Carly Sophia

Summer 2024 update: We’re not saying summer is made for cold beers, thirst-quenching Aperol Spritzes, zesty Margs and natty drops, but we’re also not not saying it. Looking for a sexy bar for a first date? Been a while since your last night out? Or just thirsty? You’ve come to the right place. This list represents our picks of the best bars in Sydney right now, from fresh faces to tried-and-tested temples of great drinks, curated by our local editors, drink writers and fellow booze hounds, including Time Out Sydney's Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure. We’re looking for quality above all, with fun, flavour, atmosphere, creativity and options at every price point. Cheers to you, Sydney. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. After a watering hole that's a bit more casual? See our list of the best pubs in Sydney, here. After a meal? Check out our best restaurants here.

Leafy and buzzing Surry Hills might just be the neighbourhood with the very best of what this city has to offer in terms of eating and drinking. Whether it’s homestyle, hole-in-the-wall Korean or an all-out chef’s menu from a kitchen with nothing but open flames, each and every price point and palate is catered to on these streets, from the fringe of the city down to the bottom of Crown. Time Out Sydney's editors and critics, including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure, have chosen their favourite picks from the 2010 postcode (and the home of Time Out Sydney HQ!). Go forth and eat well.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. Feel like a drink? These are the best bars in Surry Hills. After a bargain? Check out Sydney’s best cheap eats

The enclave of Potts Point is home to some serious dining gems, be it mainstays like Fratelli Paradiso or the Apollo; game-changing plant-based restaurant Yellow; or mod-Asian joints like Ms G’s and Cho Cho San. Plus, drop-dead gorgeous spots Parlar and Franca. Time Out Sydney editors and critics, including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure, have eaten their way through Macleay Street and beyond, curating this list with the top places to eat and drink in the 2011 postcode. So, have a read and get exploring. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox. After a drink? Check out our guide to the best bars in Sydney Want more great eats? Here's our guide to the best restaurants in Sydney

Virtually every suburb in Sydney can boast a world-class eatery (or several), but none rival the CBD for the sheer number of exceptional dining options on offer. Time Out Sydney's critics, including Food & Drink Editor Avril Treasure, have cherry-picked the best tables to book in the heart of the city, whether you're stepping out for a business lunch, a pre-show bite, or a swanky degustation. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.  RECOMMENDED READS: Want something a little more casual? Check out our guide to the best cheap eats in the city. Nightcap anyone? Polish off your meal with a drink at one of these fine cocktail bars. 

While the most important part of a romantic date night is, of course, the company you keep, a candle lit dinner and a cosy spot to play footsies certainly add a little something to the vibe of the night.  The great news is, Sydney is absolutely awash with intimate eateries and sexy cocktail bars to set the mood just right. Whether you're celebrating your anniversary, looking for a two top (or three, you do you) for Valentine's Day, or just getting out for date night, we've rounded up the most romantic spots in Sydney to celebrate your love. Want to take the pressure off? Here are our top first date spots. Wooing on a shoestring? These are the best cheap eats in Sydney.

In what is quite possibly the greatest pairing since gin and vermouth comes Celebration Pilsner, the lovechild between industry legends Fortunate Son and Young Henrys. A casual little colab hashed out amongst spent pilsner pint glasses over Fortunate Son’s black-butt bar top, Celebration Pilsner is a limited edition homage to Pilsner Urquell in commemoration of Fortunate Son’s third birthday. Quickly becoming one of Enmore's favourite bars, Fortunate Son is one of the few places in Sydney you can go to get historic Czech Pilsner Urquell on tap. Described by Young Henry’s head brewer Jesse Searls as “a beer nerd's beer,” recreating this lager was not only an unmissable opportunity to flex a few beer-making muscles, but the obvious choice for bar-owner Dylan Howarth. “In a world full of modern craft, I wanted to honour what I considered to be a traditional, classic lager. I could have chucked VB on the tap and it would have been ironic, but our entire ethos is luxury in an unexpected setting. I wanted to pour one of the best beers in the world, in Newtown. I really just enjoy the eccentricity of nice things in unexpected places.” For devoted YH brewers, Fortunate Son was not only the closest bar to Young Henry’s Wilford Street works, but their bar of choice when it came to smashing a few frothies after long, hard days crafting ales. United in their appreciation for the classic Pils, Dylan asked if they’d "do a beer" for the bar’s third birthday and the group sealed the deal on

Update: Award-winning coastal diner Longshore in Chippendale has unveiled a new menu that encapsulates summer. Executive chef Jarrod Walsh shines the spotlight on fresh seafood and sustainable Aussie ingredients. Highlights include the Abrolhos Island scallops in a zesty bergamot vinaigrette; Goolwa pipi frites with a sauce so yum you'll want to soak it up with their house-made beer bread; and Westholme Wagyu beef tartare with Marmande tomato that looks as pretty as a picture. Psst! The menu offers optional wine pairings. - Alison Rodericks Read on for our review of Longshore from September 2023 by Carly Sophia. ***** View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Old Clare Hotel (@theoldclare) If you thought it’s impossible for ‘coastal’ design to not look naff, you certainly aren’t alone. But the old warehouse space previously home to Automata has been given a luxe marine makeover in honour of its recent inception – sustainable seafood restaurant and wine bar, Longshore. And Sydney-based interior design firm Guru Projects have absolutely killed it – the building's stark, industrial bones now exude grace and warmth, thanks to a raw, yet refined glow-up. Soft linens, sandy terrazzo tiles and textural features are evocative of Australia’s shores, while coiled rope, a pearlescent bar top and a muted, pelagic colour palette really take the brutalist edge off. Ex-Hartsyarders Dot Lee and Jarrod Walsh have curated three ocean-inspired dining experiences spi

Walking into Bar Morris, you could just as easily grab yourself a glass of red and a cheese board, or even a room – such is the eclectic dual purpose of this little wine bar and restaurant in the lobby of Hotel Morris. Built in 1929 and once Sydney’s tallest hotel, all 14 floors have since been dwarfed by Haymarket’s soaring highrises. And while it no longer draws crowds for its height, the ground floor is every bit as dazzling as the performers who grace the stages of the nearby State Theatre. With a fresh facelift, old-world Art Deco meets flamboyant palazzo, with bold, theatrical design choices. There’s a pink marble bar, subway-tiled columns, glossy scarlet tabletops, glittering chandeliers and heavily fringed red velvet. It’s a sexy space, albeit let down by the seemingly out-of-place monochrome chairs. The cocktail list is aperitivo heavy, and leans on the classics. Perhaps it’s the vintage elegance of the place, but it feels deliciously on-brand to indulge in a Dirty Gin Martini. So we do. Pleasingly, you’ll even be asked how many olives you’d like (three, obviously). There's plenty of on-shore influence, with appearances from Archie Rose, Seven Seasons, Four Pillars Gin and Morris Whiskey. You’ll also find Grifter on tap, alongside the Bar Morris lager, which is light, clean, crisp – and brewed less than five kilometres away at Newtown’s Young Henrys. Delving into the snackish part of the menu, do not let the panfocaccia pass you by. A 50/50 mix of Italian and spelt f

If you thought the well-worn affair of Champagne and oysters couldn’t get more refined, you were wrong. Sydney Oyster Farm Tours have joined forces with Glenglassaugh to offer the ultimate whisky and seafood experience, available for the month of September only. After a short idyllic cruise and guided boat tour of the Mooney Mooney oyster leases, you’ll step into some waders and disembark into the cool, calm expanse of the Hawesbury. Knee deep in brackish waters, you’ll then learn how to shuck your own oysters, before your immersive dining experience begins. At your in-water table, feast on famous Broken Bay oysters and fresh prawns, paired with the new Glenglassaugh whisky range. Inspired by the influences of both land and sea, this collection of coastal single-malt scotch is the perfect companion for oysters - particularly the Portsoy, due to its deep maritime flavour. Whether you splash your whisky straight onto your fresh, briny Sydney rocks, shoot it from an empty shell or take it easy with a dram in hand - this is an unparalleled way to celebrate the bounty and beauty of both Sydney’s Central Coast, and Scotland’s Sandend Bay. You can book via Sydney Oyster Farm Tours, and for a limited time only, get $15 off with the code WHISKY15. Recommended: These are the best places to see spring flowers in Sydney and NSW Love oysters? Check out our guide to Narooma on the South Coast (and try some delicious ones) Here is our guide to the finest places to go whale watching in Sydne

 Word on the street is that the fit-out for Franca cost a cool two and a half million bucks. Gliding through the restaurant in all its unbridled resplendence, it’s easy to admit that this was money very well spent. To set foot in Franca is to be immediately whisked to the Belle Époque of European fine dining. It’s a veritable masterpiece of panelling, parquet, grand columns, vermillion velvet and old-world ceiling molding. The pièce de résistance, however, has to be the moss-green crescent-shaped booth seating, which is reminiscent of iconic London dining institution, the Ivy.A booth is by far the chicest way to drink in l'atmosphère, as you sink back and watch the waiters and sommeliers romance the room with boundless joie de vivre. A Provençal Daiquiri is an elegant aperitif, blending Havana rum, lillet blanc, fresh rockmelon, and lavender tincture, garnished subtly with a single lavender stem.Do not be tempted to go past the exhilarating pre-starters. The spanner crab and corn Portuguese tart features delicately sweet hand-picked crab meat encased in the flakiest, butteriest pastry you’ll ever have had. Foie gras macaron is a featherlight duck parfait spiked with Vadouvan spice and sauternes, meticulously piped between crisp macaron shells. (The expression “melts in your mouth” is trés passe here – it literally dissolves.) Sturgeon caviar canelé is intense and delightfully strange. Inky in colour, bittersweet in flavour, it’s filled with whipped crème fraîche and topped wi

The capacious Crown Street site formerly known as Toko is now the home of Andrew Becher’s latest grand venture, Armorica. No stranger to dropping a casual few mill on a resplendent refit, this grandiose renewal is as tastefully opulent as one has come to expect from the self-confessed Francophile behind Potts Point’s fine-dining duo Franca and Parlar. Once liberated from your coat, deftly hung in the foyer’s bespoke, European oak closet by your impossibly elegant host, you’ll be whisked through the magnificent dining room to your seats. Italian marble, tufted cherry leather, naval brass railings and gilded lamps atop each table – it’s entirely evident that not a single expense has been spared. This lavish commitment to only the finest of things extends beyond the floor to the sweeping, open kitchen – the back wall of which is lined with exquisite scarlet tiles imported from Spain. At its heart is the custom-built, five-metre-long Josper grill (legendary in the world of charcoal gastronomy for bringing the age-old art of fire pit cooking to the world's contemporary kitchens). It is here that executive chef Jose Saulog brings Armorica’s extensive menu spectacularly to life, as gleaming towers heaving with oysters, coral trout crudo, rock lobster and prawn cocktails are effortlessly plucked from the pass. If one were to go all out, you may wish to indulge in warm doughnut balls stuffed with oozing, melted brie, capped with generous signature caviar quenelles, perhaps with a fros

Bang smack off one of Bondi’s busiest side streets sits a twinkling, festoon-lit laneway where you can discover the closest thing to a European piazza that this sun-soaked slice of Sydney has ever seen.  There, sitting pretty beside the casual, coastal warehouse space where chef Orazio D’Elia kick started his career, you will find his latest gift to this iconic beachside suburb - Ori’s Bar. A salmon-pink painted, cocktail-cart-and-juke-joint, this neighbourhood nook is a relaxed, unpretentious, drink and dine space, channelling long and lazy Italiano summers. Offering friendly table-side service to just 30 walk-in guests, and tucked well away from the chaos of the beach’s main drag, Ori’s bar feels almost like D’Elia’s living room - the perfect spot to settle in for an evening and enjoy the vibes being well and truly in your own hands.  Take your pick of the 80s disco bangers thoughtfully pre-loaded into the retro music machine, then sink comfortably into one of the many cane lounges, scattered with fat, feather cushions and super-soft throws.    Once there you can confidently make the big decisions - Aperol Spritz or Negroni? Then, which delicious bar snacks from the eponymous restaurant, Da Orazio, next door? Perhaps, you too, would feel it rude not to kick things off with the owner’s namesake cocktail, ‘Orazio’, combining vodka, sweet watermelon, handmade limoncello, fresh mint and cucumber. Don’t be fooled into thinking this pink vodka concoction will be overly sweet or ‘

Just thirty three kilometres from Katoomba lies arguably the Blue Mountains’ best kept secret. The tiny town of Kanimbla has a residence of just 151 people, and (at almost 700m above sea level) is one of the highest localities in all of New South Wales. The area boasts arresting rural panoramas and the Hilltop Cabin, perched at the summit of Mt. Kanimbla, is the ultimate lodging from which to behold them in all their glory.  The drive to the cabin is the most magnificent prelude imaginable, with vistas from the winding, unmarked road that belie the fact you’re still less than two hours away from Sydney’s CBD. Soaring eucalyptus trees, rugged, silvery natives and clumps of wild, sun-burnished grass cascade and climb the ravines. Drive slowly and drink it all in, for you’re on country time, now. Besides - you might need to stop for a pottering local wombat, or an energetically bounding wallaby. The Hilltop Cabin is one of four boutique havens owned by Logan Brae Retreats. Set across two wild, sprawling estates, they have been voted one of the ‘top three most wish-listed properties’ on Airbnb for their unique, unrivalled escapes surrounded by the untamed scenery of world-heritage listed Australia. The steep, dirt road that carves and climbs to the very peak of the Kanimbla Valley finally reveals the secluded, deluxe cabin. Entirely hidden away from the world, nestled amongst ancient, sweeping landscape, the Hilltop Cabin is the optimum location to do little more than simply exis

Unless you’re a local, a night-out in Manly almost feels like you need to pack your passport. But sitting aboard the rear deck of the ferry, enjoying the cheapest cruise across one of the most beautiful harbour cities in the world, it feels like a fabulous adventure. You'll be docking at the recently renovated Manly Wharf in no time, where mere metres up the Esplanade, in a revamped garage beneath the 4 Pines brewpub, sits Manly’s newest watering hole, Block’s Bar. It’s pretty difficult to miss. Not only because it’s delightfully bathed in flirty, hot pink neon but because the DJ thinks he’s playing a superclub in Ibiza. He is absolutely going for it, there are about four people inside, and it’s not quite 8pm. Good on him.  The best seats in the house are the large wooden tables on the covered front terrace where you can get comfy beneath twinkling fairy lights and hanging baskets of burgeoning tropical ferns, just a few feet away from the bar. The drinks list features all the usual suspects from 4 Pines, then there’s boozy seltzers and spicy, rum-spiked ginger beers from their ready-to-drink range, Brookvale Union. A chalkboard propped on the bar top offers some suspiciously polite sounding shots, like a ‘CS Cowboy’ and a ‘Wet Cat’. For eighteen bucks you could get yourself a Margarita, but sadly it’s not freshly shaken, rather pulled from a tap. The cocktail list features other classics like Aperol Spritz and Espresso Martini, alongside in-house creations such as ‘The Block

Sitting quietly on Potts Point's main drink-and-dine artery, Macleay Street, is an unassuming glass shopfront. Sheer, floor-to-ceiling drapes veil the interior from the footpath, but tease passersby just a little — emitting a warm, ambient glow. You wouldn’t immediately think this façade sneakily harboured one of the ritziest celebrations of Catalonian cuisine this city has ever seen, but it does. In the latest venture from Sydney restaurateur Andrew Becher, opulent Potts Point brasserie, Franca, now has a sister (and next door neighbour) in Mediterranean fine-diner, Parlar. With an ultra-luxe fitout featuring sleek European oak joinery, plush velvet upholstery in autumnal hues and Alex Calder tapestries circa 1975, it’s retro done with wanton abandon. Once seated by a charming and besuited front-of-house member, why not indulge in one of their signature Còctels? The Catalan Sour compromises Tanqueray gin, shaken with apple and jalapeño syrup, elderflower, fresh cucumber, lemon and espelette pepper. It’s fresh, smoky and delightfully frothy. ​​Salut i força al canut!  Now, you simply must try the tapas, preferably with a glass of organic, biodynamic Parés Baltà cava to hand. The bacalao croquette with sturgeon caviar, Olasagasti anchovy churro with crème fraîche and gilda toasts are all exceedingly good, but the absolute standout is the morcilla sandwich with allioli. It is imperative you leave any preconceived bias you may have toward blood sausage at the door — it’s a menu

Piling out of the elevator, onto the first floor of Sydney’s historic Gowings Building, the ornate, art deco gilding of the State Theatre feels a world away, despite being only just beneath your feet. Far removed from the overt, grand elegance of 1920s gothicism downstairs, the QT Hotel exudes sophisticated swagger and contemporary cool.   Old New York-style stage lights point the way up an industrial, wooden staircase to the recently reborn Gowings Bar and Grill. Though it takes its inspiration from Little Italy and the state-side steakhouse scene, Gowings 2.0 is a thoroughly new era, an utterly fresh reimagining under the direction of acclaimed British chef and genuinely good geezer, Sean Connolly (the Morrison Bar and Oyster Room). After being greeted with cheerful exuberance and warm hospitality, be swept past the impressive, open kitchens to your table, admiring a magnificent monster of a bistecca fiorentina, resting on the pass, along the way. The dining room is expansive, and the experience immersive, with bold elements of art, high fashion, glamour and fine dining, dashes of punk and just a sprinkling of indie sleaze. In true old-world style, start with a Vesper, a classic Bond drink made with gin, vodka and lillet blanc. In a spectacular show of tableside bartending, a martini cart will pull up beside you, and emerging from a dramatic cloud of liquid nitrogen, the bartender shakes and decants the crystal-clear cocktails into frosty, white goblets. Garnished with pape

From the industry legends that brought us Sydney institutions Tio’s, Cantina OK and the Cliff Dive comes the next great nocturnal adventure: Bar Planet, a psychedelic Inner West dive-bar re-imagining the world's most divisive cocktail, the Martini. Located smack-bang on gritty, emerging drink and dine strip Enmore Road, Bar Planet illuminates the well trod sidewalk with its signage’s neon blue hue. Inside, bent-up wrought iron light fittings reminiscent of space junk, loom over patrons while they snack on paper bags full of popcorn at the intergalactic themed bar. Worthy of a stint in a gallery, the bar top is designed by terrazzo-wizard and artiste extraordinaire David Humphries. Studded with chunks of onyx, quartz and bright jewel-toned glass, offset with sparkling stars, glow-in-the-dark galaxies and explosive suns; it’s a bonafide showpiece. Upon easing into the bar we were offered a ‘mouthful Martini’ — a martini shot poured from spectacular heights from an impressive Spanish carafe. At once we wonder how we’ve wasted our lives shooting other spirits, while a fellow patron can be heard exclaiming: "That was a romantic explosion in my mouth." Of course we had to try the Bar Planet classic Martini made with Infinite Spirit and garnished with a green olive stuffed with lemon jelly. The Infinite Spirit is a world first. Co-owners Jeremy Blackmore, Daisy Tulley and Alex Dowd worked on this at Marrickville’s Poor Tom’s Distillery. A seasonal gin made with local produce (in thi

In the bougie backstreets of Potts Point, beneath the reaching boughs of a majestic, fairy-lit tree sits Casa Merida; a gloriously ornate Victorian townhouse serving cocktails and cuisine plucked straight from Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. The word ‘grand’ doesn’t quite do this casa justice, with cascading drapes, glittering chandeliers, luxe potted palms and an antique mirrored ceiling making it positively palatial. Ensconced amongst plush cushions on the belle-epoque style front terrace — with a smokey, mezcal margarita in hand — you'll feel rather regal, too. The casa’s name pays homage to Mérida, the cultural capital of the Yucatán state. An ancient city, rich in colonial history, Casa Merida honours the Mayan and Spanish influences of its namesake in each and every drink and dish. Blue swimmer crab infladitas are a truly spectacular inaugural course. A puffed blue-corn tortilla popped atop a pile of sweet, handpicked crab meat, spiked with mango and habanero mojo. A textural party and beautifully balanced, and we suspect, a tough act to follow. The ceviche tostada pulls it off, however. Delicate cubes of raw Kingfish, cured in piquant lime juice, manage to be fresh, light and zesty but also wonderfully deep and flavourfully complex. Spooned generously onto the tostada, which is flash-fried until its surface erupts into thin, crispy bubbles, this too is an absolute delight. If your glass runs woefully empty, and the margarita lacked the punchiness that it would have had wer