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
Hidden bars: 14 bars
Swipe to see all 14 bars →
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Map: hidden bars
Tap a pin for the bar. Numbers match the list.
Your questions
Where are the hidden bars in Sydney?
Start with The Baxter Inn, Eau de Vie, Old Mate's Place, The Lobo and Papa Gede's. Our full list has 14 bars.
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
- 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.