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
Cocktail bars: 24 bars
Swipe to see all 24 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
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
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
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
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 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
Map: cocktail bars
Tap a pin for the bar. Numbers match the list.
Your questions
What are the best cocktail bars in Sydney?
Start with Maybe Sammy, The Baxter Inn, Eau de Vie, Employees Only and Old Mate's Place. Our full list has 24 bars.
More Sydney bar guides
- 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
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.