The 50 best bars in NSW according to bartenders
What makes a great bar? There’s the hospitality, first and foremost — it helps, too, if the drinks are delicious. You want a well designed place, somewhere nice to spend some time in — you want atmosphere, experience, and a good time. You also want a sense of place. That’s what the Boothby Best Bars awards are about. We asked bartenders and bar owners to nominate the bars they think are best in their state. And then we polled 100 of them — elite bartenders, influential bar operators, and the smartest bar industry figures — to find out how the rankings should look. The result? The Boothby 50 Best Bars in NSW. Get a look at the list below.
1. Double Deuce Lounge
6 Bridge St, Sydney | @doubledeucelounge | doubledeucelounge.com
Double Deuce Lounge is a cocktail bar, sure, but it’s one that skips the pretence and self-congratulatory seriousness that plagues some cocktail bars — which is to say that this place is a good time. It just happens to be a good time with drinks made with leading edge technique. Set in the basement of an old building on Bridge Street in the Sydney CBD, Double Deuce Lounge is the second bar from the ownership trio behind Ramblin’ Rascal Tavern: Dardan Shervashidze, Sebastian Soto, and Charlie Lehmann. They have just celebrated their fifth birthday, and go from strength to strength under new general manager and long time bartender Alicia Clarke.
2. The Waratah
308-310 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst | @thewaratahsydney | thewaratahsydney.com
When The Waratah opened in early December of 2023, the two-level corner bar quickly became a favourite of off-duty bartenders and hangers-on (guilty as charged) looking for good drinks. Its neighbourhood bar atmosphere is paired with drinks that are as good as you’ll find at any bar on any world’s best list, and there are elevated dishes coming from the venue’s kitchen team. But it’s the hospitality here that distinguishes it from other bars: the bartenders are down to earth, eager to look after you, and passionate — in an unpretentious way — about what they do.
3. Old Love’s
Basement/199 Clarence St, Sydney | @oldlovessyd | oldloves.sydney
Old Love’s is the second bar from Old Mate’s Place owner Dre Walters and Adam Cork, and lives in the basement of the same building. The narrow, subterranean space once housed their popup bar, Ginny’s Canoe Club; relaunching in late October last year, Old Love’s is a rum and cocktail bar that’s big on hospitality, all the while putting a spotlight on the wonderful and often confusing world of rum.
4. Maybe Sammy
115 Harrington St, The Rocks | @maybe_sammy_sydney | maybesammy.com
Maybe Sammy has been the city’s most talked about bar since it opened in early 2019 on a dreary stretch of street in The Rocks; since then, a combination of theatrics, over the top good times, attentive and fun service, and delicious drinks have kept punters coming back. There’s a reason they’ve been named the best bar in Australasia five times, and landed on The World’s 50 Best every year since opening — they’re irrepressible when it comes to the guest experience, the kind of bar you leave having had your night made better, and with a story to tell.
5. Old Mate’s Place
Level 4/199 Clarence St, Sydney | @oldmatesplace | oldmates.sydney
If you’re going to Old Mate’s Place — and you should be — you’re best advised to get there early, particularly if the sun is shining, the weather is warm, and you want a seat on its small outdoor rooftop; it’s often busy here, because people love it here. Ascend a rickety elevator to the fourth floor and you’ll find Old Mate’s Place — it’s like walking into an old library overgrown with foliage, with a stately bar thrust into the middle of it all. You’ll snack on Philly cheesesteak variations, and drink the cocktails — the Pandan Airways landed on the Boothby Drink of the Year Top 50 in both 2022 and 2023 — but the main attraction here has always been the service. It’s friendly, familiar, relaxed — it has the comfortable feel of popping around to the place of a friend (or indeed, your old mate).
6. PS40
40 King St, Sydney | @ps40bar | ps40bar.com
One thing is guaranteed on any PS40 visit: you’ll be served some of the best drinks in Australia right now. PS40 is the home of the Africola, the confounding hot and cold drink that was named the 2022 Drink of the Year (the drink has become so famous that it even has its own tee shirt today). But if you skip past the Africola you’ll find a smart and delicious list of cocktails (the Basque Old Fashioned never disappoints) with rich flavour combinations and a focus on pleasing people’s palates — smart drinks that everyone loves.
7. Cantina OK!
Council Pl, Sydney | @cantina.ok | okokok.com.au
It’s the little bar that does big things on the global stage. From the owners of the Mucho Group (Bar Planet, Tio’s, Cantina OK!, Centro 86) Cantina OK! is unlike any other bar in the world. In a space the size of a one car garage they’ve put together a collection of mezcal you won’t find anywhere else. That’s because they’ve travelled to Mexico and visited the palenques dotted throughout the countryside to find the stuff. Top that unique product with some of the most knowledgeable and generous service in the city, and you can see why this bar has been featured on lists of the world’s very best bars. Our tip? Get there early — there’s only space for a couple handfuls of people — order their Margarita OK!, and let them take you on a journey.
8. Caterpillar Club
92 Pitt St, Sydney | @thecaterpillarclubsydney | swillhouse.com/venues/the-caterpillar-club/
To say that Caterpillar Club was the most talked about opening of 2023 might be an understatement — people are still talking about (and queuing up to get into) the lush, richly designed underground bar and supper club from Sydney’s Swillhouse group, the team behind The Baxter Inn and Shady Pines Saloon.
9. Shady Pines Saloon
4/256 Crown St, Darlinghurst | @shadypinessaloon | shadypinessaloon.com
There’s a reason that the drinking in Sydney’s bars is so good these days, and Shady Pines Saloon is that very reason. All the hallmarks of the bar that first made it great when it opened in 2010 — the attention to detail throughout the bar, the knowledgeable but unstuffy service, the delicious drinks on offer (and all that American whiskey) — you’ll still find at the bar today, and it’s still a drawcard for off duty bartenders on any given Sunday. It’s the home of the Whiskey Apple, and if you like taxidermy in bars, well, they’re to blame. Shady Pines was the winner of the 2023 All Time Great award.
10. Ante
146 King St, Newtown | @ante_syd | ante.bar
We’re not sure sake will ever go mainstream in Sydney, but if one bar was to make a case for it to do so it would be Ante in Newtown. Here you’ll find a dark, moody interior inspired by the idea of Japanese jazz cafes; there’s plenty of vinyl here, and some considered Japanese-inspired eats too — the kitchen and bar sit side by side. But you’d be remiss if you didn’t hit the cocktail list: their House Daiquiri brings yuzushu and shio-koji to the mix — it’s a drink we love.
Person of the Year NSW: Andres Walters
The Person of the Year presented by Jack Daniel’s Bonded is an award that goes to that person in the New South Wales bar scene who has made an outsized impact on the industry, and serves as both a mentor and inspiration to others. Andres Walters is the co-owner of Old Mate's Place, Old Love's and Huelo in Newtown, and has had a long career serving the industry. His influence is felt in the scores of bartenders who have been trained in the bars he has owned, and before that, the bars he managed for others. And his long held and passionate advocacy of rum has helped to make the spirit more popular among the industry and the public alike. Andres was voted the Person of the Year by the 100-strong Boothby advisory panel for New South Wales, consisting of bartenders, bar operators, ambassadors and influential bar industry figures.
11. Bar Planet
16 Enmore Rd, Newtown | @barplanetbar | barplanet.com.au
Bar Planet made a big splash when it debuted in April 2022; with a crack team of bartenders and the desire to upend the idea of a Martini bar and make it into something out of the ordinary, the Newtown bar has been busy since day one. The bartenders here wear smocks, instead of tuxedos, and the decor is more hippy-psychedelic than pressed tin ceilings and brass fixtures. Their Infinite Spirit Martini uses a gin-like spirit they get custom distilled seasonally with different ingredients; the Martini is poured from a porron from a great height for a theatrical flourish.
12. Earl’s Juke Joint
407 King St, Newtown | @earlsjukejoint | earlsjukejoint.com.au
Earl’s Juke Joint is the bar that put the suburb of Newtown on the Sydney drinking map. Before Earl’s opened in 2013, Newtown was about big booze barns and cheap student drinks; today, thanks to trailblazers like Earl’s, it’s one of the most interesting bar scenes in Australia and home to some world class bars. And some 10-plus years on into its run, Earl’s Juke Joint is still operating at the very top of its game. What are we drinking when we're here? The excellent Death Or Glory cocktail, one of the Top 50 Drinks of the Year in 2023.
13. Fortunate Son
105 Enmore Rd, Newtown | @fortunateson_bar | fortunateson.com.au
The tagline at Fortunate Son is cool drinks and warm service, but this bar opposite the Enmore Theatre is so much more. There’s a great selection of cocktails, for one, but it’s the welcome you get, and the way you’re hosted by the bartenders that make it special. Black and white music photography lines the walls of the bar, big neons bathe the place in red, the playlist is all killer, no filler. And better than that, Fortunate Son might just have the most comfortable bar seats in Sydney. Every neighbourhood should be so lucky to have a Fortunate Son in their life.
14. Icebergs Dining Room & Bar
1 Notts Ave, Bondi Beach | @icebergsdiningroomandbar | idrb.com
There’s few dining and drinking destinations offering a better view — and certainly no venue more iconic than Icebergs Dining Room & Bar. Perched upon the cliff overlooking Bondi Beach and with a view out into the Pacific, the venue reopened in 2022 after renovations to celebrate its 20th year. If you’re visiting for your first time, you’ll want bar manager and industry favourite Matty Opai to fix you up a round of their take on the Sgroppino cocktail — an iconic drink in an iconic location.
15. The Baxter Inn
152/156 Clarence St, Sydney | @thebaxterinnsydney | thebaxterinn.com
When The Baxter Inn made its debut in 2011, it changed what was possible in the Sydney bar world. What is it that makes The Baxter Inn one of the world’s great bars? It could be the huge whisky selection, specialising in single malt Scotch, hundreds and hundreds of bottles on hand. It could be the short yet sharp cocktail list, or the well-drilled team’s dab hand with classic cocktails. It could be the atmosphere — it’s always busy and buzzy. It could be the the look of this basement beauty of a bar, inspired by the Boston boozers of the 1800s; grab a seat at the long bar that runs the length of one side of the room, and marvel at that back bar. Or you could pop your head in and admire the beauty of their whisky room, where they keep some of their most precious and rare whiskies. Essentially, it could be many things, because The Baxter Inn does many things very well.
16. Dean & Nancy on 22
2 Hunter St, Sydney | @deanandnancyon22 | deanandnancyon22.com.au
Dean & Nancy on 22 has all the makings of a great hotel bar. It has the setting right: high atop the city streets of Sydney on the 22nd floor of the A by Adina hotel, Dean & Nancy is perched among the skyscrapers, with floor to ceiling windows affording a view from the bar like nothing else in town. With a sweeping staircase ascending to the bar, a grand piano, and some top-notch, sharply-suited bartenders on the stick, it definitely has that ‘grand hotel bar’ feeling right. What it does best, however, is all down to the people who work there — they know how to make someone feel special, taking pride in creating moments for their guests to remember.
17. Ramblin’ Rascal Tavern
18. El Primo Sanchez
27-33 Oxford St, Paddington | @elprimosanchezsydney | elprimosanchez.com
El Primo Sanchez is proof that tequila and karaoke can be beautiful. This bar, from the folks behind Maybe Sammy, is their love letter to all things Mexico: the food, the spirits, the love for living life out loud. Bar manager Eduardo Conde is one of the stars of the next generation of bartending talents, and his cocktails at El Primo Sanchez are smartly packaged — they deliver on both flavour and accessibility, and his Primo Margarita any bar a run for the title of the best Marg in town.
19. Burrow Bar
96 Clarence St, Sydney | @burrow_bar | burrowbar.com.au
It’s not always the case that a bar can move from one location to another and keep their regulars, but Burrow Bar is one which has done just that. Owners Chau Tran and Bryce McDonough have created a home away from home for many an off-duty bartender, because the emphasis here has always been on sharing an intimate hospitality. After five years in a basement on De Mestre Place off George Street, the bar relocated to Clarence Street in 2021, bringing not just their regulars (and impressive collection of booze) with them, but bringing in new fans of the bar, too.
20. Centro 86
Basement 86/88 Pitt St, Sydney | @centro.86 | centro86.com
Take three flights of stairs down into the basement at the back off a chemist on Pitt St, and you’ll find the aroma of popcorn and an enthusiastic greeting from the bartenders of Centro 86. Dressed in crisp white shirts and Kermit green waistcoats, each embroidered with the Centro 86 logo, the greeting gets your night started as they want it to go on — a little loud, friendly, and fun. Here, it’s all about approachable tequila cocktails — they spell it cockteles — and housemade ingredients. Note the decor, too: there are 118 original pieces created by Mucho Group art director Clayton Ciolac which feel like they could have been made from the late 1800s through to the art deco period and on — exactly the kind of art a bar would collect over the course of a hundred years.
21. Apollonia
5-7 Young St, Sydney | @apolloniabar | apollonia.sydney
Apollonia is the Sydney basement bar named for a character from The Godfather, with a signature Negroni on tap and home to some thoughtful cocktails and a buzzy atmosphere. Here you’ll find a team dedicated to service, with Mahbub Hasan, Sofie McKeever-Ford, and Judith Zhu (ex-Door Knock.) leading the crew.
22. Bar Sumi
23. Jangling Jack’s
175 Victoria St, Potts Point | @jangling.jacks
Jangling Jack’s has been one of the city’s best neighbourhood joints since opening in late 2015, and that’s because everything — from the fit out, to the rockingly well curated playlist, to the drinks and the eats — is well considered and taken care of for you (you just have to sit back and enjoy it).
24. The Cumberland
17/19 Central Ave, Manly | @cumberlandmanly | cumberlandmanly.com.au
The Cumberland, led by owner and bartender Pete Ehemann, has created something unique, elevated, and full of character — a beacon of good drinking on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. There is a smart list of thoughtful cocktails here, and some good eats to be had too — but it is the service that has people coming from all over to visit.
25. The Magpie
156 Enmore Rd, Enmore | @magpieenmore
The Magpie might quality for Sydney’s smallest pub, but there has been some big love for the place since they opened in February of this year. The Magpie is a small 30 person capacity sports pub smack bang in the heart of Enmore Road’s booming hospitality scene — inspired in part by rugby league legend Tommy Raudonikis — and brought to you by the folks behind Jacoby’s Tiki Bar a few doors down.
26. Tucano’s
277 Goulburn St, Surry Hills | @tucanoslounge | tucanos.com.au
You’ve got to love a bar that has been handbuilt by the owners themselves: Tucano’s opened in the old Cafe Lounge space just off Crown street in Surry Hills, with modern tropical drinks, eats, and mirrorball fun times to be had — make sure you wear your dancing shoes.
27. Jacoby’s Tiki Bar
154 Enmore Rd, Enmore | @jacobystikibar | jacobys-tiki-bar.com
If we had an award for the best damn tiki joint in NSW, Jacoby’s Tiki Bar would be the perennial favourite. Loosely inspired by the work of director David Lynch, but very much tiki in a considered, smart and tasteful sense, Jacoby’s has created the standard for what every modern day tiki bar should aspire to, with a killer cocktail list that any bar would envy.
28. The Blind Bear
28 Cronulla St, Cronulla | @theblindbear | theblindbear.com
Speak to smart Sydney operators, and if they’ve been to Cronulla they’ll tell you that they love The Blind Bear. They’ve been serving up fine whiskey and cocktails in speakeasy-ish surrounds since 2013.
29. Charlie Parker’s
30. Chuck Trailer's
7/152 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach | @chucktrailers | chucktrailers.com
If you’re a fan of fried chicken and bourbon, then this Bondi bar is one place you’re gonna want to go. Chuck Trailer’s has quickly found favour with hospitality types both within the Bondi bubble and without, the kind of place it’s hard to visit and not have a good time while doing it.
31. JAM Record Bar
320C George St, Sydney | @jamrecordbar | merivale.com/venues/jam-record-bar
The latest bar in Merivale’s hospitality empire is JAM Record Bar: it’s a pink-hued small bar in the Ivy precinct, with design cues inspired by Japan and walls stacked with vinyl; it’s the drinks and the snacks that put this place apart and keep the good looking crowd returning.
32. The Lobo
209 Clarence St, Sydney | @thelobo_syd | thelobo.com.au
You folks like your rum, right? The Lobo celebrates 11 years of faithful service to the Clarence Street bar scene this year, and long may they continue: with a huge and comprehensive selection of rum, and a party starter feeling when the bar begins to hum, The Lobo embodies the good times that rum is all about.
33. Howlin’ Wolf
103/53-61 Crown St, Wollongong | @howlinwolfbar | howlinwolfbar.com.au
Howlin’ Wolf has been flying the flag for good time drinking for the better part of a decade now, and here they love their whiskey, creating a vibrant, loud and distinctive space for Wollongong rascals to revel in.
34. Now & Then
Level 1/222 Clarence St, Sydney | @nowandthen.sydney | nowandthen.sydney
Now & Then is the latest bar to come from hospitality veteran Natalie Ng: sitting at the Town Hall end of Clarence Street, the smartly laid out space draws on the best of the old and new: one half of the drinks list is about classic cocktails from bygone eras, whilst the other is avowedly forward looking. And yes, there is a Toblerone on the list (updated for the modern palate, of course).
35. The Duke of Clarence
152/156 Clarence St, Sydney | @thedukeofclarenceaus | thedukeofclarence.com
Call it a cocktail pub. It’s small — no bigger than any of Sydney’s other small bars — and it is fitted out with warm, inviting wood and stained glass all of which was sourced in the UK. There’s a fireplace for colder evenings, above which a portrait of the pub’s namesake hangs, surrounded on three sides by shelves and shelves of old books.
36. Bar Copains
67 Albion St, Surry Hills | @barcopains | barcopains.com
Think of Bar Copains — a French word for friends, by the way — as your friendly neighbourhood wine bar. It’s more than that, or course — the wine bar today is a cue to eat some excellent snacks in addition to any liquid offerings — and comes from chef owners Nathan Sasi and Morgan McGlone.
37. Huelo
127 King St, Newtown | @huelobar | huelo.com.au
Drawing its name from the Tongan word for sun rays, this Newtown newcomer opened in May last year and quickly found favour with locals for its laidback atmosphere and warm service. Huelo is a bar in two parts: the general store at the front, where wine is what you want, and a cocktail bar upstairs, a venue within a venue according to co-owner and Sydney bar world stalwart Swanny Kanongataa.
38. Continental Deli
210 Australia St, Newtown | @continentaldeli | continentaldelicatessen.com.au
Continental Deli Bar & Bistro in Newtown is unlike any other bar on this list. They’ve been making Gildas and canning drinks long before that became popular — their Martinny is, in our opinion, still one of the best Martinis money can buy. Here, there’s an impressive selection of wine, great cocktails, and all the tinned eats from Europe you could ask for; for our money, it offers Sydney’s best drinking and eating bar experience.
39. Jolene’s Sydney
73 York St, Sydney | @jolenessydney | jolenessydney.com
Jolene’s has brought something a special and unique to the Sydney CBD, with live music most nights and a big time emphasis on country and whiskey. Our tip? Snag one of the red lined booths under a photo of your favourite country singer, hit up the cocktails, and settle in as the lights go down and the volume turns up.
40. Banco
17b Whistler St, Manly | @banco.manly | bancomanly.com
When Banco opened in Manly during the pandemic, it brought another good reason to visit the beachside northern suburb; the cocktails here are all about flavour first and foremost, but given that it’s a bar under the imprint of owner Kurtis Bosley, they throw a fair whack of technique to get to the delicious end result. Throw in some very good food and tasty wines, and you’ve got a wonderful all-round drinks experience on the Beaches.
41. Pleasure Club
6 Wilson St, Newtown | @alwaysapleasure.club | oddculture.group/venue/pleasure-club
Another new bar to open in Newtown over the last couple of years, Pleasure Club is the latest bar to open up from the Odd Culture Group, and it’s got a rather late-trading licence, with the doors closing at 4am. But it’s not a one-dimensional late night boozer the group has opened; instead, they’re catering to all stages of the evening, with doors open at 4pm, a serious drink program and some top flight talent attached to the bar, too. Oh, and you can drink world class calibre cocktails, all while playing a round of pool.
42. Otis
153 Norton St, Leichhardt | @otis.leichhardt | otisbar.au
Otis is a neighbourhood bar, first and foremost; whilst Leichhardt definitely isn’t a long way out, it’s not exactly a quick cab from the Sydney CBD either. But it’s only in recent years that some top level talent has made its way here, and that’s the case with Otis; here you’ll find relaxed, smart neighbourhood hospitality (don’t ring the bell, by the way, or you’ll owe the bar a round) with great cocktails worth leaving the city for.
43. Aster
Level 32/117 Macquarie St, Sydney | @astersydney | sydney.intercontinental.com/dining/aster/
Perched atop the InterContinental hotel 32 floors above the Sydney CBD, Aster is a rooftop bar with unrivalled views of the harbour city. Here you’ll find smart cocktailing — the consultants at Proof Creative worked on the drinks program ahead of its relaunch back in December 2022 — and snackable small plates, but you’ll want to book ahead.
44. The Koutetsu
555 Hunter St, Newcastle West | @the_koutetsu | thekoutetsu.com
We’re a few visits in and we’re still unsure what the name means, but this original Newcastle small bar is still going strong nine years after its debut. You’ll want to be drinking cocktails here — they’re as good as they get up here in Newcastle — and the industrial chic aesthetic feels of a piece with the history of the city.
45. Moya’s Juniper Lounge
101 Regent St, Redfern | @moyasgin | moyasgin.com
Charles Casben has been fighting the good juniper fight at Moya’s Juniper Lounge since 2016 with hundreds of gins lining the back bar. But it’s not just gin you’re coming here for — twice a week, the room fills out for live jazz set amongst the mismatched vintage furniture. You could be forgiven for thinking you’d visited a completely different era, and at Moya’s that’s a deliciously good thing.
46. Dulcie’s Kings Cross
44B Darlinghurst Rd, Potts Point | @dulcieskingscross | dulcieskingscross.com.au
Dulcie’s might just be the most characterful bar on this list. Residing in a former strip club, the stage is still here, with seats ascending up, amphitheatre style, to the bar. But it’s at the bar that the real show happens here, with native ingredients and Australian spirits the specialty.
47. Neighbourhood
143 Curlewis St, Bondi Beach | @neighbourhoodbondi
This longstanding darling of the Bondi bar scene is bright and light, and has been serving up flavour forward cocktails and good times on Curlewis street since 2013. The drinks lean tropical, with a healthy dash of agave cocktails (and all the Margaritas — they’ve got five variations — you need).
48. Pocket Bar Terrigal
74 Terrigal Esplanade, Terrigal | @pocket_terrigal | houseofpocket.com.au/pocket-bar
Pocket Bar Terrigal has been serving the Central Coast for more than a decade, having brought with them all the lessons learned by the House of Pocket group since opening the original Pocket in 2009 in Sydney. Picture an exposed brick space, big graphic murals lining the walls and an emphasis on accessible and delicious cocktails, and you’ve got the right idea.
49. The Hook
1/17 Bayswater Rd, Potts Point | @thehooksydney | thehooksydney.com.au
The Hook is the newly-opened third bar from Bartender magazine owner David Spanton; it’s part piano bar and part oyster bar with walls dotted with bar paraphernalia that Spanton has picked up over his career.
50. Folly’s Bar & Bistro
429 Miller St, Cammeray | @follyssydney | follys.com.au
Those living just to the north of the Sydney Harbour Bridge have often been starved for quality cocktails and food of a level previously reserved for the CBD; they’ve had some reprieve, though, with the opening of Folly’s Bar & Bistro in Cammeray in November 2023. Owners Lachy Sturrock and Sam Smith have brought approachable, but full flavoured and layered cocktails and a smart wine list — along with tap beers for the old boy locals — to the lower North Shore.