Newcastle's bar scene has grown up fast. The best cocktail bars sit along Hunter Street and King Street from the East End to Newcastle West, on Darby Street and Beaumont Street, with a few more by the harbour and the beach. This guide covers 35 bars: cocktail bars first, from a speakeasy you text to get into to rooftops over the harbour, then the city's heritage pubs, craft breweries and beach bars, with our top picks, a map and walking routes.
Last checked 14 November 2026. No bar paid to be included.
If you only have one night, start here.
Text the code to get into this speakeasy.
The CBD, East End and harbourUnusual cocktails and Japanese whisky.
Newcastle WestNative Australian cocktails nine floors up.
The CBD, East End and harbourHarbour views from a heritage rooftop.
The CBD, East End and harbour1920s style and a big whiskey list.
The CBD, East End and harbourSpirits distilled on site in Carrington.
Carrington and MerewetherNewcastle's first Bar of the Year.
The CBD, East End and harbourA Palm Springs rooftop over two levels.
Newcastle WestSunset cocktails on the beach.
Carrington and MerewetherA diner with a bar hidden out the back.
Darby Street and Cooks HillTap a pin for the bar. Numbers match the list.
Hunter Street, King Street, Watt Street and the East End, down to the harbour at Honeysuckle and Wharf Road.
Swipe to see all 18 bars →
Speakeasy
Australia's Best Regional Bar 2016
A hard-to-find Prohibition-style speakeasy with no sign outside: text the code on the wall and wait for the door to open. Popular since 2014, it was named Australia's Best Regional Bar in 2016. The bartenders will make a drink to your taste. It also runs cocktail masterclasses.
📍 380 Hunter Street, Newcastle NSW 2300
🕒 Daily 4pm to 11.55pm (OpenStreetMap; check before you go)
Rooftop cocktail bar
On level nine of Crystalbrook Kingsley, with panoramic views over the city. Cocktails lean on native Australian ingredients, with smart bar food to match.
📍 Level 9, 282 King Street, Newcastle NSW 2300
Rooftop bar
On top of the heritage former David Jones building, with harbour views and lunar motifs. Japanese-inspired cocktails, plenty of gins and Japanese whiskies.
📍 QT Newcastle, 185 Hunter Street, Newcastle NSW 2300
Cocktail bar
Rainbow decor, a leafy mural on the back wall and wild cocktails, with share plates and nights that run from gin and jazz to burlesque.
📍 410 King Street, Newcastle NSW 2300
Asian fusion cocktail bar
Asian fusion cocktails with kaffir lime, chilli and lychee. Cocktails are cheaper in the Gingertown Bar on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
📍 212 King Street, Newcastle NSW 2300
Themed cocktail bar
A throwback cocktail bar built around the 80s and 90s: NBA, sneakers, video games, hip hop and a Nintendo 64, with classic cocktails given a twist.
📍 6/23 Watt Street, Newcastle NSW 2300
Bar and restaurant
A 1920s-style bar and restaurant in a historic building, with a sophisticated cocktail list and an extensive whiskey collection.
📍 145 King Street, Newcastle NSW 2300
Bar and restaurant
Bar of the Year, Newcastle Bar Awards
A Newcastle East bar and restaurant that works as a local community hub. It won Bar of the Year at Newcastle's first Bar Awards.
📍 10 Pacific Street, Newcastle NSW 2300
Yakitori bar
From the team behind Nagisa and Susuru, with a cocktail list by Chris Wilson of The Koutetsu and yakitori from the grill.
📍 1 Honeysuckle Drive, Newcastle NSW 2300
Bar and restaurant
On the Honeysuckle Boardwalk by the harbour, with a cocktail list that changes weekly with the fresh produce and shared dishes with global flavours.
📍 1 Honeysuckle Drive, Newcastle NSW 2300
Waterfront bar
A waterfront bar with 180-degree views and share plates. Weekend happy hour brings Espresso Martinis, French Martinis, Cosmopolitans and Caipiroskas at a set price.
📍 200 Wharf Road, Newcastle NSW 2300
Basement bar
A cosy bar beneath The Grand Hotel, with alcohol-free cocktails on the list and antipasto and pub food from upstairs.
📍 Lower Ground, 32 Church Street, Newcastle NSW 2300
Heritage pub
Built in 1864, an Art Deco landmark pub with live music.
📍 83-89 Scott Street, Newcastle
Craft beer pub
A craft beer pub open since 2013, with over 20 independent Australian craft beers and ciders on tap.
📍 64-66 Scott Street, Newcastle East
Pub
A pub in a building designed in 1877 on the harbour foreshore, with oysters, burgers and live music.
📍 1 Bond Street, Newcastle
Pub
A pub in a building from the 1800s, with an enclosed courtyard, a cocktail menu and live music or DJs in the courtyard on Fridays and Saturdays.
📍 237 Hunter Street, Newcastle
Brewery
A brewery in a restored Art Deco warehouse, with brewery tours.
📍 218 King Street, Newcastle
Wine bar and pasta
A wine and pasta bar on Hunter Street, a favourite for wine lovers and date nights.
📍 87-89 Hunter Street, Newcastle
The western end of Hunter Street, where a cluster of distillery bars, rooftops and karaoke rooms sit a few doors apart.
Swipe to see all 5 bars →
Cocktail bar
Known for unusual cocktails on a menu that changes regularly, with almost 20 Japanese whiskies and nearly 40 gins behind the bar.
📍 555 Hunter Street, Newcastle West NSW 2302
Rooftop bar
A Palm Springs-style rooftop over two levels, with classic and original cocktails, Fizz cocktails made with Usher Tinkler prosecco such as the Berry Fizz and share plates.
📍 529 Hunter Street, Newcastle NSW 2300
Distillery bar
Pours only spirits from Granddad Jack's Craft Distillery: three gins, a vodka, a coffee liqueur, a whiskey and monthly limited releases. There is a courtyard out back.
📍 515 Hunter Street, Newcastle NSW 2300
Karaoke bar
Private karaoke rooms with modern machines and full service, plus cocktails using imported Japanese ingredients. The house favourite is the Yuzu Margarita.
📍 8 Union Street, Newcastle West NSW 2302
Brewpub
A brewpub with 12 taps and four handpumps, live music and a rooftop.
📍 4-6 Union Street, Newcastle West
Newcastle's eat street, running up from the CBD into Cooks Hill, with diners, Italian and Asian kitchens that pour serious cocktails.
Swipe to see all 5 bars →
Diner with a hidden bar
A retro diner out front with a cocktail bar out the back pouring nostalgic classics with a twist. Upstairs is an 18+ late-night room with booths, its own bar and a neon-lit pool table.
📍 102 Darby Street, Cooks Hill NSW 2300
Asian diner and bar
A tropical-inspired modern Asian diner in an art deco building, all greenery and pastel tones, with punchy share plates and inventive cocktails.
📍 5-7 Darby Street, Newcastle NSW 2300
Italian bar and restaurant
Handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza, graffiti walls, DJs and creative cocktails, with a late-night feel.
📍 13 Darby Street, Newcastle NSW 2300
Disco social club
A disco social club on Darby Street known for its music, natural wines and good vibes.
📍 97-107 Darby Street, Cooks Hill NSW 2300
Pub
A big wrap-around bar, a beer garden and a cricket-themed menu.
📍 61 Bruce Street, Cooks Hill
A few minutes inland, Beaumont Street mixes old Italian cafés with small cocktail bars.
Swipe to see all 2 bars →
Cocktail bar
A cocktail bar with gluten-free food and a tasting paddle of four half cocktails of your choice.
📍 104 Beaumont Street, Hamilton NSW 2303
Small bar
Started out as a beer bar and is now an intimate, casual spot for cocktails, craft beer and easy food on Beaumont Street.
📍 76 Beaumont Street, Hamilton NSW 2303
Worth the short trip: a family distillery bar in Carrington and a surf club bar on Merewether Beach.
Swipe to see all 5 bars →
Distillery bar
Run by an old Newcastle family business, with gin, rum, vodka, brandy, limoncello and absinthe distilled on site. Try The Junipepper or Spill the Beans with the Asian-influenced menu.
📍 41 Darling Street, Carrington NSW 2294
Beachfront bar
Right on Merewether Beach, with a terrace bar for sunset Espresso Martinis and spritzes. The lower Beach Bar serves Mexican food and cocktails.
📍 5 Henderson Parade, Merewether NSW 2291
Beachfront pub
An Art Deco pub opposite Merewether Beach, with live gigs.
📍 99 Frederick Street, Merewether
Alehouse
An alehouse open since 1876, with a breezy balcony.
📍 1 Morgan Street, Merewether
🕒 Daily 10am to midnight (OpenStreetMap; check before you go)
Pub
A beer garden, a 20-tap tower, trivia and live music in Carrington.
📍 132 Young Street, Carrington
Three routes in walking order, with the time between each bar. See them all on a map.
7 bars · about 51 minutes on foot in total
4 bars · about 21 minutes on foot in total
4 bars · about 8 minutes on foot in total
Start with Coal & Cedar and The Koutetsu, then Romberg's. Our top 10 above covers the rest.
Hunter Street and King Street in the CBD and East End, with a second cluster in Newcastle West and more on Darby Street.
Yes. Coal & Cedar on Hunter Street has no sign. Text the code on the wall to get in.
Romberg's at Crystalbrook Kingsley, The Rooftop at QT and Charlie's Rooftop.
Yes. Newcastle Cocktail Week NSW is coming soon. Sign up on our Newcastle NSW page for first access to wristbands and the bar line-up. It is a separate event from Newcastle Cocktail Week in the UK.
This guide is written by the team at M.AD Agency. We run Cocktail Week, the ten-day cocktail festival held town by town across the UK and Ireland. Now we're bringing it to Australia. Since 2022 we have taken it to more than 20 towns and cities and worked with hundreds of bars. We put this guide together from our own research and trusted local guides, including Hunter and Hunter.
No bar paid to be included and nobody can buy a place. We check the guide regularly as bars open, change and close.
Cocktail Week in Australia
Run a bar in Newcastle NSW that should be here? Get in touch at hello@cocktail-week.com and tell us about it.
We use cookies to see how people use the site and to show you relevant ads. Nothing is set unless you say yes. Cookie policy