Sydney
Kings Cross has rebuilt its drinking after the lockout years, trading late-night clubs for aperitivo rooms and reborn cafes. The strip now runs from a multi-level hotel on William Street to small vermouth and oyster bars on Roslyn Street and Bayswater Road. This guide covers where to drink now, what each room does best, and when to go.
WILLIAM STREET · $$ · MULTI-LEVEL
The Kings Cross Hotel stacks several levels onto the corner of William Street and Darlinghurst Road, from a ground-floor public bar to a rooftop with a wide city view. The building also holds a club floor and a small theatre. Best for a night that moves between floors. The rooftop runs latest on Friday and Saturday.
ROSLYN STREET · $$ · APERITIVO
Piccolo Bar reopened on Roslyn Street as a small aperitivo room under bartender Dave Spanton, keeping the look of the 1950s cafe it grew from. The list runs negronis, vermouth and martinis poured behind a long wooden bar lined with old photos. Best for a slow early drink. The room seats about a dozen, so go early.
BAYSWATER ROAD · $$ · OYSTER BAR
The Hook is a saloon-style oyster bar on Bayswater Road from Dave and Amy Spanton, the team behind Piccolo and Vermuteria. The room pairs oysters and snacks with cocktails and wine. Best for a few oysters and a drink at the bar. Busiest in the early evening before dinner.
KINGS CROSS · $$ · APERITIVO
Vermuteria is a vermouth-led aperitivo bar in another reborn Kings Cross cafe from the Spanton team. The focus is fortified wine, spritzes and small snacks in a tight neighbourhood room. Best for an aperitivo before dinner. Walk-ins work early, before the after-work crowd.
BAYSWATER ROAD · $$ · LATE NIGHT
Kings Cross Pavilion took over the former World Bar site on Bayswater Road, the strip that once defined the suburb's late nights. The venue spreads across levels with bars, food and music. Best for a bigger group and a later night. The upper floors run latest on weekends.
Use this guide as a route or a checklist. Kings Cross sits a short walk from Potts Point, so a night can start with an aperitivo here and end with wine around the corner. Most rooms take walk-ins early in the evening.
For the wider city, start with the best bars in Sydney, then narrow by occasion with the best cocktail bars in Sydney and the best wine bars in Sydney. Next door, see the bars in Potts Point, and for another inner-city night the bars in Surry Hills.
Editorially curated by Marcus Webb. Venue details cross-checked against official sites, Broadsheet, Concrete Playground and Time Out Sydney in 2026.