cold night, a pint of something dark and seasonal beside the bar-end fireplace is one of Sydney’s great simple pleasures. The food matches the setting – beef and stout pie, a ploughman’s lunch, sausages and mash – and the sandstone walls and low ceilings do the rest. Nearly 180 years of winters have been survived in this room. You’ll want to add yours to the tally. 19 Kent St, The Rocks; lordnelsonbrewery.com.

Slipping down the stairs to this moody, underground cocktail bar on Oxford Street feels like you’re in on a wonderful secret – one that means you get to curl up with a Cheshire-cat grin in front of the fireplace while you decide if you want something from the G&T menu or a fragrant, botanical cocktail to go with your Ortiz anchovies or steak tartare. Basement/380 Oxford St, Paddington; merivale.com/venues/charlieparkers/

Before it became one of Sydney’s finest whisky bars, the beautiful old sandstone building at 77-79 George Street had been, at various points, a bootmaker’s, a boarding house, a doctor’s surgery and an opium den. The building dates back to the 1840s, and the original sandstone fireplaces are still doing their job across five beautifully dim rooms, each one a little different in feel, all of them addictively comfortable and cosy. The focus here is whisky, with more than 150 bottles to work your way through. Luckily, the leather sofas and crackling flames make that an extremely easy task. 77/79 George St, The Rocks; thedosshouse.com.au

Out beyond Blacktown, down a road that winds past the reservoir, sits one of the most charming pubs in greater Sydney… and one of the most overlooked. Heritage listed and first licensed in 1880, the Royal Cricketers Arms feels like a country pub that the city slowly grew around: the original fireplace still going strong in the bistro, a beer garden shaded by century-old willows and a magnificent jacaranda, and a genuinely warm welcome that city pubs could learn a bit from. The food is classic pub bistro (in the best way), the surroundings are beautiful, and the whole experience is unlike anything you’d ever find closer to the CBD. 385 Reservoir Rd, Prospect; mycricketers.com.au

If every other pub on this list has convinced you that fireplaces are purely a winter phenomenon, The Foxtrot would like to complicate that for you. This Crows Nest bar has built its entire identity around the fireplace. The cocktail menu is designed specifically to be enjoyed beside it, with a whole martini sub-menu that feels like it was drawn up for exactly this kind of evening. There’s a ‘sun room’ for summer nights, but in winter the fire is the main event: cosy, intimate and with a wood-panelled ski-lodge energy that’s unlike anything else north of the bridge. 28 Falcon St, Crows Nest; thefoxtrot.com.au