The best new bars in Sydney

From the industry legends who brought us Sydney institutions Tio’s, Cantina OK and the Cliff Dive comes the next great nocturnal adventure: Bar Planet, a psychedelic Inner West dive bar reimagining the world's most divisive cocktail, the Martini.

Suspend your reality for a moment. Imagine it's 1980s Australia and you're a True Blue Bruce. This is truly your time. On the cusp of its five-year birthday, Hawke's Brewing Company, the brewery co-founded by former prime minister Bob Hawke, has thrown open the doors to a flagship venue, housed inside its newly built 2,100-square-metre brewery in Marrickville.

If you walked straight past Ante on the first attempt, you probably wouldn't be the only one. Double back and look for an understated, chic façade. The words SAKE & SOUNDS adorn the glass in gold lettering, and while that’s the general premise, there’s plenty more to discover behind the door.

Some things never change, and for that we are grateful. However, sometimes a change is just as good as a holiday. Case in point: the Rover. This old dog has learned some new tricks and has come out schmick and shining, with an oyster bar and delicate new cocktails.

The second of four box-fresh establishments to open at restaurateur Brett Robinson's new CBD hospo hub Shell House, the Sky Bar is an Art Deco dream in earthy hues – a palette of burnt umbers, rich terracottas and creamy tones. From the second you cross the street-level threshold, tucked inconspicuously just off Margaret Street on Wynyard Lane, you’re transported to the Roaring ‘20s.

Late in 2021, a warm and cosy new diner opened its doors in Manly. Away from the big group-owned pubs and restaurants of the wharf and beachfront, there is a growing clutch of high-quality venues quietly brewing up a vibrant and diverse dining and drinking scene.

There have been plenty of Sydney pubs that have undergone dramatic renos, transforming them from humble community boozers with oodles of character to up-market gastropubs with plenty of polish but not much spirit. Thankfully, that has not been the fate of the Oxford Tavern. Its 2022 facelift hasn't altered its identity, but rather enhanced the thriving dive bar vibes of this pub's notorious yesteryears while making the most notable glow-up where it counts – in the kitchen. 

The DLM– that's the Department of Legend & Myth, FYI – is set to be Sydneysiders' new house of wonder and mystery, where punters can expect cocktails, magic, live music and quirky decor, so you can add an extra dose of razzle dazzle to your weekend. 

Almost 70 years of history as a coffee shop, Piccolo Bar has completed its metamorphosis into Sydney’s smallest (and one of it’s coolest) new bars. Not just an allusion to the quick shot of caffeine keeping the locals going for the better part of a century, Piccolo is a tightly packed step back in time.

The best seats in the house at the new bar beneath 4 Pines brewing in Manly are the large wooden tables on the covered front terrace where you can get comfy beneath twinkling fairy lights and hanging baskets of burgeoning tropical ferns, just a few feet away from the bar.