The Blind Bear

Woah. Cronulla, what happened to you? Chiko roll culture may still be alive and well (yes, Barhop made the obligatory Todd Carney spot outside Northies on a recent night out on the Kingsway), but things are getting pretty schmick around here.

The tacky beachside beer barns are now complemented by a bevy of hot, new restaurants and bars bringing some class and cred to the Shire.

It feels like another world behind the big, black, unmarked door to the Blind Bear. Antique armchairs and a chequered floor meet you in the foyer, before you walk through to a prohibition-themed bar smouldering in dim light and oozing blues music.

Owner and former Merivale shaker Ben Lewis spent four years in Colorado and has injected a Rocky Mountains vibe with a long timber bar, red-cushioned booths and plenty of rich, amber-coloured cocktails.

Sure, the speakeasy theme has been done to death but this is still a beautiful bar with beautiful ambience and the people can't get enough of it.

By 8pm on a Saturday night the bar is three deep and this place would just as easily pull a crowd in Surry Hills or Melbourne.

The food is the stodgy American chilli fries, dawgs and hoagies that every second bar in Sydney is pumping out (I'm going to turn into a slider if I eat another one), but the drinks are fantastic.

Little blackboards hang off copper-pipe beer taps, listing whatever is on rotation that night. It's all Australian and all craft beer - Murray's, Red Oak, Little Creatures and more. A handful of mostly local wines is also scrawled on a blackboard and changes often.

On this night, a Matua Valley sauvignon blanc is one of five excellent wines, all $8 a glass.

Cocktails are short and serious. Bourbon, whisky and rum feature heavily and the floweriest they get is a tall glass of Tanqueray with subtle raspberry liqueur, rhubarb and lemon ($16).

If you're into strong, dark, elegant things, this is your place. A Dickel Tickle (George Dickel eight-year-old Tennessee whiskey, blackberry liqueur, homemade lime cordial and chocolate bitters, $16) is a little beauty, served up short in antique glassware with an intriguing aniseed-like aftertaste. My only gripe is how small they are for the price.

Lewis is also working a juicer hard, sliding glasses of Campari and fresh orange juice across the bar.

Think of the food as snacks on the side. I wouldn't have dinner here when there are so many great newbies nearby such as Alphabet Street, Croydon Lane and Giro Osteria.

Sliders (beef, chicken, squid or haloumi, $4 each) were average flavourwise and the battered popcorn shrimp ($10) was soggy and didn't work. The hot wings (six for $9) are gaining a following and the house-made buffalo sauce is pretty authentic, with its bright-orange colour and spicy, vinegary flavour that can be a bit of an acquired taste.

Come before or after dinner to enjoy the drinks, the vibe and the best of the new Cronulla.

THE LOW-DOWN
You'll love it if … you've been waiting for some better bars in Cronulla.
You'll hate it if … you're well over American-themed speakeasies.
Go for … Dickel Tickle, craft beer, hot wings.