Sydney drinking and nightlife

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 chic; the mezzanine is a great spot to sit and observe the actio…

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 laid-back and the sophisticated. It's an iconic spot for vis…

With numerous indoor and outdoor bars, a kids' play area and a glorious adults-only rooftop, this vast complex has brought a touch of inner-city glam to Coogee. Built in 1887, the building originally housed an aquar…

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 absolutely enormous complex, with acres of appealing outdoor sea…

This dark and good-looking split-level laneway bar is pretty compact, but the wine list certainly isn't. It's an extraordinary document, with some exceptionally well-chosen wines and a mission to get people away fro…

A cracking pub, especially at weekends when it thrums with life all day, this is a real Eastern Suburbs favourite whose recent makeover has only enhanced it. The beer garden is among Sydney's best: large, with good …

Quite a way down Glebe Point Rd is an excellent independent bottle shop; turn right to find the convivial wine bar it runs downstairs. It's a lovely space decked out in wood; there's always something interesting ava…

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 dishes are quality pub food, with generous salads, fish and steaks…

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). But open the nondescript door in the corner and an indie wo…

A gem hidden in the backstreets of Woolloomooloo, this totally unpretentious theatre pub is also a decent old-fashioned boozer in its own right, with a great variety of beers on tap and a convivial welcome. Prop up …