Sydney is smitten with small, word-of-mouth, hole-in-the-wall bars

SYDNEY is smitten with small, word-of-mouth bars, writes Renata Gortan

Pasan Wijesena at Earl's Juke Joint, a New Orleans-inspired bar in Newtown.

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A BAR without signage or an obvious entrance seems counterintuitive. But the sense of discovery after hunting it down makes that first drink so much more satisfying.

If Melbourne was once the home of the small bar, Sydney has well and truly caught up, as intrepid drinkers spread the intel about hidden drinking dens tucked away everywhere from carparks to laneways.

Then there is Earl’s Juke Joint (407 King St, Newtown), which has a queue of people lining up to get into what looks like a butcher’s shop. In fact, these guys sling some of the best drinks in town, regardless of the fact the former tenant’s facade is still intact.

The original butcher’s shop front of Earl's Juke Joint in Newtown.

Here are some more of the best to check out on a cold winter’s night:

GRASSHOPPER

1 Temperance Ln, Sydney

Not only was it one of the first small bars in Sydney, complete with jam-jar cocktails, it was one of the first hidden laneway bars.

SHADY PINES SALOON

Shop 4, 256 Crown St, Darlinghurst

At the forefront of the small bar movement, it’s still one of the best. On weekends look for the queue snaking out the laneway behind Crown St. On weekdays, find the bouncer in front of a nondescript door.

The comfortable chesterfield lounges at The Doss House whiskey bar. Picture: Alana Dimou

THE DOSS HOUSE

77-79 George St, The Rocks

Sydney’s latest whisky den opened in March. Head down to the sandstone depth of this underground bar, just off George St in The Rocks, to find 150 international whiskies.

DELLA HYDE

34 Oxford St, Darlinghurst

Think there’s nowhere to drink on the CBD-end of Oxford St? This basement bar has a seasonal cocktail list and Wes Anderson-inspired interiors.

Baris Sahin, James Gear and Alex Colman at Uncle Kurts in Parramatta.

UNCLE KURT’S

22B Hornwood Pl, Parramatta

A bar hidden underneath a carpark? It all sounds very inner city; it’s tucked beneath City Centre Carpark in Parramatta.

RAMBLIN’ RASCAL TAVERN

60 Park St, Sydney

A door marked with three skulls is your entrance to this underground den.

Wild Rover in Surry Hills.

THE WILD ROVER

75 Campbell St, Surry Hills

This Irish-themed whiskey bar has no signage, so your best bet is to look for a security guard lolling about or swarms of people coming in and out through the sliding door.

PAPA GEDE’S

346-348 Kent St, Sydney

Use the rear laneway to find this New Orleans-themed bar housed in a former garage.

Barman Tom Loosli making the Smoky Rob cockatil at Eau de Vie. Picture: Bob Barker

EAU DE VIE

229 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst

Walk into the Kirketon Hotel, past a nondescript hallway bar and into this back room to find an award-winning cocktail den.

GUNTHER’S DINING ROOM

180 Redfern St, Redfern

Wood panelling, a disco-ball and velour booths give a ’70s vibe to this bar at the back of Redfern Continental.

Mike Enright, owner of The Barbershop Bar on York St. Picture: Dylan Robinson

THE BARBER SHOP

89 York St, Sydney

You’d think a lot of people are in the market for a trim, but head up the stairs past the grooming section to find a fun little bar.

FRANKIE’S FUN ROOM

50 Hunter St, Sydney

The fire door side-of-stage at Frankie’s takes you down a flight of stairs to the former band green room, which has been converted to a tiny bar.

Zebra Bar, upstairs at Queens Hotel, Enmore.

ZEBRA BAR

167 Enmore Rd, Enmore

Upstairs at Queens Hotel, this small space is only open on Friday and Saturday nights.

WHISKY ROOM

470 Crown St, Surry Hills

From the street The Clock is your standard Surry Hills pub, but the upstairs room is home to more than 400 tipples from around the world.

Inside Smoky's Cabin at Surly's, Surry Hills.

SMOKEY’S CABIN

182 Campbell St, Surry Hills

It looks like a log cabin complete with chesterfield lounges but it’s above Surly’s in Surry Hills, not Alaska.

MRS JONES

1 Kendall Lane, The Rocks

The cocktail terrace overlooking The Rocks is on the rooftop of the Orient Hotel and accessed by a hidden entrance off Kendall Lane.

HUXLEY’S

32 Banksia Rd, Caringbah

Enter through the fridge door at Ugly Pizza to find Americana-eats and cocktails.

Originally published as Sydney is smitten with small, word-of-mouth, hole-in-the-wall bars