Love, Tilly Devine. Image credit: Daniel Boud; Destination NSW.
The inner-Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst definitely doesn’t lack options when it comes to small bars.
Wine bars, cocktail caves, speakeasies, Texan saloons – take your pick:
Eau de Vie. Image credit: Daniel Boud; Destination NSW.
1. This Must Be The Place
Well it sure is the place if you’re after some of the best cocktails in Sydney. These guys have won all kinds of awards for their cocktail-making prowess, and all deserved because they most definitely know their way around a cocktail shaker. Choose something off the menu or ask for something bespoke – the dapper gents behind the bar will happily oblige. There’s also a tightly-curated list of wines, spritzes and snack foods.
This Must Be The Place isn’t like any other small bar in the area. For starters, it stands alone on Oxford Street. Secondly, the space is light and bright. Thirdly, the service is next level friendly.
This Must Be The Place | 239 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, New South Wales
tmbtp.com.au
The cocktail wizards at work at This Must Be The Place
2. Black Bottle
This newish wine bar is a right favourite! And with a solid wine list, fancy cocktails and outdoor wine garden, why wouldn’t it be? There’s also a daily happy hour that goes for two hours (5–7pm), and it involves $1.50 oysters and $15 wine carafes.
Then there’s the Mediterranean-inspired share plates to snack on – things like BBQ scallops, charcuterie and croquettes. And I haven’t even mentioned the ‘crackin’ Thursdays’ yet, when the Black Bottle crew crack open random bottles of wine and serve $2 glasses of vino and $2 pintxos. Pull up a stool!
Black Bottle | 116–118 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst, New South Wales
blackbottle.com.au
Black Bottle: a wine wonderland!
3. Eau de Vie
Walk through The Kirketon Hotel, past the bathrooms and you’ll find this 1920s-inspired cocktail bar shying away behind an unmarked door. Don’t worry, the game of hide and seek is well rewarded, with the not-shy-at-all Eau de Vie serving up unfathomably good cocktails.
The 20-page cocktail menu is a bit to take in. But, whatever you choose, get ready for an experience – one that may involve smoke, flames and some outlandishly elaborate garnish.
Eau de Vie | 229 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst, New South Wales
eaudevie.com.au/sydney
Some cocktail theatre at Eau de Vie. Image credit: Eau de Vie.
4. Love, Tilly Devine
I love a good wine bar and Sydney just doesn’t have nearly enough! Although one of its first is still one of its best.
Named after infamous Darlinghurst resident Tilly Devine, this wine bar tucked away in a laneway doesn’t really have a lot in common with the 1920s sly grog queen. It’s warm and inviting, with low ceilings, red bricks, hanging plants and date night tables for two.
There’s a 300-strong wine list, which is just plain dangerous. Lucky the staff are wine educated and happy to educate others on all things wine.
Love, Tilly Devine | 91 Crown Lane, Darlinghurst, New South Wales
lovetillydevine.com
Love, Tilly Devine is very easy to fall in love with
5. Shady Pines Saloon
Welcome to the Wild West! You wouldn’t think twice about bumping into a Texan cowboy in this much-loved, American-themed, underground drinking den.
Fronted by another unmarked alleyway door, once inside you’ll need to adjust your eyes to the low light and amount of taxidermy. Hopefully you don’t mind drinking your specialty whiskey or craft beer with a Texan longhorn bull head looming over you. You also probably need to like country and western music to feel at home here.
Shady Pines Saloon | 4/256 Crown Street, Darlinghurst, New South Wales
shadypinessaloon.com
Forgot to mention the complimentary peanuts at Shady Pines Saloon – get around it!
6. The Long Goodbye
What’s your flava? Tell me what’s your flava? This is the question you’ll be asked by the bar crew at The Long Goodbye (who may or may not be channelling some Craig David while they ask it).
There’s no menu here– zip, nuttin, no dice. You just say what you like in a cocktail – fruity, spicy, zesty, etc – and voilà you’re presented with a drink that’s made for your tastebuds. Unless your flavour is of the grape varietal, because The Long Goodbye only has three types of wine to choose from: white, rosé and red. Slightly devastating for the wine drinker.
As for the space, The Long Goodbye reminds you of your grandparent’s lounge room – an oversized, eclectically-seated living area. At the very least, there’s a certain romantic nostalgia about this old fashioned cocktail bar.
The Long Goodbye | 1/83 Stanley Street, Darlinghurst, New South Wales
facebook.com/thelonggoodbyesydney
Image credit: The Long Goodbye
7. Pocket Bar
One of Sydney’s first small bars, you still want to shove this cocktail powerhouse in your pocket. It has all the ingredients for a fun, relaxed, good time: street art, slouchy couches and some serious mixologists behind the swizzle stick.
The inventive, freewheeling cocktail menu runs the gamut from fun spritzers to hefty late-night cocktails. Try the Darlinghurst Rollerblading Club – a cocktail of raspberries, lime, Bombay Sapphire, honey and PX sherry.
Food isn’t forgotten either with a selection of cheeses, meats and small shares, such as cheeseburger spring rolls, polenta truffle fries and veggie nachos.
Pocket Bar | 13 Burton Street, Darlinghurst, New South Wales
houseofpocket.com.au/bars/pocket-bar-darlinghurst
Image credit: Pocket Bar
