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Sydney Has Gone Mad for the Irish Spice Bag
Once a niche Irish pub staple, the spice bag has well and truly found its feet in Sydney — and the city's pubs have run with it in some genuinely interesting directions. These are our picks for the best in the city.
Look, before we really knew what a spice bag was, we weren’t entirely convinced. Crispy chicken and chips tossed with peppers and a spice blend, finished with curry sauce… on paper it doesn’t sound like the most glamorous order. But once we tried it, we’ll admit it kind of make sense. The flavours just work together in a way that’s hard to explain until you’ve had one yourself.
Originally an Irish-Chinese takeaway invention born out of late-night hunger and culinary improvisation, the spice bag has quietly taken over Sydney’s pub scene in the best possible way. Whether you’re after a late-night feed, something to soak up a Sunday session, or just a very good reason to order another Guinness, these are the spots doing it best right now.
The Gopher
Hidden beneath The Corso where the old Manly Boatshed used to be, The Gopher is already one of the best spice bags on the Northern Beaches and it hasn’t even been open that long. The aesthetic is early 1900s Irish-American with plenty of leather, low lighting and aged finishes which really adds to the overall vibe. Most importantly, the spice bag is share-style, which works perfectly with a round of drinks. It features thick, crispy fried chicken pieces (none of that heavily shredded stuff) and is served with a katsu curry sauce that’s genuinely worth dunking everything in. Take our word for it and order the pineapple habanero margarita to go alongside it.
40 The Corso, Manly NSW 2095
Rag & Famish
North Sydney’s oldest pub does a $20 spice bag on Thursday and Saturday nights, and it’s exactly what you want after a few rounds. Crispy chicken, golden chips, peppers and onions all tossed in a signature spice blend that’s not too salty (that’s important). The Rag & Famish is a proper heritage pub with zero pretension, and the spice bag matches that energy completely. Order a Guinness alongside it and we think you’ve got yourself a very good Thursday night.
199 Miller St, North Sydney NSW 2060
The Taphouse
If one spot put Sydney firmly on the spice bag map, it’s Taphouse. The kitchen took the Irish classic and asked what it would taste like if it went on holiday to Hong Kong. It turns out the answer is salt and pepper marinated chicken, wok-fried veg and golden chips with a glossy, aromatic house-made curry sauce that you’ll want to pour over everything. It’s $21 and available all week, but the move is Sunday Shenanigans, which will get you egg fried rice, chilli chicken, a Guinness and the spice bag all in one sitting.
122 Flinders St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Sydney Park Hotel
If you’ve spent any time down the spice bag TikTok rabbit hole, you’ve already seen someone point a phone at this place. The Sydney Park Hotel keeps it classic and keeps it generous, with crispy salt and pepper chicken strips, golden chips, sautéed capsicum and fresh chilli all heavily dusted in their signature spice mix. More importantly, you get not one, but two pots of curry sauce for good measure. It tastes exactly how it looks in the videos, which in a world full of disappointing food content is genuinely high praise.
631 King St, Newtown NSW 2042
Friend In Hand
Glebe’s oldest pub Friend in Hand has been going since 1857 and the spice bag fits right into the vibe. Crispy salt and pepper chicken strips, golden chips, capsicum, chilli and onion all tossed in a secret house spice mix, with a glossy chipper-style curry sauce on the side. The whole thing is gluten-free too, which makes it a rare win for anyone who usually has to sit this kind of thing out. At $22.90 it’s already good value, but on Mondays it drops to $18 all day, which is reason enough to make it a weekly ritual.
58 Cowper St, Glebe NSW 2037
