The best happy hours in Sydney right now

Feel like a drink on a school night? Head to Newtown’s celestial Martini den, Bar Planet where $13 Martinis are poured between 5pm-12am on Mondays; 4-5pm Tuesday to Friday; and 3-4pm on the weekend. They go down a treat alongside the smashable salty-spicy popcorn.

$11 Negronis and Martinis, $10 Spritzes, $9 wines and $7 tap beers. A sexy dining room. And tasty, elegant snacks starting at $5. Swish CBD diner Bistro George, on the first floor of Jacksons on George, has happy hour 4-6 pm, Monday to Friday. It’s a hot option for a post-work bite or before a show at the Opera House. The silky passionfruit tart isn’t on the happy hour menu, but it tastes like a holiday, so you should probably order one of those, too.

The CBD’s Mexican cantina Centro 86 knocks out $13 Spicy Margaritas and $7 lagers daily from 4-6pm. Made with tequila, a house-made spicy rattlesnake spirit, lime and passionfruit, they are addictive. 

'The Bloody Big Happy Hour' at Marrickville's The Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre looks a little something like $5.99 schooners, $8.99 pints, $7.99 wines, $14 Aperol Spritzes and – wait for it – the venue’s cult-favourite dim sims for just $2. It runs Monday to Friday, 4-6pm. How bloody good is this for after-work drinks?

Classy cocktail haunt Employees Only has a new menu and lush outdoor space. And to celebrate they've launched a happy hour where you can get up to 50 per cent off drinks and snacks,  Tuesday to Friday from 4-6pm. How about that $15 Negroni with a serve of crispy paprika chickpeas for $8? You don't need to ask us twice.

Found a few streets back from Manly Beach, Banco is a cosy restaurant that’s big on vibes. Drop in for their daily happy hour (4.30–6pm) and make the most of $10 snacks, cocktails and vino.

If you’re looking for a special spot in Parramatta, head to the sky-high cocktail and Champagne bar, Nick & Nora’s, on the 26th floor of V by Crown Parramatta. And if you go between  Tuesday and Friday, 5-6pm, you can score a $5 glass of bubbles, $8 beers, plus $15 Margs and Negronis. Try the brisket tacos. They just hit the spot after a day at work.

We love Newtown's purple-hued basement bar Pleasure Club so much, it won Time Out's Bar of the Year 2025. From late January 2026, they've got a brand-new happy hour, running from 5-8pm, with live music from 7pm. Choose from their $19.90 or $14.90 "happy meals" which gives you a hefty snack and a choice of different beverages. See you there!

Glorietta in North Sydney has Aperitivo Hour from 3-6pm, Monday to Saturday. $12 is the magic number here. It gets you Spritzes, Negronis, Martinis and Margaritas, plus 250ml glasses of house wines or pints of beer. The moreish bar snacks are also – you guessed it – $12. They include pizette (mini pizzas) and cichette (snacks) like zucchini flowers, carpaccio, arancini and more. Yum.

Did you know Bar Hernandez was formerly Vermuteria? This red-hued old-school bar has more charm than Matthew McConaughey’s character in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. And if you come between 4-6pm any day of the week, you can get discounts on cocktails, vermouth, sherry, wine and tapas. Also check out nearby sibling, Piccolo Bar.

You can lap up the finer things in life thanks to Bouillon l’Entrecote's happy hour. Located a few hundred metres away from Circular Quay, Bouillon l’Entrecote is serving guests a French happy hour from 3-5pm, Monday to Saturday. Come for $8 G&Ts, $9 wines and beers, and $12 French Martinis, Aperol Spritzes and Negronis. And we know you'll want some snacks too. Enjoy $6 baguettes, $8 salami, $15 jamon annd cheese plates.

The Bat & Ball Hotel is back, baby! The historic Cleveland Street pub has been taken over by the team behind Glebe's The Little Guy, Enmore Country Club and The Sunshine Inn (RIP), so you're in good hands. They've got special deals on food every day of the week (hello, $17 parmy on Wednesday and $1 oysters on Saturday!), plus a "pints for schooners" offer on house beer every weekend from 5-6pm. 

Get amongst the clouds and great offers at Sky Bar with their 'Golden Hours', going down from 4-6pm, Tuesday to Saturday (yep, we love a happy hour on a Friday and Saturday). Head up to the top of Shell House for $2 oysters, $15 Margs and $15 prawn katsu sandos – all with a side of vibe. Want another one? Head downstairs to Menzies Bar and score mini Martinis and fresh lobster rolls, both for 10 bucks each, available Monday to Saturday from 4-6pm.

It's hard to pick a favourite happy hour, but if we had to, Jane's  would be up there at the top. Take a seat at the charming marble bar and make the most of $11 Australianos, $14 Martinis and more (and admire the '70s-inspired coasters). Snacks are also on offer at a cheaper price, including the must-order lamb dumplings with saltbush, chilli and yoghurt. Jane's Australiano Hour goes down Monday to Wednesday, 5-6pm, and Thursday to Sunday, 4-6pm.

Like the sound of $2 freshly shucked oysters from NSW’s finest estuaries paired with a $6 G&T as a knockoff? Us too. Come along to this Surry Hills gem and get both from Monday to Saturday, 4-6pm. Plus, get $6 beers, $10 wines and $14 seasonal Spritzes. Yeehaw! Hungry? The Rover now serves up one of the best burgers in Sydney.

We’ve got a crush on Bar Conte, the world's first dedicated Negroni bar. It’s got a warm, cosy vibe, with brilliant art and on-point Negronis. And we also love their 'Aperitivo Hour' where olives are $4 and Campari sodas are $12. And that's only the beginning. When can you get this? Good question. Monday to Friday, 4-6pm. See you there.

Head on over to Enmore's Queens Hotel where you can snap up cheap drinks weekdays from 5-7pm. We're talking $7.50 tap schooners, house wine and spirits, plus, $15 Aperol Spritzes and $18 cocktails.

Maybe Sammy AKA the World's Best Bar (yes, it seriously is – you can read about it here) has a happy hour daily from 4.30-5.30pm pouring mini Martinis at $8. We're not saying that you can have three, but we're also not not saying that.

Love, Tilly Devine has been quenching Sydneysiders' thirst with natural wines since it opened down a Darlinghurst laneway in 2010. If it's been a while between drinks, come down on Tuesday to Saturday from 5-6pm for its happy hour. Think cocktails for $15, wine for $10, and bar snacks starting at $4. 

Sydney Common overlooks Hyde Park and is the perfect place to unwind. It's got a rather uncommon happy hour called 'Common Hour' from 8-9pm at The Bar. Enjoy ouzo for just $8 or treat yourself to a rum Highball for $12.

We love The Old Fitz so much they won Time Out Sydney’s Best Casual Drinking Venue Award 2023. So it makes sense it’s one of our fave spots to go during happy hour, too. It’s on every Monday to Friday, 4-6pm. Come on down for $7 beers and house wines.

This Surry Hills' stalwart will pour you a schooner or vino for $7.50 every weekday from 4-6pm, perfect to enjoy alongside Forrester's huge Yorkshire pudding. On Mondays, you can also get a $18 steak and chips for lunch or dinner, which is a bloody bargain in our books.

Expect tropical vibes with an Italian twist at Tucano’s, a funky bar in Surry Hills. It's 'Tiki Time' Thursday to Saturday from 5-7pm. Get there for $2 oysters, $6 beers and $8 wines and snacks, plus fun and fruity cocktails from $12.

In North Sydney and knocking off early from work? Restaurant and bar Rafi has a happy hour Monday to Saturday, from 3-6pm. Head over for cocktails from $14, $7 beer and wine and cracking pizzas from $12 and cheeseburgers at $15. They also have happy hour at Rafi Sydney Olympic Park. 

The Charles Bar, the gorgeous European-inspired wine bar next to the brasserie, has a fun happy hour they call 'The Charles Hours'. Stop by Monday through Saturday from 4-7pm and enjoy $2 oysters and cheap bar snacks as well as excellent $13 mini Martinis, $7 beers and $12 house wines. Cheers!

Bask in the sunshine at The Newport, admire the stunning views over Pittwater and take advantage of their happy hour. From Monday to Friday, 4-6pm, get a range of $7.5 schooners, house wines and spirits, plus $15 Aperol Spritzes and $18 cocktails.

Found inside an 18th-century cottage, Chippendale’s gin haven Gin Lane boasts more than 80 gins, including Tanqueray, Hendricks and Bombay Sapphire, alongside local offerings from Sydney gin-makers Archie Rose, Poor Toms and Manly Gin, as well as varieties from the Sweden, Japan and more. So, if you’re a gin lover, you should check this spot out. Plus, every day there is a happy hour – the offerings change often, but it’s all good stuff. They also have Tiki Tuesdays, Gin and Jazz and Sunday Sips.

When you want to kick-start the night early, Tio’s is your place. Snag $7 beers as well as $13 classic Margs, daily from 4–6pm. They also have Tio's Sundays when you can enjoy Mega Margaritas for $35. Slurp! 

You should come to The Paddington for its five-star rotisserie chicken. But we reckon you should also come for its happy hour, which includes $7.5 schooners, house wine and spirits, every Tuesday to Friday from 5-7pm. That's festive.

Surry Hills Basque-inspired wine bar and restaurant Gildas has a Golden Hour that we can get around. On Wednesdays and Thurdays from 5-6.30pm and on Fridays and Saturdays from 3-5.30pm, enjoy $12 house cocktails and wines, plus $8 beers. Oh, and $5 Gildas. We'll have a dozen, please. 

Morrison’s Oyster Bar & Grill is well-versed in happy hour chat. In fact, they are famous for their Oyster Hour, where you can get freshly shucked Sydney rock oysters for $2 every Wednesday, 6-7pm. Additionally, you can score $10 Negronis and Spritzes, plus $7.5 schooners, spirits and wines during happy hour every weekday, 4-6pm.

Bar Elvina is a friendly and sunny neighbourhood bar and bistro in Avalon on Sydney's Northern Beaches. Head out for a surf, and make it in time for aperitivo time, 5-7pm, Wednesday to Friday. Enjoy $3 oysters, $12 Margs and Spritzes, $7 beer and $10 vino.

Soak up the stellar views at Pier Bar, which is located smack-bang on the water along the historic Pier One in Walsh Bay. Pier Bar's happy hour runs every weekday from 5-6pm. It includes $12 cocktails and $2 oysters.

Alfie's is from the Liquid and Larder team – they're the ones behind some of Sydney’s and the world’s best steakhouses: Bistecca and the Gidley, as well as sepia-hued bar and restaurant, The Rover. And they've got an ace happy hour in the bar area. Come for $17 Alfie’s Martinis, $8 G&Ts, $10 red and white wines and more, from 4-6pm, Monday to Saturday (closed on Sunday).

Give yourself the treat you deserve after a long day at work by hitting up the happy hour at Dove and Olive. From 4-7pm every weekday, have your pick of $7.50 house wine, beer and spirits.