Wine Library is located just at the top of Paddington’s famous shopping strip (post-credit card splurge tipple, perhaps?) and it is one of the most popular bars in Sydney. There are only 48 seats, but every single one – whether you try for a spot at the eat-at bar, nestled near the front windows, crammed alongside the wall or tiny back courtyard – will be taken, that’s almost a guarantee. The best seats, however, are at the zinc bar lined with stools. Owned by the operators of Buzo restaurant, the 10-year-old Italian stalwart just around the corner on Jersey Road, Wine Library’s vino list is hefty and interesting, and the sharing plates are incredibly well-priced for the quality – think salumi-heaped charcuterie boards, pate and cheeses, bocadillos, scotch eggs and more. It’s Italian without being in-your-face Italian, though barstaff will grin ear-to-ear if you order a Negroni. Get in early and enjoy.