Bars & Pubs
The best places to drink in Sydney
Where to drink right now
Late night bars and pubs without a lockout
Lockouts may rule much of the CBD, Cross and Darlinghurst, but just outside of the Sydney lockout map you'll find a handful of bars and pubs ready and waiting to let you in after 2am. We've rounded up a bunch of them, from swanky cocktail haunts to local pubs. What time is lockout in Sydney? These laws mean that all venues within Kings Cross, Darlinghurst and the CBD 'Entertainment Precinct' cannot take new customers after 2am, and must call last drinks at 3.30am. State-wide, you cannot buy takeaway alcohol after 11pm. There are a few exceptions to these rules for specific venues, but on the whole it's what you'll find at most licensed venues within the lockout zone. RECOMMENDED: The 50 best bars in Sydney.
Sydney's finest
The best beer gardens in Sydney
Sure, we're good at swimming and rugby, but what Australians excel at is kicking back in the leafy courtyard of our local, sinking some beers and chewing the fat with our mates. Beer garden sessions are basically our national pastime, and here's the best places to participate.
The best pick up bars in Sydney
In these days of app-based dating the idea of meeting someone in the real world can sound fanciful, but we swear, it happens. Of course there's an argument to be made that any bar with alcohol has the potential to be a pick-up bar, but that's not very helpful, so we asked every single person we knew, and a few we didn't, for their favourite fishing spots in Sydney and this is what they told us.
The best bar snacks in the business
The best places for cheese and wine in Sydney
The Sydney venues for days when all you want to do is graze on a luxurious cheeseboard and put a solid dent in a bottle of wine while you catch up on the last few years, days or minutes of someone's life and discuss the age old question: washed rind vs hard cheese.
The best bar snacks in Sydney
As the line between restaurant and bar becomes increasingly blurry, it's now possible to make a whole meal out of the excellent bar snacks flying over the counter at our favourite haunts. These are the places we head when we're not sure if drinks is going to turn into dinner, but we want to keep our options open.
The best cheap steaks in Sydney
There's no tastier way to replenish your iron stores than with a juicy steak, and no cheaper way than with these steaks that'll make sure you've got plenty of change from a $20. After more bargain meals? Check out our guide to the best cheap eats in Sydney. After fun for nothing? Here's our list of the best free things to do in Sydney.
The best schnitzels in Sydney
Crumbed chicken breast or veal hammered out flat might sound like an incredibly simple dish, but there is an art to getting schnitzel right. The shell needs to be well-seasoned and to stick to the meat instead of falling off like an ill-fitting jacket. The meat needs to be cooked through but remain tender and juicy. And the quality of your sauce is a linchpin to the whole enterprise - good gravy is everything. We ate a lot of schnitzel to bring you this list – may our stomachs and waistbands have mercy on us.
Best bars by area
The best bars in Newtown
A bar crawl in Newtown is the ultimate pick'n'mix for a parched Sydneysider. It's also great for anyone who would like the minimum travel time necessary between venues. Newtown's bars are all conveniently spaced along King Street and Enmore Road like some sort of boozy daisy chain, which means you can go from dog-friendly brewery bars to moody cocktail dens, neighbourhood wine bars, indie boltholes and rock-n-roll burger bars in no time at all. To make it even easier we've mapped out the best way to cram in all of Newtown's best bars in one hit.
Darlinghurst
In Darlinghurst you're spoiled for choice when it comes to excellent boozing options. Maybe you feel like nautical cocktails and a lobster burger? Or would a Boilermaker and a bowl of monkey nuts suit you better? The one thing we can all agree on, surely, is that when top notch cocktails are the order of the day, you want a five star bar with the best in the business mixing your drinks. You can find in all in this boozy pocket of the East.
The CBD
There was a dark time, not so many years ago, when after work drinks were limited to huge booze barns with no soul and pubs. Those were your options. Fast forward less than a decade and the CBD now possesses an exceptional collection of bars, from underground tropical hideaways to booze attics with cocktail maestros at the helm. You can drink life-changing wines, the freshest ales and fruity elixirs made from seasonal harvests, and sometimes you can do it all in the same place. It's a big part of what makes Sydney awesome.
Inner West
Not only is the Inner West home to many of the eccentric, creative and proudly rainbow tribes of Sydney, it's also where you'll find some of the best small bar action. Tiny little haunts slinging great drinks and keeping the vibes lively and local. If you don't have one already, your home-away-from-home is probably on this list.
The best pubs in the city
The best pubs in Sydney
A lot of beers were drunk, schnitzels eaten and trivia answered in the search for the best pubs Sydney has to offer. We honed our pool skills, got surprisingly accurate with darts, and busted some PBs at Big Buckhunter in the pursuit of the venue that ticked all the boxes; welcoming, great beers, good food, games, entertainment, inclusive and relaxed. There are a lot of rock-solid pubs in this city, and these are the pick of the bunch.
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Time Out Food Awards
Forks at the ready, Sydney: the Time Out Food Awards are returning. At Bopp and Tone on Monday September 9, Time Out readers will join the stars of the local restaurant industry to celebrate the city’s best restaurants, cafés and chefs. Expect delicious canapés, Bisleri Sparkling and Still Water, refreshing ales from Gage Roads, and wine and spirits. MasterChef season ten fan favourite Khanh Ong will be your host, announcing winners in categories such as Best Cheap Eat, Chef of the Year and the coveted Restaurant of the Year award. There will also be a new People’s Choice Award celebrating signature eats worth searching for, in partnership with Google. Make sure you read our guide to unique eats in Sydney, try them all, and get voting for your fave Tickets ($55 + BF) go on sale from August 1 and will sell quickly, so mark your diary, save the date, spread the word and snap your eating adventures using the handle #foundongoogle. These awards are made possible thanks to our sponsors Google, Gage Roads Brewing and Bisleri. // var exampleCallback = function() { console.log('Order complete!'); }; window.EBWidgets.createWidget({ // Required widgetType: 'checkout', eventId: '64954853716', iframeContainerId: 'eventbrite-widget-container-64954853716', // Optional iframeContainerHeight: 425, // Widget height in pixels. Defaults to a minimum of 425px if not provided onOrderComplete: exampl
Vote for unique eats in Time Out’s Food Awards
By Time Out in partnership with Google For the Time Out Food Awards 2019, we are partnering with Google to discover unique dishes in our neighbourhoods. We searched far and wide to find some awesome local heroes doing great things worth searching for. The People’s Choice: Signature Searches award invites Time Out readers to discover and try these amazing eats, with the chance to win tickets to the big Time Out Food Awards event in September and more. Here’s what involved. Step one: Read all about Google Signature Searches here. Step two: Try them! Step three: Vote for your favourite and have your say, tagging #foundongoogle Vote now Further event details can be found here. In association with
15 Sydney restaurants where you can be rewarded just for eating
With fabulous restaurants hailing from every corner of the globe, eating in our fair city is a reward in itself. But what if you could be rewarded just for visiting the restaurants and cafés you already love, ensuring you always get more bang for your buck on your next food adventure? Liven is a nifty mobile wallet and payment app that gives you access to a whole new world of restaurant rewards. Pay and earn at over 1,000 restaurants that already include dining institutions such as Messina, Din Tai Fung, Dodee Paidang and more. When you dine using the Liven app, you accrue a universal digital currency called ‘LVN’ that can go towards your next feast. LVN can be spent at any partner restaurant, sent to your friends within the Liven app, or donated to charity. All you need to do is enjoy your meal and pay with one simple click and earn instantly. To start eating your way toward the rewards, just search for your favourite restaurant on the Liven app, enjoy a fabulous meal and pay using Liven. To make life even easier, we’ve picked out some winners you can visit right away in Sydney. Download the Liven app now and start eating and earning. Liven’s also slinging out $100,000 worth of food and prizes. Dine with Liven and go into the running to win a month’s free of your food faves – burgers, gelato, laksa – food-themed swag bags, and more. Every $10 spent counts as an entry, and you can earn double entries by eating at any of hundreds of Tim
This DIY pop-up Magnum store has opened in Westfield Sydney
If you’ve been forgoing icy cold desserts for more warming winter treats, now is the time to get serious about your frozen treats, because the Magnum Pleasure Store (it’s not as raunchy as it sounds) is only open for three more weeks. It’s a pop-up dessert factory that lets you choose your own adventure through the world of ice cream. You’ll get to craft a Magnum tailored to your own tastes, from the smooth chocolate coating that this treat is so well known for, right up to the topping where you can choose experimental flavours like Persian fairy floss, rose petals, crisp strawberry pearls and more Want to know how it works before you visit so you can plan out the perfect stick of ice cream? You start with the base coat: choose from a creamy milk chocolate layer, a bitey dark choc casing, a smooth white choccy suit of armour, or a double dipped milk and white choc combo. Then, get serious about the toppings. Your $10 treat includes three toppings (additional sprinklings cost $1) with a choice of familiar ice cream extras like almonds, brownie chunks, crushed honeycomb and chocolate flakes, plus more unusual toppings like edible gold flakes, rose petals and fairy floss. Finish it with yet more chocolate drizzled over the top and you’re sorted. You can become a dessert chef and try these exciting flavours at the Magnum pop-up shop on level two of Westfield Sydney until September 7.