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The Best New Bars in Sydney in 2026
New year, new drinking destinations. These are the best new bars in Sydney in 2026.
Sydney’s bar scene is having a moment, and the newest openings are very good at giving you a reason to go out. Bar Benevento is pouring Strega cocktails in the CBD from 7am, The Heritage Room has Tuscan wine waiting at a marble bar in Martin Place, Kisa is serving natural wine inside a Glebe heritage terrace, and La Buvette is putting oysters and Champagne on Challis Avenue in Potts Point.
These are the openings from the past three months our editors would book first.
In This Guide:
New Bars That Opened in Sydney in October 2026
Ombra
Hidden beneath King Street, Ombra is bringing a little Venetian magic to Sydney’s after-dark scene. The intimate basement bar pairs an impressive wine list spanning Italian favourites, Australian standouts and rare bottles with inventive cocktails from acclaimed bartender Doug Laming. There’s a menu of globally inspired small plates to graze on, from Sydney Rock oysters to Wagyu carpaccio, and even a generous plate of chips which the staff will grate cheese over until you say when. Live music rounds out the offering, with the bar open from 4pm until late, Tuesday to Sunday.
Suburb: Sydney CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Breakfast, Long lunch, Wine lovers, Cocktail lovers
Loa
Oxford Street’s late-night scene has a new music room in Loa, where a custom-built Martin Audio sound system sets the tone for live neo-soul and R&B midweek, followed by DJs spinning disco and house into the weekend. The cocktail list has some playful tricks of its own, including a Gimlet reimagined as lime soft serve and a Cobalt Cosmo with blueberry and lavender. For late-night appetites, executive chef Erik Ortolani has created a Japanese-Peruvian bar menu featuring rocoto-honey chicken karaage and a Wagyu burger with caramelised onion and tsukemono. This just shot straight to the top of our must-try list.
Suburb: Darlinghurst
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Cocktail bar
Best For: Breakfast, Long lunch, Wine lovers, Cocktail lovers
Need To Know: The bar is located beneath Amé restaurant in Darlinghurst.
New Bars That Opened in Sydney in September 2026
Bar Benevento
Bringing a lot of southern Italian charm to the CBD, Bar Benevento is the new all-day spot where coffee, pasta and cocktails happily blur into one. The family-run bar is already turning heads with a giant ricotta and egg-yolk raviolo for breakfast, truffle mortadella cannoli and Strega-fuelled cocktails that start from 7am. Add an Italian wine list spanning all 20 regions and a suitably buzzy, old-school setting, and you’ve got a new bar that’s very easy to settle into. Very charming indeed!
Suburb: Sydney CBD
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Italian, Cocktail bar
Best For: Breakfast, Long lunch, Wine lovers, Cocktail lovers
Need To Know: Cocktails served from 7am.
The Heritage Room
There’s a new place in Martin Place for pretending you’ve just wandered into an Italian piazza. The Heritage Room is a tiny new wine bar from the team behind Rovollo, and we’re already eyeing it for our next after-work drink. There are more than 200 bottles to work your way through, with a serious focus on Tuscan drops, plus Italian bites, Josper-grilled plates and a very pretty marble bar that makes lingering over one glass feel like a very good idea. Start with a crisp Vermentino, then do yourself a favour and order the wild boar lasagne.
Suburb: Martin Place
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Wine bar, Italian
Best For: Wine lovers, Date night, Locals
New Bars That Opened in Sydney in August 2026
Kisa
Glebe has a new spot for natural wine and snacks. Kisa occupies a corner of a heritage-listed terrace, with butter-yellow walls, high ceilings and a fireplace setting the mood. With just 50 seats, it suits a small catch-up or a quiet glass after work.
Suburb: Glebe
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: Wine bar
Best For: Wine lovers, Date night, Locals
La Buvette
Potts Point has a new spot for pretending you’ve just wandered off a Parisian side street. La Buvette has returned to its original Challis Avenue home, this time under the Goodies Hospitality crew, with a cosy, lived-in feel and a menu of French favourites with a playful twist. Think oysters with Champagne granita, escargots with café de Paris butter and tiny crème caramels, alongside a very French-heavy wine list and plenty of Champagne. With just nine bookable seats inside and 30 walk-ins outside, this is one for dropping by, ordering a glass and seeing where the evening takes you.
Suburb: Potts Point
Price Guide: $$
Cuisine: French, Wine bar
Best For: Wine lovers, Date night, Outdoor dining
Need To Know: Nine bookable seats inside, plus 30 walk-in spots outside.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Best New Bars in Sydney in 2026
The best new bars to open in Sydney recently are Bar Benevento in the CBD, The Heritage Room in Martin Place, Kisa in Glebe and La Buvette in Potts Point. Bar Benevento is a family-run southern Italian all-day bar pouring Strega cocktails from 7am. The Heritage Room is a small, Tuscan-leaning wine bar from the team behind Rovollo with more than 200 bottles. Kisa is a 50-seat natural wine bar inside a heritage-listed terrace, while La Buvette has returned to Challis Avenue with French snacks and plenty of Champagne.
Two of the most notable new wine bars in Sydney are The Heritage Room in Martin Place and Kisa in Glebe. The Heritage Room comes from the team behind Rovollo and lists more than 200 bottles with a strong focus on Tuscany, served alongside Italian bites and Josper-grilled plates at a marble bar. Kisa focuses on natural wine and snacks in a 50-seat corner space inside a heritage-listed terrace. For a French-leaning list heavy on Champagne, La Buvette in Potts Point is also worth a visit.
Bar Benevento in the Sydney CBD serves cocktails from 7am, with Strega-based drinks available alongside breakfast. The family-run venue brings southern Italian hospitality to an all-day format, moving from coffee to pasta to cocktails as the day goes on. Breakfast highlights include a giant ricotta and egg-yolk raviolo and truffle mortadella cannoli. The Italian wine list covers all 20 of Italy’s wine regions, so there is plenty to explore later in the day as well.
La Buvette in Potts Point has just nine bookable seats inside, so reserving ahead is the safest option if you want a table indoors. The rest of its capacity is around 30 walk-in spots outside, which suits dropping by for a glass of Champagne or wine without a plan. The bar has returned to its original Challis Avenue home under the Goodies Hospitality team, with a French menu that includes oysters with Champagne granita, escargots with café de Paris butter and tiny crème caramels.
For an after-work drink in the city, The Heritage Room in Martin Place is one of the strongest new options. The small wine bar from the team behind Rovollo has more than 200 bottles to choose from, with a focus on Tuscan wines, plus Italian bites and Josper-grilled plates if one glass turns into dinner. A crisp Vermentino is a good place to start, and the wild boar lasagne is the dish to order. Bar Benevento, also in the CBD, offers Strega cocktails and an Italian wine list spanning all 20 regions.
