Mojo Record Bar hides on the basement level at 73 York Street in Sydney's CBD, tucked behind one of the city's best-known record stores. The room reads as a New York-style speakeasy with an Australian craft beer focus, which makes it an easy beer stop for anyone already flipping through the vinyl upstairs.
The bar suits a drinker who wants craft beer and a record-shop soundtrack in a small, low-lit room rather than a loud strip bar. It works less well for a large group or anyone after a late Sunday session, since the space is compact, the bar closes Sundays, and the mood runs to a relaxed, music-led crowd.
The room earns the speakeasy tag honestly. Down a staircase behind the store, artistic posters cover the walls and vinyl singles line the ceiling, and the lighting keeps it dim and close. Broadsheet has described the basement as the kind of quirky, relaxed hideaway that rewards people who knew to look behind the records.
The beer leads the drinks list, which is the point of difference from a pure cocktail den. The taps carry an Australian craft beer focus, backed by a list of creative cocktails and wines, so a drinker can build a night around local brews without giving up a proper cocktail. Standard bar food covers anyone who wants to eat without leaving the room, and the kitchen keeps a short list going through the night for late arrivals.
The music is half the identity. The bar runs a vinyl-led soundtrack drawn from the store above and programmes live music across the week, which keeps it closer to a record bar than a sports room even with the taps going. The Urban List points to the live sets and the record-store setting as the reasons it stands out in the CBD.
What to order is an Australian craft beer off the tap list, since that is the focus, then a cocktail from the creative list if the night runs long. The reliable move is to ask the bar what local brew is pouring best that week, taste it against a second, and let the vinyl pick the pace from there.
Prices sit in the mid range for the Sydney CBD, which buys a hidden basement room, a beer-led list and live music without a cover most nights. For a drinker who wants character over a view, the spend is easier to justify than a harbourside terrace.
The location is the quiet advantage. Sitting under a York Street record store puts the bar a short walk from Wynyard and the central transport lines, so it works as a first or last stop on a CBD night rather than a destination across town. The basement setting keeps it calm even when the streets above are busy, and the early opening from midday makes it a rare daytime option in the area.
The crowd is a music-led mix of record buyers, after-work drinkers and locals who came for the live sets. Reviewers on Yelp and Broadsheet, writing through 2026, single out the relaxed room, the record-store soundtrack and the welcoming staff as the reasons they return, with the steady note that the space is small and fills on live-music nights.
The bar fits a clear kind of visit: a craft-beer stop with a vinyl soundtrack, a pre- or post-gig drink in the CBD, and any drinker who would rather hunt for a hidden room than queue for a rooftop. It is a weaker pick for a big group. It sits among our picks for craft beer bars in Sydney and live music nights. Plan the rest from the Sydney bar guide.
Sources: Broadsheet Sydney; The Urban List Sydney; Wikipedia (Mojo Record Bar); Yelp Sydney (updated June 2026); Beer Crawl Sydney.
