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Potts Point knows a thing or two about a sexy bar. In fact, we’d argue this corner of Sydney has a pretty good claim to the title of the city’s hospo heartland. And while Ward Avenue attracts the crowds with its hyper-cool wine bars for good reason, there’s an underground spot (serving retro-inspired cocktails and a viral $18 ‘girl dinner’) that we reckon is worth knowing about.
Hiding beneath Penny’s Hotel in Potts Point, Jude’s is an intimate 30-seat basement bar bringing a little old-school, cinematic glamour. Part Studio 54, part New York cocktail lounge, the moody space is dripping in velvet – with floor-to-ceiling curtains, mirrored walls and a constantly revolving disco ball sending circling lights across the zebra-print chairs.
Behind the bar, British mixologist Danny Renwick (who previously headed up London's rooftop bar Pergola and worked at Michelin-starred restaurant House of Tides) brings to life a cocktail menu created by Matthew Cridge. Expect nostalgic favourites with a modern twist, including the signature Hey Jude ($22), a lychee martini-meets-spicy margarita. The Martini offering is, delightfully, exceptionally strong – you can build your own by choosing between a range of different gins, vodkas, filth-level and garnish (options include a stick of eight olives for the olive obsessed, or two tiny pickles if you prefer your Martini veggies a little sweeter).
There's also a well considered wine list stacked with Australian and European drops, alongside a tight snack menu of perfect drinking food: truffle fries ($14), baked camembert with sourdough and hot honey ($18), charcuterie boards ($24) and some very moreish triple cheese zucchini flowers ($22). And PSA: you’ll want to save room for the whiskey and peanut butter crème brûlée ($12 – best enjoyed with a whiskey on the rocks).
If you visit on a Thursday after 5pm, you can get your hands on the Jude’s ‘girl dinner’: a mini charcuterie board perched on top of a hefty glass of wine, all for just $18.
You’ll find Jude's in the basement of Penny's Hotel at 15 Bayswater Road, Potts Point. It's open Thursday to Saturday from 5pm until late, with walk-ins only. Learn more over here.
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