Must-see nightlife in Sydney

  • Disguised as Betta Meats on the outside, Earl's Juke Joint is acutally a hip bar that lights up at night.

    Earl's Juke Joint

    Newtown & the Inner West

    Swinging Earl's serves craft beers and killer cocktails to the Newtown hip-erati. It's hidden behind the down-at-heel facade of the Betta Meats butcher's…

  • Archie Rose Distilling Co.

    Newtown & the Inner West

    This distillery has made quite an impact with its excellent gins – where better to try them than the place itself? The bar is appropriately industrial…

  • Opera Bar

    Circular Quay & The Rocks

    Right on the harbour with the Opera House on one side and the bridge on the other, this perfectly positioned terrace manages a very Sydney marriage of the…

  • Love, Tilly Devine

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Tilly Devine was a notorious Sydney madam and crime boss in the '30s, and her namesake bar is hidden down a back alley, in true furtive style. The dark,…

  • The Newport

    Northern Beaches

    This legendary northern beaches pub actually overlooks not the ocean but the Pittwater side, with bobbing boats and quiet strands the outlook. It's an…

  • Old Fitzroy Hotel

    Kings Cross & Potts Point

    Hidden in the backstreets, this totally unpretentious theatre pub is also a decent old-fashioned boozer in its own right, with a great variety of beers on…

  • Timbah

    Newtown & the Inner West

    Quite a way down Glebe Point Rd is an excellent independent bottle shop; turn right to find the convivial wine bar it runs downstairs. Staff will happily…

  • Harts Pub

    Circular Quay & The Rocks

    Pouring an excellent range of Sydney craft beers in a quiet corner near the beginning of the Rocks, this historical building has real character. The…

  • Frankie's Pizza

    City Centre & Haymarket

    Descend the stairs and you'll think you're in a 1970s pizzeria, complete with plastic grapevines, snapshots covering the walls and tasty pizza slices ($6)…

  • Glenmore Hotel

    Circular Quay & The Rocks

    Downstairs it's a predictably nice old Rocks pub with great outdoor seating, but head to the rooftop and the views are beyond fabulous: the Opera House …

  • Manly Wharf Hotel

    Manly

    Just along the wharf from the ferry, this remodelled pub is all glass and water vistas, with loads of seating so you've a good chance of grabbing a share…

  • Shakespeare Hotel

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    The 'Shakey' is a classic Sydney pub (1879) with art nouveau tiled walls, scuzzy carpet, the horses on the TV and cheap bar meals. There are plenty of…

  • Golden Sheaf

    Sydney

    A cracking pub, especially at weekends when it thrums with life all day, this is a real eastern suburbs favourite. The beer garden is among Sydney's best:…

  • Hero of Waterloo

    Circular Quay & The Rocks

    Enter this rough-hewn 1843 sandstone pub to meet some locals, chat to the Irish bar staff and grab an earful of the swing, folk and Celtic bands (Friday…

  • Uncle Ming's

    City Centre & Haymarket

    We love the dark romantic opium-den atmosphere of this small bar secreted away in a basement by a shirt shop. It's an atmospheric spot for anything from a…

  • Wild Rover

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Look for the unsigned wide door and enter this supremely cool brick-lined speakeasy. Ask the bar staff to recommend a whisky from the huge range on offer,…

  • Watsons Bay Beach Club

    Sydney

    One of the great pleasures in life is languoring in the pumping beer garden of the Watsons Bay Hotel, mere metres from the ferry wharf, after a day at the…

  • Duke of Clarence.

    Duke of Clarence

    City Centre & Haymarket

    A fully formed 18th-century English pub, complete with overstuffed armchairs, roaring fireplace and portraits of blue blooded noblemen. The chatty bar…

  • Young Henry's Brewery in Newtown

    Young Henry's

    Newtown & the Inner West

    Conviviality is assured in this craft brewery bar, where the beer, found on taps all over Sydney, is as fresh as you'll get. Basically, they've filled a…

  • Coogee Pavilion.

    Coogee Pavilion

    Sydney

    With numerous indoor and outdoor bars and restaurants, and a large kids' play area, this cavernous complex packs them in, especially at weekends. The…

  • Hive Bar in Erskineville

    Hive Bar

    Newtown & the Inner West

    In groovy Erskineville village, this breezy little corner bar lures the neighbourhood's hipsters with food, cocktails (try the Full Scottish Breakfast…

  • Erskineville Hotel

    Erskineville Hotel

    Newtown & the Inner West

    The Erko's art-deco glory is something to behold, and it also happens to be one of the area's best pubs. The wood-lined beer garden, local characters,…

  • 10 William Street, restaurant bar interior.

    10 William Street

    Sydney

    Paddington loves its quality Italian food and eagerly indulges in this minuscolo slice of la dolce vita on the fashion strip. There are excellent imported…

  • Ivy

    City Centre & Haymarket

    Down a lane off George St, Ivy is the HQ of the all-pervading Merivale Group. It's a fashionable complex of bars, restaurants – and even a swimming pool…

  • Parliament on King

    Newtown & the Inner West

    Somehow or other this teeny bohemian cafe squeezes in live music, spoken word, life drawing (7pm Thursday, $25) and eclectic events – witchcraft salon…

  • Argyle

    Circular Quay & The Rocks

    This stylish and wildly popular conglomeration of bars is spread through the historic Argyle Stores buildings, including a cobblestone courtyard and an…

  • Slip Inn & Chinese Laundry

    City Centre & Haymarket

    Slip in to this cheerfully colourful and atmospheric warren on the edge of Darling Harbour and bump hips with the kids. There are bars, pool tables, a…

  • Bulletin Place

    Circular Quay & The Rocks

    A discreet entrance on this little street of cafes and bars conceals the staircase up to one of Sydney's most talked-about cocktail bars. Personable, down…

  • WyNo X Bodega

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Sydney tapas legend Bodega moved in with wine bar WyNo in 2019. The petite space seats 28 at one long table and retains some of the Bodega favourites,…

  • Wyno

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Run by Porteño next door, this wine bar has its own character. Seat yourself at the long communal bar and ask the welcoming waitstaff to suggest delicious…

  • Doss House

    Circular Quay & The Rocks

    With a curious origin story involving two Irish pals, a lottery win and a hostel in Peru, this hidden-away jewel is an atmospheric Rocks basement space…

  • Monopole

    Kings Cross & Potts Point

    Dark and sexy, Monopole seduces with its stylish interior, complete with hanging strips of black sound-absorption material and discreet front screen. A…

  • Beresford Hotel

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    The well-polished tiles of the facade and interior are a real feature at this elegantly refurbished historic pub. It's a popular pre-club venue for an…

  • Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel

    Circular Quay & The Rocks

    This atmospheric boozer is one of three claiming to be Sydney's oldest (all using slightly different criteria). The on-site brewery cooks up its own…

  • Baxter Inn

    City Centre & Haymarket

    Yes, it really is down that dark lane and through that unmarked door (there are two easily spotted bars on this courtyard, but this place is through a…

  • The Henson

    Newtown & the Inner West

    Offering something for everyone, this excellent neighbourhood pub sums up the modern Inner West vibe. Sip craft ale in various indoor spaces, watch…

  • Welcome Hotel

    Sydney

    If you get lost in the tucked-away backstreets of Rozelle, you might find yourself chowing down in the beautiful Welcome Hotel’s acclaimed Italian…

  • Courthouse Hotel

    Newtown & the Inner West

    A block back from the King St fray, the 150-year-old Courthouse is one of Newtown's best pubs, the kind of place where everyone from goth lesbians to…

  • Vasco

    Surry Hills & Darlinghurst

    Like the much, much hipper and better-looking Italian cousin of a Hard Rock Cafe, Vasco serves beer, wine and rock-themed cocktails in a room lined with…

  • Darcy Street Project

    Sydney

    This heartening backstreet social enterprise trains up young people as baristas, with a particular focus on refugee and disadvantaged communities. It's a…