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Best Cocktail Bars in Sydney
The best cocktail bars in Sydney include the sky-high Dean & Nancy on 22, the subterranean Apollonia, and the award-winning Maybe Sammy.
Sydney’s best cocktail bars are dotted throughout the city and can be found in every nook and cranny, from underground sandstone speakeasies like The Doss House in The Rocks, to the glamorous sky-high Dean & Nancy on 22. They’re crammed into disused car spaces (here’s looking at you Cantina OK!) and, like the Tailor Room, built into historical spaces with nods to the past. These are the Sydney cocktail bars our editors guarantee are a cut above.
Best Cocktail Bars in Sydney CBD
Bar Conte
As the world’s first and only dedicated Negroni bar, Bar Conte is the place to be for any vermouth, bitters and amari lovers out there. You’ll have around 40 Negroni variations to choose from at any given moment, alongside a selection of antipasti and homemade pasta. The interiors add to the indulgence of the moment with green marble, soaring ceilings and ambient lighting.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Date night, Group dining, Weekend plans
PS40
If you’re after some seriously technical and creative cocktails, PS40 is the place to get them. Here, it’s all about technique, seasonality, experience and complex flavour. Far from gimmicky, you’ll find each cocktail a curated and drinkable piece of art. The ingredients themselves are lure enough. Think cumin & caraway seed vodka, stewed Granny Smith apples and salted bay leaf.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Date night, Late night, Weekend plans
Maybe Sammy
A regular on the World’s 50 Best List, Maybe Sammy is a Sydney institution with a reputation. Inspired by 1950s Hollywood and Vegas glamour and the hotel bar-style service of decades past, the vibe is elegant and classic. Inspired by classic films, each cocktail is a masterclass in precision and balance. If you’re feeling extra, opt for the trolley service.
Suburb: The Rocks
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Cocktail lovers, Weekend plans, Date night
Best Hidden Cocktail Bars in Sydney
Cantina OK!
One of Sydney’s most intimate bars, Cantina OK! proves good things come in small packages. Specialising in small-batch mezcal, it’s all about classic cocktails and margaritas. With space for only two bartenders, you might have to be patient, but the hand-shaven ice and hand-pressed limes make it well worth the wait.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Cocktail lovers, Date night, Weekend plans
Apollonia
Located in a historic sandstone basement, Apollonia has all the trappings of a speakeasy with the added polish of a classic cocktail bar. We’re talking velvet curtains, candlelight, gold trimmings and red leather banquettes. The cocktail menu is divided into four acts, evoking mystery, drama, fun and love respectively.
Suburb: Circular Quay
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Cocktail lovers, Date night, Weekend plans
The Doss House
A former opium den and ex-boarding house, The Doss House comes with its own generous slice of history. This is one for the whisky lovers, with over 150 curated drops to sample. There are plenty of places to settle throughout the venue, from the festoon light-strewn courtyard to the fireplace and cosy sandstone rooms. Whilst the focus is on whisky, you’ll also find signature cocktails doused with vodka, gin and mezcal.
Sitchu Tip: The Doss House is also a great venue for live music, with the bar hosting live musicians six nights a week.
Suburb: The Rocks
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Date night, Late night, Weekend plans
Tailor Room
This intimate, 20-seat cocktail bar offers something a little different. Inspired by former occupants, the cocktail list revolves around textures, with each of the ten signature cocktails on the menu inspired by different fabrics. Silk is a showcase of smoothness, blending gin with coconut and rose geranium and a whisper of sandalwood, whilst Denim is a tall, fizzy cocktail with a hue mirroring the fabric’s signature tint. Think a twist of ginger and bergamot with a golden shimmer garnish that is a clever nod to denim’s signature stitching.
Suburb: The Rocks
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Date night, Cocktail lovers, Weekend plans
Best Cocktail Bars in Sydney With a View
Dean & Nancy On 22
From the same team behind Maybe Sammy, Dean & Nancy On 22 is the sky-high, mid-century cocktail bar to bookmark when you’re after city views and the drinks to match. Both the interiors and cocktail menu have been inspired by pop culture mid-century moments and involve just the right amount of theatre. Live piano adds to the elevated vibe whilst a selection of classics and seasonal favourites keep thirst at bay.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Date night, Late night, Cocktail lovers
Need To Know: You’ll want to book in advance for a coveted window seat if you’re heading in for the views.
JŌJI
Soak up views from the fifth floor of the Cartier flagship store whilst you sip on creative cocktails inspired by Shibui (simplicity), Wabi Sabi (imperfection) and Datsuzoku (creativity) at JŌJI. The food offering is equally well thought out by Executive Chef Paul Farag. The menu is divided into three sections — raw, not raw and robata — with the addition of a late-night menu featuring a Japanese wagyu bolognese burger.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Date night, Late night, Cocktail lovers
FAQs About the Best Cocktail Bars in Sydney
Sydney’s best cocktail bars span the city, from CBD icons to hidden speakeasies and sky-high rooftops. Standouts include Maybe Sammy in The Rocks, a regular on the World’s 50 Best Bars list, and Dean & Nancy on 22, the elevated mid-century bar from the same team. For something more intimate, seek out Cantina OK! or the sandstone basement of Apollonia. Whether you’re after technical, seasonal cocktails at PS40 or a Negroni at Bar Conte, Sydney delivers across every style, suburb and price point.
Sydney’s best hidden cocktail bars reward those willing to look a little harder. Cantina OK! is one of the city’s most intimate spots, tucked into a laneway with room for just two bartenders and a focus on small-batch mezcal. Apollonia sits in a historic sandstone basement in Circular Quay, all velvet curtains and candlelight. The Doss House, a former opium den in The Rocks, hides over 150 whiskies across cosy sandstone rooms. Tailor Room rounds out the list with just 20 seats and a fabric-inspired menu.
For cocktails with a view, Dean & Nancy on 22 is the one to bookmark. Perched high above the CBD, this mid-century bar comes from the team behind Maybe Sammy and pairs sweeping city views with live piano and a menu inspired by pop-culture mid-century moments. Expect just the right amount of theatre, alongside a rotating selection of classics and seasonal favourites. It’s an ideal choice for date night or a late-night drink when you want elevated surrounds to match the skyline. Book ahead for the best window seats.
Nearly every bar on this list suits a date night, but a few stand out. Apollonia leans into romance with candlelight, gold trimmings and red leather banquettes, plus a menu divided into four acts of mystery, drama, fun and love. Maybe Sammy brings 1950s Hollywood glamour and precise, balanced cocktails, while Tailor Room offers an intimate 20-seat setting with a genuinely unique fabric-inspired list. For date night with a view, Dean & Nancy on 22 delivers city vistas and live piano to seal the mood.
Yes, Sydney is home to several bars built around a single obsession. Bar Conte is the world’s first and only dedicated Negroni bar, offering around 40 variations at any time alongside antipasti and homemade pasta. Cantina OK! specialises in small-batch mezcal, classic cocktails and margaritas, complete with hand-shaven ice and hand-pressed limes. The Doss House is a haven for whisky lovers, with more than 150 curated drops. PS40, meanwhile, is all about technique and seasonality, turning ingredients like cumin-caraway vodka and salted bay leaf into drinkable art.
If you loved this edit of the best cocktail bars in Sydney, find more places to sip with our guide to the best bars in Sydney this year and the best rooftop bars in Sydney.
