Bars in Sydney

Must do

Dining at the Opera Kitchen at Sydney Opera House. Image James Pipino

Cocktails at Double Bay. Image Tony Yeates

Salons, wine rooms, bars and lounges

Let the warmer weather be your excuse to visit one of the many new bars popping up around Sydney.

Bars in Sydney

Courtyard at Ivy. Image Murray Fredericks for Merivale

Spend long Summer evenings soaking up the atmosphere in some of Sydney’s best beachside bars. For panoramic views, you can’t go past Icebergs Dining Room and Bar perched high above Bondi Beach. Head to Hugo’s at Manly Wharf for award-winning cocktails and world-famous pizzas, or discover the funky interiors of Manly Wine by Gazebo at Manly Beach.

Sydney’s laneways and inner-city suburbs are home to a collection of funky new bars, combining casual glamour with extensive wine and cocktail lists. Summer is the perfect time to enjoy the pretty garden of The Winery in Surry Hills, or the rooftop poolbar at The Ivy.

Water bar is also a must-do - its high ceilings and beautiful interiors are as stylish as the cocktail list. You’ll find it inside the Blue Hotel at Woolloomooloo. In Darling Harbour, Cohibar is a sexy inner city venue with two floors of cocktail bars, terraces and lofts.

The Island Bar Cockatoo Island

View from Cockatoo Island. Image Hamilton Lund

Escape to one of Sydney’s most exciting harbour islands, with the Island Bar Cockatoo Island now open for the Summer. Catch a ferry from Circular Quay to this al fresco waterfront bar, chill out in a deckchair and enjoy cool fresh cocktails and share plates from Sydney mixologist and 2010 Bartender of the Year, Marco Faraone.

Best of Bondi bars

After a day chilling out at Sydney’s most famous beach, hit Bondi’s drinking hotspots. Enjoy the views from Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, or discover some stylish new hole-in-the-wall bars such as Speakeasy, Mocean and Flying Squirrel.

Cocktails at Sydney Opera House

You don’t need tickets to the theatre to enjoy one of Sydney Opera House’s best attractions - the Opera Bar. It buzzes day and night with great cocktails, live DJs and magical sunsets.

Opera Bar at Sydney Opera House. Image Mark Pokorny

Manly wine bar

Manly Wine by Gazebo mixes up a compelling blend of vibrant interiors and beachside chic. Watch the surfers stroll by while you sample the extensive wine list and bar menu.

Bars in Sydney

Sydney bars are places to see and be seen. Locals have their regular haunts but are equally drawn to the regular new openings around the city

In summer, the city's beachside and rooftop bars are at their best. Icebergs, perched on the southern tip of Bondi Beach, is one of the most glamorous drinking holes complete with panoramic ocean views.

In Manly the new Hugos on Manly Wharf serves famous pizzas with a supply of beer, wine and cocktails to wash it all down. The nearby 4 Pines is micro-brewery with its own on-site brewing.

A profusion of intimate new bars are opening in the Sydney's laneways and inner city suburbs. Discover an unsual tipple - there's a wide collection of dark spirits from around the world. Enter Stitch bar through a shop front on York Street that's filled with sewing materials and machines. You'll find a a staircase that leads you down to the cool basement bar. A retro haven of cosmopolitan kitsch and faded granny glamour, Grandmas is your home away from home where you can kick back and relax, but keep your eye's open - there's no street signage. Gardel’s Bar located above Porteno in the city is the Argentinean barbecue hotspot and offers you a unique cocktail experience with an Argentinean twist. Mille Vini in Surry Hills is ideal for fine wine and delicately sized food offerings.

If you're after something less sophisticated, then wind your way up three floors of fun at Zanzibar in Newtown. Cocktails and beer varieties are plentiful at the rooftop bar.

Don't miss these food and wine experiences in Sydney

The Star Sydney City, Sydney, Pyrmont
Sydney's one-of-a-kind entertainment venue, The Star, was officially reopened in September 2011. The $870 million transformation of Star City includes...
www.star.com.au

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Cruise Bar Sydney City, Sydney, The Rocks
Cruise Bar is a stylish yet relaxed waterfront bar with some of the best views in Sydney.Located at the Overseas Passenger Terminal on the western sid...
www.cruisebar.com.au

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Sydney Opera House Sydney City, Sydney, Surrounds
Experience Sydney Opera House - one of the world's most creative and busiest performing arts centres and greatest triumphs of modern architecture. Spe...
www.sydneyoperahouse.com

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Ivy Bar Sydney City, Sydney, Surrounds
The Ivy Bar and the Patio are on the first level of the fabulous inner city Ivy venue. This purpose-built bar is cool with intimate corners and room t...
www.merivale.com.au

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Lowenbrau Keller Sydney City, Sydney, The Rocks
The Lowenbrau Keller is Sydney's most authentic Bavarian restaurant. Offering exclusive biers, hearty cuisine and live entertainment every night - the...
www.lowenbrau.com.au

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Glenmore Hotel Sydney City, Sydney, The Rocks
Since 1921 the Glenmore Hotel has been a Sydney icon. The front bar is a piece of nostalgia, decorated in the style of is formative years. The refined...
www.glenmorehotel.com.au/

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The Loft Sydney City, Sydney, Surrounds
Inspired by a Moorish Casbah and evoking the ambience of a bygone era, The Loft is a sophisticated and stylish cocktail bar perched on the waterfront ...
www.theloftsydney.com

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Bootleg Bar and Italian Food Sydney City, Sydney, Potts Point
Inspired by the intimate, neighbourhood venues of downtown New York and Berlin, Bootleg Bar and Italian Food is a low-lit space with an honest, season...
www.bootlegbar.com.au

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ArtHouse Hotel Sydney City, Sydney, Surrounds
The School of Arts Building, dating back to 1836, now houses the most unique bar in Sydney, The ArtHouse Hotel. A dynamic space, reflecting the splend...
www.thearthousehotel.com.

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Establishment Bar Sydney City, Sydney, Surrounds
This bar has all the right elements to win over discerning bar fiends - a classically elegant space in a heritage building with a 42-metre-long marble...
www.merivale.com

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Marble Bar Sydney City, Sydney, Surrounds
Built in 1893, the Marble Bar remains one of Sydney's most loved live music bars and a haven of Victorian excess.The Marble bar has been a superb...
www.marblebarsydney.com.a

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Ash Street Cellar Sydney City, Sydney, Surrounds
The Ash St Cellar is an elegant, Parisian-style bar in a quiet laneway behind the well known Ivy Bar. Sommelier Frank Moreau presents a range of inter...
www.merivale.com.au/#/ivy

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Orient Hotel Sydney City, Sydney, The Rocks
After a day sightseeing in the Rocks take time to refresh yourself with a meal and a drink at the Orient Hotel. The Orient Restaurant is open for lunc...
www.orienthotel.com.au/

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Rock Lily Sydney City, Sydney, Pyrmont
Rock Lily is a live music bar which showcases the best Australian music acts, plus features a number of international performers. It also boasts one o...
www.star.com.au/rocklily

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Bungalow 8 Sydney City, Sydney, Darling Harbour
Situated in a trendy harbourside location at King Street Wharf, this casual bar serves up beautiful seafood by day while it emerges as a cool bar by n...
www.bungalow8sydney.com

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