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Sydney Nightlife | Nightlife In Sydney | Bars Clubs Nightlife Sydney |
 I’m not much of a city girl, generally preferring tractors to traffic and scenery to shops, but I absolutely LOVE Sydney. Even though my first experience entailed having my laptop pinched on the flight from Cairns and spending my first night in a questionable internet-booked hotel (?) that was most definitely in the wrong King Street (yes, there are two - one in the city centre and one, er, not), my overall experience was brilliant. In fact it was through staying in a bad hotel that I discovered an excellent one..in an excellent area: the Rocks and Circular Quay - and that’s where this concentrates on.
The Rocks is found at the foot of the Sydney Harbour Bridge; the oldest area of Sydney and of great historical significance. today it is a maze of collbestone alleyways, stone buildings, artistic shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs. It leads down to Circular quay and syndey Opera House and this whole area is full of places to eat, drink and be very merry!Plus from Circular Quay you can easily catch ferries to various other parts of the harbour and be merry again.
The Opera House is awe inspiring; the views are incredible and what’s more it’s the location of one of the best bars in Sydney. Located on the lower concourse level of the Sydney Opera House, Opera Bar has unrivalled views of Sydney Harbour Bridge and the city skyline. It’s a great place to eat, or just have a drink, inside or out ,and enjoy the nightly live music. The Sydney Morning Herald has named Opera Bar as its 'Favourite Bar' in the 2008 Good Food Guide. Foodwise, there is an impressive menu based on modern Sydney cuisine with a comprehensive menu selection of seasonal main courses, tapas-style tasting plates for two and an assortment of other dishes to share. The chicken & herb risotto with leek and parmesan is to die for, and the pan roasted barramundi is pretty damn good too. |
 If you’re into novelty - and vodka - then you have to have a drink at Minus 5deg, the ‘cool’ new ice bar where everything is made from ice, including the bar, tables, chairs, stools and curtains. If it doesn’t sound familiar, it’s on the site of the old Aqua Luna bar in the heart of Circular Quay.You won’t last more than 30 minutes inside, even with the layers piled on, but it’s one of those things you just have to do. The bar offers a wide range of vodka based cocktails, all using Absolut. Entry costs $30 but does include a cocktail of your choice. Staying on the vodka theme (which I am happy to do) Lenin, at East Circular Quay, is a premium vodka bar where the only ice is in the glass! Their signature cocktail here is the Yuri Gagrin Martini, which is made with honey infused vodka and Zubrowka vodka. Mixed with lime, passionfruit, Blue Curacao and served with apple juice, it’s just one example of the bar’s fantastic flavour combinations. If the Yuri doesnt appeal, there are about another 35 or so to try.
If old fashioned pubs are more your thing, then just up the road from where I was staying, in George St, is the Fortune of War - the oldest pub in Sydney. The First licencee was Samuel Terry who was transported to Australia in 1801 for seven years for theft. At the end of his sentence, he made the most of his misfortune to establish his business. Very laid back, very unchic, there weren’t too many women there when I walked in and, being mainly a wine drinker at lunchtime, I can’t vouch for the draft stout - although it’s said to be very good. The people there were friendly enough, though, and again it’s one of those ‘must visit’ places. The Orient Hotel, also in George St, has been a mainstay of The Rocks since 1844 and has a great street level public bar with good bar food and a friendly crew. There’s a lovely sandstone courtyard at the back which is nice to relax in.
At night the Orient starts to party, with live gigs in th bar from Wednesday through to Sunday, whilst on the top floor is the Rooftop nghtclub with some pretty decent music every Friday and Saturday til 3am (or you might manage 4am if you’re lucky). Generally speaking most nightclubs are either only open (and open til 3-5am) at the weekends, or shut earlier during the rest of the week.
The Argyle Hotel, in Argyle Street is a big, five bar music venue (apparently there’s room for 1000 people) that is currently very popular. Set in another old, historic building, it has an open warehouse setting with sandstone walls and a candle lit courtyard, plus a comfy lounge with booths and day beds, leather banquettes and twinkling lighting. Very chic! It’s another place which you can enjoy day or night, with a reasonable food menu and drink selection and no cover charge. The margaritas are excellent!
Drinking, dining and dancing are also the name of the game at the Cruise bar and lounge restaurant at West Circular Quay, which has a more contemporary setting and a rather fancy light wall which creates an ever-changing display. The restaurant on Level 2 has a split floor which means ever y table has a fabulous view across the harbour. There’s also a new cocktail lounge, great for pre dinner drinks or a final night cap.
Eating out is the norm in Sydney, and they expect high standards at a reasonable price - so that’s what you get. A great Oz tradition is BYO - bring your own bottle, which keeps the prices down, especially as corkage only usually applies to wine not six packs. Cosmopolitan city that it is, Sydney’s cuisine offer covers just about everything and anything you want, but Mod Oz - a blend of European and Asian cooking - is the norm.
Some of the city’s best restaurants are in the Rocks, but I have to mention Newtown because there are some truly superb and very reasonably priced Thai and Indian restaurants there (oh, and this is a good area for Gay bars as well).
I’m not normally into German sausage and sauerkraut, and I’m not quite sure how I ended up in the Lowenbrau bar-brasserie-beerhall (Argyle St) for dinner..but it was quite an experience! They say it’s Oktoberfest all year round at Lowenbrau; well I dont know about that but it’s a big place, there were a lot of people there, and they were certainly having a good time. I have to confess I did shrink into my table when they started the yodelling contest; but the food was excellent and the beer (yes I do drink it sometimes) slipped down a treat. They have one of the largest ranges of beers from alll over the world and a very German meat focused menu. Still, they kept me happy with a delicious vegetarianGoulash soup, baked chese spatzle (fresh home made Bavarian pasta) and traditional warm apple strudel. |
 Somewhat different is the Imperial Peking Harbourside, where house specialities include abalone, mud crabs, scampi, fish and lobster direct from the tank. If you’re really brave try the barbecued crocodile -virtually fat free, it’s great for us perpetual dieters (tastes pretty good, too). For more traditional seafood, try Fish at the Rocks, near the pretty Garrison Church. The fish is really fresh here and the food second to none. Go for one of the daily specials
The Harbour Kitchen & Bar at the Park Hyatt Sydney is stunningly positioned in the harbour facing the Opera House.The resaurant here is very chic. You can watch the food being prepared and listen to the water lapping outside through the impressive floor to ceiling glass wndows. The Mediterranean inspired, Mod Oz menu from the wood fired oven, rotisserie and char grill is excellent, but this is not a cheap meal. Expect to pay $23-28 for a starter and from $36 to $49 for a main course. If you want a classy night out though, its worth it, because the views and ambience are wonderful.
From Circular Quay you can catch one of many ferries to various points around the harbour or take one of the several Harbour Cruises , which can include lunch or dinner and often include tickets to attractions such as the Zoo and Aquarium. If you catch the ferry over to Darling Harbour, where the Aquarium is, then Jordans Seafood restaurant on the waters edge is a must. It’s seafood platters are famous.
From The Rocks it’s an easy walk up Pitt St or George St to the city centre, where there are countless more good restaurants, good bars and good nightclubs - particularly The Chinese Laundry, part of the impressive Slip Inn complex (originally the Royal George Hotel) on the corner of King Sreet and Sussex Street. The main bar is located at ground level and has four adjoining terraces, booth seating and pool tables. There’s a secluded rear Garden Bar, a huge Tuscan style sundrenched courtyard. Downstairs is the nightclub, with music happening in three areas: The Chinese Laundry, which combines the rustic feel of the building with strong and brilliant hues of a Chinese inspired interior, and the adjoining Cave and Sandbar. International DJs feature here regularly, with a variety of music going on in the different rooms, for a pretty dynamic clubbing experience!
(Other nightclubs worth a look include DCM in Oxford Street, Tank in Bridge Street, The Shark Hotel in Liverpool Street, Yu in Victoria Street, The Arthouse Hotel in Pitt Street, and Zanzibar, out in Newtown.)
No trip to Sydney is complete without visiting the Sydney Tower , with its incredible panoramic 360deg views of Sydney. Some 325m about sea level, you get to the top via a 40 second lift ride - it can take a while bcause of the queues but it’s worth the wait. Up here entrepreneurial restaurateur Rob Rubis has opend the 360 Bar and dining room, which has received excellent reviews and takes dining to a whole new level! Oh and while you’re up here you have to do the Oztrek experience. This is a Disney type virtual reality 3D cinematic journey across Australia, taking into account its history and amazing landscape. Extremely lifelike you are soaring over Sydneys icons, feeling the exhileration of white water rafting and - er - nearly being eaten by a crocodile. Do it and bring out the kid in you.
Then head straight for the bar! Try PJ O’briens (yes an Irish pub) in the Grace Hotel complex on the corner of King & York Streets, where the warm glow of the open fire and traditional Irish music drowns out the hustle and bustle of city life. Serving a good creamy pint of Guinness and with a decent selection of savoury Irish dishes, this is a great place in which to relax any time day or evening.
Lastly a plug for the hotel I stayed in: the Russell on George st. Small and inviting with really beautifully furnished rooms, this boutique hotel stands our for sheer warmth of character. Dating back to 1887, it has a lovely sitting room with comfy sofas, lots of books and a tv, a roof garden with great views, and downstairs at street level a bar restaurant with varied menu. www.therussell.com.au. |
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Arriving or transitting via Sydney airport checkout:: Sydney International Airport |
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