York 75 is the sports bar Merivale built on Level 2 of Hotel CBD, and it solves the problem most screen bars never do. The room carries 20 screens, a television in every booth and an on-site TAB, then keeps the music down so you can hear the call. As one reviewer put it, class and sports bar do not usually share a room, and York 75 pulls it off.
The address is Level 2, 75 York Street, on the corner of King and York in the heart of the CBD, a short walk from Wynyard and the Town Hall end of George Street. The venue trades as the upstairs sports room of Merivale's Hotel CBD, with two of the 20 screens in 3D and individual sets at the booths. That booth-by-booth setup is the detail that puts it on the Sydney sports bars shortlist for the office crowd.
The room is more polished than the average screen bar, which is the point. Booths seat groups of five to eight, each with its own television, while larger wall screens carry the marquee fixture for the whole floor. Reviewers consistently praise the no loud music policy, the large beer list and the booth layout, which together make it a viewing room you can actually book a table in and talk over.
What to order: this is a CBD pub kitchen with a strong tap list, so a local pale or lager around twelve to fifteen Australian dollars a schooner is the start, with the booth service keeping a group topped up through a long card. The menu runs pub plates and shared boards built for a table watching the football, and the bar leans on Merivale's beer range rather than a deep cocktail list. Order for the table and let the booth television do the work.
The crowd is CBD and York Street office workers, corporate groups booking a booth for a fixture and a sports following crowd that wants a seat rather than a scrum. It runs for NRL and AFL finals, Origin, the football and major UFC and racing days, and the booths for the big nights book out well ahead. Midweek it leans after work, with the room quieter than the George Street pubs nearby.
Who it is for: the group that wants a booked booth with its own screen, the after work corporate crew and anyone who rates being able to hear the commentary. Pair it with a wider city trail, lining it up with the Great Southern Bar down at the Central end or the Sporting Globe on the harbour, with more across the Sydney bar guide and the national sports bars index.
Best time to go is a booth booking for a marquee fixture, when the sets with the best sightlines go first, or a midweek after work slot when the room is calm and the screens are yours. Avoid a walk-in for an Origin or grand final, when the booths are reserved and a stool is the most a casual visitor will land.
Context rounds out the picture. Merivale runs a deep CBD portfolio, and York 75 is the group's answer to the question of what a sports bar looks like when a hospitality operator builds one on purpose. Marcus Webb rates it as the city room for a group that wants the fixture, a booked seat and a beer list, the rare Sydney sports bar where you can watch the call and still hold a conversation.
Sources: Merivale official site (merivale.com, York 75 venue page); Yelp venue listing (York 75, Sydney, classed as Sports Bars); Tripadvisor reviews (York 75, Sydney CBD).
