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The Best Hidden Bars in Sydney
Hard to find but easy to love: Sydney's best hidden bars and underground hangouts for your next night out.
Sydney’s best hidden bars include Earl’s Juke Joint in Newtown, tucked behind an old butcher’s shopfront, and The Cumberland in Manly, which moonlights as a deli by day. In the CBD, mezcal den Cantina OK! and Caribbean rum bar The Lobo Plantation hold their own behind unmarked doors. Next time you’re looking to quench your thirst, work through this edit of the city’s best hidden bars, hunted down by Sitchu’s ever-curious editors.
Sydney’s Classic Speakeasy Bars
Eau De Vie
Hidden behind an unassuming door in the heart of the CBD, Eau-de-Vie is one of Sydney’s original speakeasies, and still one of its best. Inside, it’s all moody lighting, leather booths and old-world glamour, with bartenders who treat cocktails as theatre. Expect rare whiskies and meticulously crafted cocktail classics.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Date night, Cocktail lovers, Weekend plans
Bar Herbs
Formerly known as the much-loved Herbs Taverne, Bar Herbs is a quiet CBD comeback worth seeking out. Tucked away from the main drag, this low-lit bar trades flash for familiarity, with a relaxed, locals-first feel that makes it easy to lose track of time. Expect well-made cocktails, a thoughtful martini list and the same understated charm that made its predecessor a cult favourite.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Cocktail lovers, Late night, Weekend plans
Palmer & Co
Prohibition-style drinking is hidden in Abercrombie Lane, inside a brick-vaulted basement also known as Palmer & Co. The 1920s-themed cocktail bar offers all the classics as well as share plates for those feeling peckish late into the night. Jazz bands like to entertain, so time your visit with tunes if you can.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Cocktail lovers, Weekend plans, Date night
Best Hidden Bars in Sydney for Whisky, Rum, Mezcal & Wine
Apollonia
Beneath an old wool store in the heart of the city, Apollonia trades in Sicilian romance: dim lighting, old-world detail and a cocktail list built for slow evenings. Not a mixed-drinks person? The wine selection is strong enough to carry the night on its own.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Date night, Late night, Weekend plans
The Doss House
Secluded in Sydney’s historic quarter, The Doss House is a cool basement bar in The Rocks. From boarding house to opium den, the building has a rich history and the latest tenants have created five cosy bar spaces. Front and centre is the whisky offering, with over 150 behind the bar, along with a range of signature cocktails.
Sitchu Tip: The Doss House hosts a regular trad night , which, coupled with a whisky and ensconced in sandstone walls, is the cosiest way you could ever spend an evening.
Suburb: The Rocks
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Cocktail lovers, Date night, Group dining
Letra House
Enter the underground bar via cobblestoned Kent Street and emerge into a haven of exposed brick, walnut-stained timber and mood lighting. Over 50 bottles of wine are available by the glass on any given day, with a focus on lesser-known regions such as Lebanon, USE and Greece. As for bites, Letra House’s menu revolves around Spanish-style plates with tapas, cured meats and larger plates. Keep your eyes peeled for the angel symbol which represents a female winemaker.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail lover
Best For: Cocktail lovers, Date night, Group dining
Marble Bar
Beneath the Hilton in Sydney’s CBD, Marble Bar is a Victorian-style escape with marble and mahogany interiors. From Prohibition mixes to single malt scotch, whiskies and rum, the drinks menu here has bite and offers a killer Negroni. A live music venue too, drinks are often accompanied by good tunes, making it hard to escape.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Date night, Cocktail lovers, Special occasion
The Lobo Plantation
The Lobo Plantation is a Caribbean-themed watering hole with one of the best rum lists in Sydney. With cocktails garnished with flames and high-end rum flights as well as a Cuban-inspired menu, there’s so much to love about this CBD small bar.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Date night, Late night, Weekend plans
Cantina OK!
A self-described micro-mezcal Mecca, Cantina OK! is the epitome of a Sydney small bar. In fact, we’re willing to dub Cantina OK! the smallest of small bars, built atop a disused car space. Stocked with small-batch wonders from handmade agave and tequila, their world-famous margaritas and classic cocktails are made with hand-shaven ice and hand-pressed limes. Down a quirky laneway — eat your heart out, Melbourne! — and just one car wide, just big enough for two bartenders, this is the perfect place for an evening tipple.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Date night, Cocktail lovers, Late night, Locals
Jolene’s
Let’s do Dolly proud by sinking a few at York Street’s Nashville-inspired whiskey, cocktail and live music bar. In the proper Southern tradition, you can expect a back bar over 150 whiskeys strong. Jolene’s pays homage to late nights spent on the town in Nashville. Whisky lovers will rejoice as this bar stocks some of the most delicious and rarest drops usually not available down under, including Angel’s Envy Rye Whisky (if you know you know!).
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Late night, Group dining, Weekend plans
Door Knock
Behind the doors in Sydney’s CBD, you’ll find a veritable wonderland of cocktails, champagne and more. Door Knock is hidden behind a basement security door and marked with a brass pineapple. Knock and see what happens next!
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Late night, Date night, Group dining
Dulcie’s Kings Cross
Cosy but not quaint, Dulcie’s is the mysterious parlour bar that will take your date night to a new level. Dulcie’s Bar has reinvigorated the Golden Mile by slinging prohibition-era cocktails and showcasing some of Sydney’s best underground cabaret acts.
Suburb: Potts Point
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Late night, Date night, Group dining
Charlie Parker’s
Tucked below Fred’s, Paddington’s favourite fine diner, Charlie Parker’s is a stylish, subterranean speakeasy in the heart of Paddington. Perfect for a pre-dinner cocktail or a naughty nightcap, this is one of our favourite hidden bars in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.
Suburb: Paddington
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Date night, late night, Weekend plans
Sydney Bars Hidden Behind Shopfronts and Secret Doors
The Cumberland
If you’re after something a little different, The Cumberland is the place to be. Tucked behind a fridge door in an unassuming laneway, this venue brings an underground speakeasy, with a Spanish twist, to the heart of Manly.
The stylish basement eatery has a selection of over 250 whiskies, natural wine, craft beer and an extensive cocktail menu, including prohibition classics, tipples inspired by original counties from Sydney as well as a section dedicated to ingredients that have been locally foraged and found. As for bites, you can graze from their tapas menu or their deli and cheese plates.
Suburb: Manly
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Cocktail lovers, Weekend plans, Date night
Earl’s Juke Joint
You could easily walk right past this place — after all, the 1920s-style bar is disguised as a butcher from the street. Inside, Earl’s Juke Joint pays homage to New Orleans with low lighting, eclectic music and strong cocktails.
Suburb: Newtown
Price Guide: $
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Cocktail lovers, Date night, Late night
The Barber Shop
Make your way through a retro barber shop to this hidden watering hole, where impressive cocktails, an extensive wine list and craft beers await. South Australian and French drops dominate the wine menu while Young Henry’s and Little Creatures keep craft beer lovers content.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Group dining, Weekend plans, Late night
Old Mate’s Place
Old Mate’s Place in the CBD has the best of both worlds; a well-hidden, stately drinking den, and outside, a bright, sun-drenched open-air bar. Hidden inside a rundown office building, this two-floor, juxtaposed venue serves up a broad range of signature and classic cocktails alongside American-style bites. There’s also a new bar, Old Love’s, downstairs which is inspired by the creation of tiki and all things rum. Expect playful and delicious cocktails with great food offerings, too.
Suburb: CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Cocktail lovers, Late night, Weekend plans
FAQs About the Best Hidden Bars in Sydney
Sydney’s hidden bar scene is packed with gems, from classic speakeasies like Eau de Vie and Palmer & Co in the CBD to quirky spots like Earl’s Juke Joint in Newtown, which masquerades as a butcher shop. Other standouts include The Cumberland in Manly, concealed behind a fridge door, and Cantina OK!, a tiny mezcal bar built on a former car space. Whether you’re after rare whisky, small-batch agave spirits or prohibition-era cocktails, there’s a secret watering hole in Sydney to match every taste and occasion.
Whisky lovers are spoiled for choice in Sydney’s underground drinking dens. The Doss House in The Rocks stocks more than 150 whiskies across five cosy bar spaces inside a heritage building that was once a boarding house. Jolene’s on York Street brings Nashville energy with a back bar of over 150 whiskeys, including rare American drops seldom seen in Australia. Meanwhile, The Cumberland in Manly boasts a staggering collection of over 250 whiskies, making it one of the most impressive selections anywhere in the city.
Absolutely. While the CBD hosts many of Sydney’s speakeasies, plenty of secret spots are scattered across the suburbs. In Newtown, Earl’s Juke Joint hides behind a butcher shop facade and channels New Orleans with eclectic music and strong cocktails. Manly’s The Cumberland sits behind a fridge door in a laneway, serving Spanish-style tapas and natural wine. Over in Paddington, Charlie Parker’s lives beneath Fred’s restaurant, while Dulcie’s in Potts Point pairs prohibition-era cocktails with underground cabaret acts on the historic Golden Mile.
For a romantic evening, it’s hard to beat Eau de Vie, where moody lighting, leather booths and theatrical bartending set the scene in the CBD. Apollonia, tucked beneath an old wool store, oozes Sicilian romance and old-world charm, with a curated cocktail list and excellent wines. Charlie Parker’s in Paddington makes a stylish stop for a pre-dinner drink or nightcap, while Marble Bar beneath the Hilton impresses with Victorian-era marble and mahogany interiors, live music and a killer Negroni. Each offers intimacy with a touch of theatre.
That honour arguably goes to Cantina OK!, a tiny mezcal-focused bar built on what was once a single car space down a quirky CBD laneway. Just one car wide with room for only two bartenders, it proves great things come in small packages. Despite its size, the bar has earned a global reputation for margaritas made with ice shaved by hand and freshly squeezed limes, alongside small-batch agave spirits and tequila. If you’re after an intimate evening drink with serious craftsmanship, this pint-sized spot delivers well beyond its footprint.
Loved discovering secret Sydney spots with our guide to the best hidden bars in Sydney? Plan another unique tipple with the best Sydney rooftop bars with stunning views or, if you’re looking for a mellow drop or two why not check out Sydney’s finest wine bars.
