The 10 Best Cocktail Bars in Sydney

Archie Rose Bar draws a steady local crowd in Rosebery. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

Batch Brewing Co. draws a steady local crowd in Marrickville. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

The Baxter Inn is accessed through an unmarked door on Clarence Street in the CBD, down a fire escape staircase into a brick basement. The bar holds approximate. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.

The Baxter Inn has been ranked in the World's 50 Best Bars list for years. The basement bar holds around 800 whiskies — Scottish single malts, Japanese, Austral. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.

Besser Bar draws a steady local crowd in Marrickville. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

Bulletin Place is a small hidden cocktail bar in an alley off Circular Quay. The unusual format: a cocktail menu of around eight drinks that changes every day b. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

Cantina OK! is a 12-seat alley-side mezcal bar from Maybe Sammy team Stefano Catino, Andrea Gualdi, and team. World's 50 Best Bars regular since 2022 — Asia's B. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.

Mr Wong Cocktail Lounge draws a steady local crowd in CBD. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.

Cantina OK is a tiny mezcal bar in a CBD service alley off Council Place. The space is unmarked and you have to know it is there. Inside is a 25-capacity standi. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

Charlie Parker's draws a steady local crowd in Paddington. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

Door Knock sits in a Pitt Street basement behind a brass pineapple knocker, a CBD speakeasy that Broadsheet flags for its natural-leaning wine list and tight cocktail menu. The kitchen keeps things simple, and the room runs Monday to Saturday to midnight.