El Patron, Neo Bar, Bar 53: Southwest Sydney bar culture continues to boom

Intimate bars and dining experiences are bringing signature CBD experiences to southwest Sydney – minus the long trip. See the best bars for your next night out.

A new generation of small, upscale bars are breathing new life into Sydney’s southwest dining and clubbing scene.

A mix of venues, featuring signature cocktails, live music and fusion cuisine, have launched in recent years as demand for city-style venues continues to grow.

Hybrid bar and restaurant El Patron at Gregory Hills opened in the midst of Covid with the goal to bring a live entertainment venue to the fast-growing southwest.

Chief of operations Rami Taleb said the region deserved a place to enjoy a night out close to home.

“We realised there was no where else to go but local pubs and when you drink you don’t want that temptation to gamble your savings away on machines,” he said.

Kimberly D’Mello, James Dona and Layla Hessey at El Patron in Gregory Hills. Picture: Nathan Hopkins

Mr Taleb said Sydney’s southwest was the home of “setting trends” and predicted the bar and night culture would continue to grow in popularity.

“We can already see the transition evolving away from pubs to hybrid venues with bars, clubs and restaurants,” he said.

El Patron at Gregory Hills is one of southwest Sydney’s thriving bars. Picture: Nathan Hopkins

Neo Bar, which opened in January at Canley Heights, had more than 200 people unexpectedly attending the opening event with lines snaking around the block, meaning people had to be turned away.

After working in big city bars for eight years, bar manager Vincent Huynh’s hope for Neo Bar was to bring city experiences to the southwest.

“The bar culture [in the south west] is never going to die, it’s booming right now,” he said.

“If you open a bar it’s always going to boom because travel to the city from our area is such a headache.”

The 29-year-old said people were no longer travelling to the city for a night out as “getting home is a hassle”.

Neo Bar in Canley Heights opened in January.

“It doesn’t make sense to travel into the city to drink as the food culture in places like Canley Heights and Cabramatta are coming up again after lockdown,” he said.

“It’ll cost $200 for an Uber [to get home] and even if you take the train home you’ll still need to Uber to get back home.”

Mr Huynh said Neo Bar’s major draw card was its “competitive prices without compromising quality.”

“We’re one of the cheapest bars in the area and we’re bringing city quality cocktails to locals,” he said.

Bar Neo’s draw card are their “competitive prices without compromising quality.” Picture: Supplied.

The southwest Sydney bar boom was kicked off by Bar 53, which opened its doors in 2017, after the co-owners were motivated to create a pokie-free bar.

The bar offers six signature cocktails in a friendly atmosphere, and fusion cuisine.

When it comes to the future of south west’s bar culture, Mr Huynh said it will only increase in popularity.

“The one misconception is that we’re competing with other bars in the area, but we’re working on collaborating as the crowds are here,” he said.