Sydney Bars, Pubs & Nightclubs

As the world’s best outdoor city – or one of them, anyway – Sydney is at its best in summer. Here are four ice-cold Sydney bars where you can truly enjoy the summer.

Opera Bar

The Opera Bar is Sydney’s best open-air bar. It has excellent views of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. You can smell the salt of the harbour and watch ferries sail past. It’s an absolute pleasure drinking at the Opera Bar!

The drinks are not that cheap here, but the stupendous view and the excellent live bands more than make up for this. If I could only see one or two Sydney bars, I would put the Opera Bar on my list. Address: Sydney Opera House (Lower Concourse) Circular Quay.

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Review of Minus Five Bar Sydney

If you want to see what a winter wonderland looks like, have a look at the Minus Five Bar Sydney. Everything is made out of ice – the seats, shot glasses and the bar itself. This article will ask whether Minus Five Bar Sydney is worth the $30 AUD entry fee.

Is Minus Five Bar worth the $30 AUD entry fee?

Let’s first consider what you get for your $30.
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Here are some of the best Sydney bars to drink at in winter. These bars have fireplaces, board games or movie nights for winter afternoons.

Madame Fling Flong

Madame Fling Flong is a cosy and classy bar. Think sofas, board games and movie nights. This is the kind of bar that you feel like you can relax in, rather than the type of bar where everybody is trying to look cool.

Address: 169 King St Newtown.

Victoria Rooms

Bring back the British Empire! The Victoria Rooms bar is inspired by the grand colonial bars of the 19th century. Fantastic lanterns and screens dot the room, and the colonial armchairs evoke the days of another era.

Address: Level 1/ 231a Victoria St Darlinghurst.

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The Blu Horizon Bar has great views of Sydney; on the 36th floor at the top of the Shangri-La Hotel, you’d certainly expect amazing views and you won’t be disappointed.

Other bars such as the Opera Bar have better angles and closer proximity to the Harbour Bridge, but the great thing about the Blu Horizon Bar is the fact that it’s fully enclosed, which means it’s perfect in winter or in the rain.

The Opera Bar, by contrast, kicks ass in summer but it kind of sucks in the rain or in winter.

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One of the few Melbourne-style bars in Sydney is the all-new Yulli’s bar on Crown St, Surry Hills.

Having just moved back to Sydney after 2 and a bit years in Melbourne, I can say that Melbourne’s bars (and the AFL) are one of the best parts of that city.

Melbourne CBD bars like Lily Black’s, Murmur, New Gold Mountain and Double Happiness definitely give the city a stylish edge that Sydney can sometimes lack.

Fortunately for us Sydneysiders – and visitors to Sydney – there’s now a new, intimate, Melbourne-style bar in Sydney’s Surry Hills.

The bar’s name is Yulli’s and it’s directly opposite the Clock Hotel on Crown Street.

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The Blue Bar is one of those bars that can make you feel like you’re living the ‘Sex and the City’ lifestyle – right here in Sydney.

Set in a huge converted wharf, the dramatic high ceiling and intricately patterned carpet will get you in the mood for drinking – although we’re not talking beer (although they do serve that).

Cocktails, mojitos and caprioscas are the drinks to order when at the Blue Bar in Woolloomooloo. Don’t order the caprinha – it was very strong the night I had one and tasted very alcohol-y. Continue reading