Maybe Sammy
Cocktail bar
A glamorous Harrington Street bar inspired by late-1950s Las Vegas, known for its showmanship, its service and regular live music.
📍 115 Harrington St, The Rocks NSW 2000
Our top 10 Sydney bars
If you only have one night, start here.
- Maybe Sammy
Sydney's most glamorous cocktail bar, with service to match.
The Rocks and Circular Quay - The Baxter Inn
A basement whisky bar that has become a Sydney institution.
The CBD and Wynyard - Eau de Vie
The classic speakeasy, through a door off Wynyard Lane.
The CBD and Wynyard - Employees Only
New York's famous bar, with food until late.
The CBD and Wynyard - Old Mate's Place
Cocktails four floors up, with a rooftop terrace.
The CBD and Wynyard - The Lobo
Rum and Caribbean colour in a Clarence Street basement.
The CBD and Wynyard - Papa Gede's
Voodoo decor and some of the most inventive drinks in town.
The CBD and Wynyard - Cantina OK!
Margaritas in a laneway bar the size of a cupboard.
The CBD and Wynyard - Dean & Nancy on 22
Classic cocktails with the city laid out below.
The CBD and Wynyard - Earl's Juke Joint
Newtown's best-loved bar, behind a butcher's sign.
Newtown and Enmore
Map of Sydney bars
Tap a pin for the bar. Numbers match the list.
Bars in The Rocks and around Circular Quay
The old sandstone streets of The Rocks, the Opera House forecourt and the hotel bars on George Street, all a short walk from the ferries at Circular Quay.
Swipe to see all 7 bars →
Apollonia
Basement cocktail bar
A basement cocktail bar on Young Street, a few minutes' walk from Circular Quay.
📍 Basement Level/5-7 Young St, Sydney NSW 2000
Opera Bar
Waterfront bar
The big open-air bar on the Opera House's lower concourse, with views of the harbour and the bridge, food and cocktails.
📍 Sydney Opera House, Lower Concourse Level, Sydney NSW 2000
Grain Bar
Hotel bar
A hotel bar on George Street with exposed timber beams, cocktails, craft beer and bar food.
📍 Ground Floor/199 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
Fortune of War
Historic pub
Sydney's oldest hotel by its first licence: a pub has stood here since 1828, built by a former convict, with the current building from 1921 and live music most nights.
📍 137 George Street, The Rocks NSW 2000
Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel
Brewpub
Sydney's oldest continuously licensed hotel, open since 1841 in convict-quarried sandstone. It is home to Australia's oldest pub brewery.
📍 19 Kent Street, The Rocks NSW 2000
Hero of Waterloo
Historic pub
A heritage-listed sandstone pub built by convicts in the 1840s, with fireplaces, live bands at weekends and cellar tours with dark stories.
📍 81 Lower Fort Street, Millers Point NSW 2000
Bars in the CBD and around Wynyard
The heart of Sydney's bar scene: basements and laneways off Clarence, Kent and York Streets around Wynyard station, with more towards Martin Place and Hunter Street.
Swipe to see all 18 bars →
The Baxter Inn
Whisky and cocktail bar
One of Sydney's best-known bars, hidden in a basement off Clarence Street, with a huge back bar of whisky and classic cocktails.
📍 152/156 Clarence St, Sydney NSW 2000
Eau de Vie
Speakeasy cocktail bar
A 1920s-style speakeasy entered from Wynyard Lane, with leather seats, moody lighting and craft cocktails.
📍 Basement Level, Enter Via Wynyard Lane, 285 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
Employees Only
Cocktail bar and restaurant
The Sydney outpost of the New York bar, on Barrack Street, pairing a busy cocktail bar with a full restaurant menu.
📍 9a Barrack St, Sydney NSW 2000
Old Mate's Place
Cocktail bar
A fourth-floor bar on Clarence Street with timber, leather booths and a rooftop terrace.
📍 level 4/199 Clarence St, Sydney NSW 2000
The Lobo
Rum bar
A Caribbean-themed basement bar on Clarence Street with cane lights, plants and around 250 rums.
📍 basement lot 1/209 Clarence St, Sydney NSW 2000
Papa Gede's
Cocktail bar
A small voodoo-themed bar on Kent Street with inventive cocktails and monthly comedy nights.
📍 348 Kent St, Sydney NSW 2000
Cantina OK!
Agave bar
A tiny laneway bar off Council Place specialising in margaritas and handmade agave spirits.
📍 Council Pl, Sydney NSW 2000
Dean & Nancy on 22
Cocktail bar
A 22nd-floor bar on Hunter Street inspired by mid-century hotel bars, with classic cocktails, food and city views.
📍 2 Hunter St, Sydney NSW 2000
Burrow Bar
Basement cocktail bar
A relaxed basement bar on Clarence Street with a speakeasy feel, playful cocktails and share plates.
📍 Basement/96 Clarence St, Sydney NSW 2000
Old Love's
Basement cocktail bar
A basement bar in the same Clarence Street building as Old Mate's Place.
📍 Basement/199 Clarence St, Sydney NSW 2000
PS40
Cocktail bar
A small bar tucked into Skittle Lane off King Street, with a creative cocktail list.
📍 40 King St Enter, 40 Skittle Ln, Sydney NSW 2000
The Barber Shop
Gin bar
A gin bar hidden behind a working barber shop on York Street, with old-world decor.
📍 89 York St, Sydney NSW 2000
Little Felix
Cocktail bar
A small, Parisian-style cocktail bar on Ash Street.
📍 2a Ash St, Sydney NSW 2000
Ramblin' Rascal Tavern
Basement cocktail bar
A basement bar on Park Street with leather booths, exposed brick and inventive cocktails.
📍 Basement/60 Park St, Sydney NSW 2000
Zephyr
Rooftop bar
A rooftop bar on level 12 of the Hyatt Regency on Sussex Street, with harbour views and sharing plates.
📍 Level 12/161 Sussex St, Sydney NSW 2000
Shady Pines Saloon
Whiskey saloon
A cowboy-themed basement saloon off Clarence Street with whiskey, sarsaparilla and peanuts.
📍 Lower Ground, 222 Clarence St, Sydney NSW 2000
Centro 86
Mexican bar
A Mexican-style bar on Pitt Street from the team behind Cantina OK! and Tio's.
📍 86-88 Pitt St, Sydney NSW 2000
The Wine Bar at The International
Wine bar
A polished wine bar at 25 Martin Place with exciting drops, good snacks and a weekday happy hour.
📍 25 Martin Place, Sydney NSW 2000
Bars in Surry Hills
Busy neighbourhood bars on the streets between Central station and Oxford Street, ten minutes' walk from the CBD.
Swipe to see all 4 bars →
Tio's Cerveceria
Tequila bar
A loud, dimly lit Surry Hills party bar for tequila, Mexican beer and free popcorn.
📍 4/14 Foster St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
The Rover
Cocktail bar
A busy Surry Hills neighbourhood bar for creative cocktails, freshly shucked oysters and burgers.
📍 75 Campbell St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Bar Copains
Wine bar
A cosy French-leaning wine bar in Surry Hills with outdoor seating, praised in the 2025 Wine List of the Year Awards.
📍 67 Albion Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Poly
Wine bar
One of Sydney's best-known wine bars, on Commonwealth Street in Surry Hills.
📍 74 to 76 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Bars in Newtown and Enmore
King Street and Enmore Road in the inner west, packed with small bars, live music and late nights. A short train ride from the CBD.
Swipe to see all 6 bars →
Earl's Juke Joint
Cocktail bar
A saloon-style bar on King Street with a New Orleans feel, behind an old butcher's shopfront.
📍 407 King St, Newtown NSW 2042
Bar Planet
Cocktail bar
A small Enmore Road bar run by the same team as Cantina OK! and Tio's Cerveceria.
📍 16 Enmore Rd, Newtown NSW 2042
Fortunate Son
Cocktail bar
A small cocktail bar on Enmore Road and one of the street's most highly rated.
📍 105 Enmore Rd, Newtown NSW 2042
Jacoby's Tiki Bar
Tiki bar
A tiki bar on Enmore Road with a Twin Peaks-inspired interior.
📍 154 Enmore Rd, Enmore NSW 2042
She Loves You
Cocktail and wine bar
A cocktail and wine bar at the southern end of King Street.
📍 530 King St, Newtown NSW 2042
Young Henrys
Brewery taproom
The Newtown brewery founded in 2012, home of the Newtowner pale ale, with a taproom open daily and brewery tours at weekends.
📍 Wilford Street, Newtown NSW 2042
Sydney cocktail trails
Three routes in walking order, with the time between each bar. See them all on a map.
The Wynyard laneways
6 bars · about 13 minutes on foot in total
- 1Eau de VieBasement Level, Enter Via Wynyard Lane, 285 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
- 🚶 about 5 min to the next bar
- 2Burrow BarBasement/96 Clarence St, Sydney NSW 2000
- 🚶 about 3 min to the next bar
- 3The Barber Shop89 York St, Sydney NSW 2000
- 🚶 about 2 min to the next bar
- 4PS4040 King St Enter, 40 Skittle Ln, Sydney NSW 2000
- 🚶 about 2 min to the next bar
- 5The Baxter Inn152/156 Clarence St, Sydney NSW 2000
- 🚶 about 1 min to the next bar
- 6Old Mate's Placelevel 4/199 Clarence St, Sydney NSW 2000
The Rocks to Hunter Street
4 bars · about 13 minutes on foot in total
- 1Maybe Sammy115 Harrington St, The Rocks NSW 2000
- 🚶 about 1 min to the next bar
- 2Grain BarGround Floor/199 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
- 🚶 about 5 min to the next bar
- 3ApolloniaBasement Level/5-7 Young St, Sydney NSW 2000
- 🚶 about 7 min to the next bar
- 4Dean & Nancy on 222 Hunter St, Sydney NSW 2000
King Street and Enmore Road
4 bars · about 10 minutes on foot in total
- 1Earl's Juke Joint407 King St, Newtown NSW 2042
- 🚶 about 3 min to the next bar
- 2Bar Planet16 Enmore Rd, Newtown NSW 2042
- 🚶 about 5 min to the next bar
- 3Fortunate Son105 Enmore Rd, Newtown NSW 2042
- 🚶 about 2 min to the next bar
- 4Jacoby's Tiki Bar154 Enmore Rd, Enmore NSW 2042
More Sydney bar guides
- Cocktail barsEvery cocktail bar in our Sydney guide in one place: speakeasies, hotel bars, award winner
- Date nightRomantic cocktail bars in Sydney for a night for two: Maybe Sammy, Eau de Vie, Dean & Nanc
- Hidden barsSydney's speakeasies, basements and laneway bars: Eau de Vie, The Baxter Inn, Shady Pines
- Rooftops and viewsSydney cocktail bars with a view or a terrace: Opera Bar, Zephyr, Dean & Nancy on 22 and O
- Fun bars for groupsLively Sydney bars for birthdays and nights out: Tio's Cerveceria, Jacoby's Tiki Bar, The
- Whisky, rum and agaveSydney's specialist spirit bars: The Baxter Inn for whisky, The Lobo for rum, Cantina OK!
- Pubs and beer barsThe best pubs in Sydney: historic boozers, real ale pubs and craft beer bars.
- Wine barsThe best wine bars in Sydney: natural wine, long lists by the glass and candlelit rooms.
- Cocktail trailsReady-made Sydney cocktail trails on foot: the Wynyard laneways, The Rocks to Hunter Stree
Know before you go
- 🗓️ Go early at the weekendMany of the small basement bars don't take bookings and queue on Friday and Saturday nights.
- 🚶 Wynyard on footMost of the CBD bars are within ten minutes' walk of Wynyard station. The Rocks is a short walk north.
- 🚆 Newtown by trainNewtown and Enmore are a short train ride from Central or Town Hall. Newtown station is on King Street.
- 🆔 Bring IDYou must be 18 to drink in Australia and bars often ask for ID. Tipping isn't expected, though it's welcome for good service.
Your questions
What is the best cocktail bar in Sydney?
Start with Maybe Sammy in The Rocks, then The Baxter Inn and Eau de Vie near Wynyard. Our top ten above covers the rest.
Where is the best area for cocktail bars in Sydney?
The CBD around Wynyard station and Clarence Street has the most bars within a few minutes' walk of each other. The Rocks, Surry Hills and Enmore Road in Newtown are all worth a night too.
Is there a Sydney Cocktail Week?
Not yet. Cocktail Week runs ten-day cocktail festivals across the UK and Ireland and is coming to Sydney. Sign up on the Sydney Cocktail Week page to hear first when dates and venues are announced.
Do I need to book Sydney cocktail bars?
Many of the smaller bars don't take bookings, so go early at the weekend. Bars with restaurants, like Employees Only, are easier to book.
What is the oldest pub in Sydney?
Three Rocks pubs claim it. The Fortune of War was first licensed in 1828, the Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel has been continuously licensed since 1841. The Hero of Waterloo dates from 1843.
Who wrote this guide
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, Google Maps and trusted local guides, ahead of bringing Cocktail Week to Sydney.
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
Want your bar in this guide?
Run a bar in Sydney that should be here? Get in touch at hello@cocktail-week.com and tell us about it.