The Best Happy Hours in Sydney for an After-Work Tipple
Our pick of the best happy hours in Sydney is guaranteed to make you and your wallet smile.
A refreshing beverage is one of Australia’s most revered traditions, and we Sydneysiders certainly have it lucky with our choice of city hangouts. An affinity for a good deal means plenty of our favourite bars and restaurants are offering a string of purse-friendly combos so it's time to get across them.
To help whittle down your options, we’ve compiled a list of the loveliest bars in Sydney for you to visit and indulge in while keeping your credit card on the right side of the red. These are the best happy hours in Sydney. Bottoms up!
The Best Happy Hours in Sydney: CBD
Saké
Happy Hour truly does not get better than this. Beloved Australian dining institution Saké has dinner AND drinks covered with this incredible offer, available every Monday to Friday, 4pm to 6pm. Snacks start at $5 and includes Saké's iconic Hiramasa Kingfish ($10). As for drinks, you can count on $7 whisky highballs and gin and tonics as well as $10 wine, $7 Asahi and $12 Negronis amongst others. Do not miss it!
Monday to Friday, 4pm to 6pm
The Rocks, Manly, Double Bay
Bar Besuto
This underground bar is the perfect place to enjoy a highball and some Japanese-inspired bar snacks at the end of a long day. There's a little something for everyone at Bar Besuto with six different highballs on the menu - botanical seltzer, honey tea, classic whisky and mixed citrus amongst others.
Tuesday to Friday, 4pm to 6pm
3 Underwood Street, Sydney
Bei Bar
A recent addition to the Darlinghurst dining scene, Bei Bar is the local corner pasta bar you need in your life. Like everything they do, Bei Bar's happy hour menu is killer. Swing by between 4:30pm and 6pm, Tuesday to Saturday, to enjoy handcrafted pasta, bread, sides, spritz, wine and beer all under $15 a piece. We're talking orecchiette cacio e pepe and a glass of wine for $25! You'll be a regular in no time.
Tuesday to Saturday, 4:30pm to 6pm
371 Bourke Street, Darlinghurst
ESQ
Looking for a happy hour that kicks off later in the evening? Speakeasy bar ESQ have got you sorted. This late-night happy hour kicks off at 9pm after which all drinks are 25% off! Preparing to shop the Boxing Day sales? They've got 25% off bevvies all day (for one day only) to keep you hydrated.
Offer valid throughout December 2023
Level 2, 455 George Street
Alfie's
The good news about Alfie's exceptional Happy Hour is that you can still hit up one of the most-loved restaurants of the year for under $20 EVERY DAY. Score a hot chip spit roast beef butty for $17 and a selection of bevvies for bargain prices. We're talking $16 Alfie's martinis, $6 gin & tonics, $10 wines, $3 Butcher of Beer cans from The Grifter and $15 East End Old Fashioneds.
Every Day, 4pm to 6pm
Shop 2, 4-6 Bligh Street
CIRQ
If you fancy your bargain drinks with priceless views, CIRQ's happy hour is set to impress. Their sunset drinks session offers sweeping views of the city paired with endless $2 oysters, signature cocktails at $12 a pop and a swathe of Spanish-inspired snack plates. At $15 each, you'll be able to try the lot! Think Jamón, Tomato Salsa & Sourdough, Truffle Manchego, Quince Paste & Crackers and Kipfler Potato Bravas & Aiol.
Wednesday and Thursday, 4pm to 6pm
Level 26, 1 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo
Chin Chin
Get your weekly fix of Chin Chin for under $30 with a selection of $9.50 cocktails and snacks ranging from $9.50 to $15.50. We're talking watermelon margaritas, popcorn prawns, Kingfish sashimi and lychee violet daiquiris.
Every Thursday, 4pm to 6pm
69 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills
Barbetta
For us, happy hour always has to include a little snack. Barbetta's happy hour provides just that which is why we had to include it here. Their Aperitivo hour runs all summer long and involves a complimentary snack plate of patatine, olives, taralli and salatini with every drink.
Thursday to Saturday, 4pm to 5:30pm
2 Elizabeth Street, Paddington
Restaurant Hubert
Bunkered down in Bligh Street, Hubert is an uber-chic Parisian post-war style eatery with elegant velvet-draped touches and fringed lamps throughout. Cool, classy and underground, Hubert sets expectations high upon arrival, and thankfully, its happy hour more than meets them. For the pre-dinner crowd, Hubert’s happy hour menu is one of the best in the city with $6 lager, house wine, G&Ts, and highballs while negronis are a steal at $12. The pièce de résistance: the mouth-watering Normandy burger with dry-aged beef, Gruyere cheese, pickles, and house sauce for just $18. Delish!
Daily, 5pm to 6pm (Happy Hour)
15 Bligh Street, Sydney
Cardea
For the most opulent happy hour in Sydney, it's got to be Cardea. Score some of Cardea's exquisite cocktails for just $16 a pop, alongside $10 wines and $12 spirits and beers. Soak up that deliciously decadent ambience for a fraction of the price!
Tuesday to Saturday, 5pm to 6pm, 300 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo
Shop 3, T3.01
Dead Ringer
This cosy double-decker neighbourhood bar easily offers up one of the best happy hours in Sydney aka Martini Club. Choose from a selection of perfectly shaken and stirred classics priced at just $12-$13. You'll find three variations on rotation daily at Dead Ringer.
Every day, 5:30pm to 7:30pm
413 Bourke Street, Sydney
Belle's Hot Chicken
For a happy hour that covers off both food and booze, head to Belle's Hot Chicken for a bargain feast. For three hours straight you can score $2 wings and $5 schooners. Inflation who?
Monday to Friday, 3pm to 6pm
5/33 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo
The Morrison
Renowned for its delicious oysters – in fact, it has its own dedicated oyster counter – The Morrison’s Wednesday evening oyster hour is the place to be. With sumptuous shellfish going for $1.50 a pop, between 6pm-7pm you’d be insane to shirk the offer. If you’re in ‘one of those moods’, make a beeline for The Morrison’s $7 house beers, wines and spirits and $10 negroni and Aperol spritz from 5pm to 7pm. That’s reasonable by anyone’s standards.
225 George Street, Sydney
The Best Happy Hours in Sydney: Inner West
OTiS
Warm vibes, craft brews and a community feel are exactly what you want from a neighbourhood bar and OTiS is delivering just that. As for their happy hour, you can expect good things. If you're keen to end your day on a high we recommend popping by between the hours of 5pm and 7pm, Tuesday to Saturday, for $15 Tommy's Margaritas and Negronis and $9.50 pints of lager and pale ale.
Tuesday to Saturday, 5pm to 7pm
153 Norton Street, Leichardt
The Best Happy Hours in Sydney: Lower North Shore
SoCal
Mexi-Cali-themed rooftop bar and pub SoCal is equal parts chic and laid-back. Between 5-6:30pm on weekdays, sip on $5 house white, rosé or prosecco, $7 house beer, and $12 frozen cocktails – be sure to sample one of their famous margaritas.
Monday to Friday, 5pm to 6:30pm
1 Young Street, Neutral Bay
The Best Happy Hours in Sydney: North Sydney
Folly's Bar & Bistro
If you're looking for a jazzy setting to sip an afternoon bev, Folly's Bar & Bistro have a beauty of a deal on offer. Swing by anytime between 4 and 6pm between Tuesday and Friday for $7 wines and schooners and $9 pints. Australian prosecco, sauvignon blanc, and shiraz merlot blend are on offer alongside Philter XPAA, Freshwater Pilsner and Carlton Draught lager on tap.
Tuesday to Friday, 4pm to 6pm
429 Miller Street, Cammeray
The Best Happy Hours in Sydney: Northern Beaches
Rosa
A good happy hour scores you discounted drinks. A GREAT happy hour delivers bargain margs, snacks and sangria. Rosa's happy hour is great. You know what to do.
Wednesday to Sunday, 5pm to 6pm
18 Barrenjoey Road, Mona Vale
Little Pearl
Combining beautiful interiors, a delicious hawker-style menu, and a dreamy location, Little Pearl is the perfect place to grab a cheeky knock-off on Manly Beach. One of the best happy hours in Sydney, treat yourself to a beachside bevy with $10 Spritz, wines, and beers between 4pm and 6pm. As much about the food as it is about the drinks, happy hour at Little Pearl also includes $12 chef selection plates to pair with your favourite sips - expect fresh and vibrant dishes that could easily double as dinner.
Monday to Friday, 4pm to 6pm
8/13 South Steyne, Manly
Corretto
With a perfect sunset position overlooking Dee Why Beach coupled with $12 cocktails, $7 house wines, $8 schoonersa $10 pint and snack menu from 3pm to 6pm, Corretto’s cheeky combo unsurprisingly draws in a sizeable crowd. This excellent arrangement is complemented by weekly specials from steak and wine night, to brunch club. The Happy Hour gods look upon Corretto with admiration.
24 The Strand, Dee Why
Park House Food & Liquor
Once the 'Mona Pub', Park House is a beautiful, Hamptons-esque dining destination, boasting a chic cocktail lounge, restaurant and courtyard. For an excellent afternoon and evening of wining and dining, make the most of their $7 house beer, cider and wine.
2 Park Street, Mona Vale
Loving our picks of the best happy hours in Sydney? We’ve not only found you the latest and greatest bars offering the best happy hours in Sydney, but we've also rounded up our favourite aperitivo spots for you to peruse- think happy hour but Euro-style.
