It may appear to be just an average shopfront, maybe it’s an unmarked door down a dark alleyway, but these nondescript facades are an entrance to another world. Sydney’s hidden bars offer some of the city’s coolest sips... if you can find them.
Nov 2022 -
3
min readThe Doss House
Where: The Rocks
The best speakeasies are the ones that tell a story, and The Doss House, an intimate whisky bar housed in a 170-year-old stone building in The Rocks, has plenty. Before it became the upscale cocktail haven it is today, this historic underground lair lived many lives: a former convict hospital, bootmaker’s, opium den and boarding house. Now, the heritage-listed bar features intimate rooms, an original fireplace, and a 150-strong collection of whiskies.
Couple in the courtyard at The Doss House, The Rocks
The Cumberland
Where: Manly
Don’t be fooled by the cheese and charcuterie, Cove Deli in Manly is a portal to one of the most stylish bars on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. A 1920s-era refrigerator leads to a descending spiral staircase into The Cumberland, an underground drinking den where reclaimed timber and antique brass mix with original convict-laid brickwork. There are more than 250 whiskies to choose from along with craft beers, natural wines and cocktails. And, if you’re peckish, meat and cheese boards from the deli above can be sent down by dumbwaiter.
Entrance to The Cumberland bar, Manly
Ramblin Rascal Tavern
Where: CBD
Near the corner of Park and Elizabeth Streets in the City Centre, a black sign with three skulls lets you know you’ve found the staircase to the basement to join the Ramblin Rascal Tavern crew. Down here the drink of choice is a good cognac, but if you’re not ready to join that revolution you can rest assured that their cocktail game is on point and their bar banter is strong. Pull up a seat and be entertained.
Ramblin Rascal Tavern, Sydney CBD
Earl’s Juke Joint
Where: Newtown
On the outside, Earl’s Juke Joint, in the inner west suburb of Newtown, looks like a 1950s butcher shop. On the inside you’ll find dark timber floorboards, a tin-covered ceiling, posters of blues legends and an inviting 11-metre-long bar. Southern US-inspired cocktails, craft beers and natural wines are the stars of the drinks list.
Drinks at Earl's Juke Joint, Newtown
Double Deuce Lounge
Where: CBD
A lone security guard on Bridge Street signals the entrance to this underground bar, a love letter to the ‘70s with wood panelling and red leather banquettes. Double Deuce Lounge was named after the dive bar in the Patrick Swayze movie Road House, but feels more like it’s tapping into Boogie Nights with its adults-only VHS menu covers and fur-covered walls. As you may have guessed, it’s all about cocktails and flirty fun here.
Double Deuce Lounge, Bridge St, Sydney
Apollonia
Where: Circular Quay
This little Sicilian cocktail bar is tucked away in the basement of heritage-listed sandstone building Hinchcliff House, a stone’s throw from Circular Quay. Named after the tragic wife of Michael Corleone in The Godfather, Apollonia is moody and intimate, dimly lit with flickering candles and detailed with marble, wood and gold finishes. The drinks menu is Italian-inspired (think pineapple negronis and lemon myrtle limoncellos) and the food is of the same flavour (arancini, goats curd crostini, cheese and cured meats).
Employees Only
Where: CBD
When the original Employees Only opened in New York City it was located behind a clairvoyant’s salon on Hudson Street. These days a neon ‘Psychic’ sign is also found above the speakeasy-style bar in Singapore, Los Angeles and Sydney, where you can walk down the stairs off Barrack Street to find a tarot reader in a heritage-listed basement. The cocktail list at Sydney’s Employees Only includes nods to New York with the West Side and EO Manhattan, while the menu goes full luxe, with seafood guazzetto, Tomahawk steak and more.
Employees Only, Martin Place
Eau De Vie
Where: CBD
Like its now-closed Darlinghurst original, Eau De Vie 2.0's enormous back bar takes centerstage, where bartenders shake, stir, flame and throw signature Eau De Vie creations like the Smokey Rob Roy, Espresso Zabaione and Yuzu Mule. While the address may say George Street, the entrance to the dimly-lit, speakeasy-style bar can be found on Wynyard Lane. Created with "the discerning bon vivant" in mind, its the perfect spot for those looking for a glam night out.
Stitch
Where: CBD
It may look like a seamstress’s shop with sewing machines and spools of thread, but once you step through the doors on York Street, in the YCK Laneways precinct of the CBD, and make your way down the grand staircase you’ll find a bar named Stitch. Take a seat in a leather booth where the vintage lights are low, sip a tropical tequila concoction in a peach can, and try to decide between a classic hotdog and one made with duck sausage, burgers, hot wings and mac n' cheese balls from the American diner-inspired menu.
Stitch Bar, Sydney CBD
Centro 86
Where: CBD
Hosking’s Place laneway, a tiny alleyway off Pitt Street, may not look like one of the hottest places to drink in the city, but head through the fire exit (with the illuminated Centro 86 sign above it) and you’ll enter a subterranean tequila-filled party palace. From the team behind some of Sydney’s best cocktail bars (Cantina OK!, Bar Planet, Tio’s) Centro 86 fits in with the family. Find 100 different tequilas, five different margaritas, fruity shaved ice concoctions, cosy booths and their signature free spiced popcorn.
Papa Gede's
Where: CBD
Located in what was previously a garage in a laneway off Kent Street, Papa Gede's is an intimate cocktail haunt channelling the spirit of New Orelans. Slinging out classic, tiki and original cocktails, plus craft beers, wines and a smorgasbord of absinthes, some must-try's from the menu include the Haunted Cherry (a fruity vodka collins), The Zombie (rum, apricot brandy and citrus, served "strong enough to wake the dead"), and the Mental Clarity (a clarified milk punch with rum, rye and tonka bean).
The Library Bar
Where: CBD
It’s one of Sydney oldest and grandest buildings, yet even many Sydneysiders don’t know that the rooftop of the State Library has its very own cocktail bar. Peek around the side of the building to the aptly named Shakespeare Place, find the lift and head up to the rooftop. Along with up-close city skyline views, the open rooftop offers a lesser-known panorama of the harbour and Royal Botanic Garden. On the menu you’ll find an ode to NSW suppliers, from pinot noir from Tumburumba to Hickson Road gin and local cheeses.
Huelo
Where: Newtown
Part general store and wine bar, part cocktail bar, Huelo has just made choosing where to go for a tipple along the bustling King Street even harder. The brainchild of two Sydney hospitality heavyweights – Dre Walters from Old Mate’s Place and Swan 'Swanny' Kanongataa from Bistecca – you are guranteed to be in safe hands. Venture beyond the general store up front (selling bottles of wine and artisan pantry items) to find the speakeasy-style, 12-seater bar mixing up tropical cocktails. The courtyard is a great perch for whiling away an afternoon in the sun.
Door Knock
Where: CBD
While you no longer need to knock three times when you arrive at "the door with a brass pineapple", the journey to this tucked-away watering hole is still an adventure. Enter via a fire door next to an unassuming sandwich shop on Pitt Street, then follow a corridor so long you will assume you are lost on your first visit. After a recent glow-up, the space itself is homey and reminiscent of a Parisian neighbourhood bar, with vintage mirrors, herringbone panelling, marble tables and flower-like lampshades.
The Lobo
Where: CBD
Named after Julio Lobo, Cuba's last sugar baron, The Lobo was one of the original hidden bars among the many now on offer in the YCK Laneways precinct. If you have your Airpods in, you may easily miss it, with one of the only clues that it exists the sound of Cuban rhythms echoing up the curved staircase. Follow them down to find a small bar with a big focus on all things rum: think rum from Barbados, Bermuda, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Martinique and Panama, among others.
Old Love's
Where: CBD
Tucked away in the basement below Old Mate’s Place, and from the same team, you will find Old Love’s. Rum is the main event here – Caribbean rum in particular – and on entry you're even handed the Book of Rum, written by co-owner Dre Walters, outlining the rums on offer alongside cocktail suggestions. Bar snacks are also tiki-inspired: mini Cubanos, jerk chicken sandwiches and chorizo with house chimichurri mayo.
