Strip clubs and $3.50 coffees: The couple eating their way along Parramatta Rd

3 days ago 4

Partners Harry Moxham and Aidan Masters remember the night they hit up a strip club for a simple midweek steak dinner.

After having their bags inspected for weapons, the couple entered what they described as the Lewisham Hotel’s a David Lynch-esque dining room, passing a gaudy gold glitter feature wall, to sit on cheetah print stools at a matching high table.

Harry Moxham and Aidan Masters are on a mission to dine at every eatery along Parramatta Road in Sydney. The Burwood Bath Arms Hotel was number 44.

Moxham and Masters are on a mission. For the past year, the Leichhardt couple have made it their goal to dine at every eatery along Parramatta Road in Sydney.

“We’ve been a little nervous to go to [gentlemen’s and strip clubs],” Masters said. “But they’ve actually kind of surprised us with how charming and homely they are, and also how good the food specials are.”

Working west from Glebe to Granville, they have documented their journey on TikTok exploring a diverse array of dining spots along the artery that carves through the inner-west. The only criterion? That food and drink are served, and no fast-food joints.

“The fun part about it is going to places we would absolutely never go to, as well as the ones that we’ve driven past and thought were interesting. It’s taking us out of our comfort zone of places we typically go to,” Moxham said.

The Herald has compiled a list of their journey down Parramatta Road so far, including their recommendations.

An apartment above a restaurant on the thoroughfare Premier Chris Minns labelled as the “ugliest” road in Sydney has been their home for nearly a decade.

Moxham says the Premier’s comments were “unfair”.

“We’ve kind of done that to Parramatta Road by making clearways and raising rents in unreasonable increments,” he said. “We’re in our early 30s, and we’ve heard stories of how vibrant Parramatta Road was when our parents were visiting the inner west.

Car retailers began spawning along the 35-kilometre stretch in the 1940s, giving rise to the nickname “auto alley” – a term now associated with the road’s ultimate demise.

“It’s sad to know that it once was like a thriving cultural epicentre all the way down. It might be ugly now, but it’s no fault of anyone’s but the government’s in a way, because it’s just impossible to sustainably keep open commercial premises.”

What has become one of Sydney’s most maligned traffic corridors, lined with empty and decaying storefronts, was once the main artery that linked the city to the west. Car retailers began setting up along the 35-kilometre stretch in the 1940s, giving rise to the nickname “auto alley” – a term now associated with the road’s ultimate demise.

Then came the 1960s and ’70s, when a post-war migrant boom ignited economic activity along the road, leading to the opening of more cafes, restaurants and retailers. Now, office vacancy rates for commercial businesses are barely recovering after reaching a record high in late 2023.

In mid-September, Labor announced plans to rezone the road and deliver 8000 new homes in its latest effort to boost density and stem Sydney’s housing affordability crisis.

The couple hope their series encourages people to embrace neighbourhood establishments, rather than going to places they see online.

“It’s hard to discover new places without being inundated with recommendations on social media,” Masters said. “Getting out and just going to places because they’re there is something we don’t actually do that often … it’s nice to just go in blind and find the hidden gems yourself.”

After describing being stuck in “food truck purgatory” – often eating smash burgers in car-washes next to dumpsters – Moxham and Masters invited the Herald along to visit their 44th stop: Bath Arms Hotel in Burwood.

“Unexpected win,” they said of the pub and its food. “Good prices and a fun selection of Korean menu items.”

Despite the car washes, strip clubs and al fresco bus stop dining, Moxham and Masters say they have found many diamonds in the rough, including their new favourite cafe, Cocoa & Coffee in Annandale, which they say sells $3.50 long blacks.

“All of our favourite places that we’ve found so far on the road are places that we’ve just gone to because they were the next restaurant or cafe on the list,” Moxham said.

“They’ve been businesses, some of which have been there forever, for longer than we’ve been alive, and they’re not flashy … they’re run by families or super dedicated, nice people, members of the community that just love Parramatta Road.”

The couple estimates they are halfway through their journey, one that might take another six months to complete.