This year’s compilation of Sydney’s best bars was much harder than usual to whittle down due to the number of ace new openings and a higher standard of cocktails across the board.

We thought the martini, that gin- (or vodka) based warhorse, had peaked last year. Instead, it’s more popular than ever.

Everyone seems to be rocking a “freezer” martini (with varying quality), but there are also tomato-leaf martinis, an increasing number of 50/50 martinis (equal parts gin and dry vermouth), and quite a few decent lychee martinis that won’t bring on a syrup-induced headache.

It’s safe to say that Sydney’s lust for a good margarita hasn’t slowed, you can expect to see a boat-load more palomas come summer, and competition for the city’s best pina colada remains fierce.

Here’s what else we’re loving in bar land.

Ante

Is it a bar with great food, or a restaurant with exceptional booze? A bit of both, really. Owner Matt Young imports sake, so everything is available by the glass, making it a good spot to take a deep dive into the nuanced world of junmai (“pure rice”) brews. Don’t sleep on the cocktails either. Meanwhile, Young’s drinks are enhanced by a serious record collection and creative snacks and share plates by chef Jemma Whiteman. (We would say “book ahead” but it’s walk-ins only.)

146 King Street, Newtown, ante.bar

Arcadia Liquors

It’s been no frills, all thrills since day dot at this fairy-lit Redfern fixture, which remains resolutely unpretentious and as reliable as ever 12 years on. Cliched as it may sound, it really is the local every suburb yearns for, replete with all the comforts of a pub, the smarts of a lo-fi cocktail bar and toasties that never fail to hit the spot.

7 Cope Street, Redfern, arcadialiquors.com

Bar Planet

Welcome to the only martini bar in the universe that looks like a Doctor Who fever dream. There’s the galaxy of stars and all that glitters built into the bartop itself; martini deftly served anyway you like it, from ferociously dry to wet with a skyscraper of olives; and a short menu of seasonal house cocktails bursting with fruit. Weird in the most delicious, fun ways.

16 Enmore Road, Newtown, barplanet.com.au

Bar Sumi

No menu, no worries. At this low-lit black-on-charcoal bolthole inside Regent Place, owner-bartender Wen Wang – or one of his friendly team – will just ask you what you like to drink and build something from there. If you like to drink piercingly cold martinis you’re in particularly good hands, but any of the classics is usually a cracker. Whisky fans will be chuffed with the wall of rare pours, too.

Level 9, 488 Kent Street, Sydney, instagram.com/bar_sumi_sydney

The Bearded Tit

Happy 10th birthday, Bearded Tit! Celebrating queer culture, visual and performance art since 2014, the mood-lifting neighbourhood bar also pours a mean negroni, not to mention $18 Philter Brewing jugs every Friday. Check the Tit’s Instagram page for updates on live music, exhibitions and events. Never dull. Always on. (Except Mondays, when it’s closed.)

183 Regent Street, Redfern, thebeardedtit.com

Bobbie’s

In collaboration with Linden Pride from New York’s much acclaimed Dante, Neil Perry has created a comfortable jazz bar below his new Song Bird restaurant, and then some. Plush velvet chairs. A mint-green banquette wrapping the room. Lancelot-Royer Champagne by the glass, ham and gruyere toasties, and even a few caramel chews. It’s early days, and the floor team is still finding its feet, but all signs point to plenty of three-martini lunches and patty melts ahead. Come on down.

28 Bay Street, Double Bay, themargaretfamily.com/venue/bobbies

Cantina OK!

This standing-only mezcal-fuelled hole-in-the-wall bar serves arguably Sydney’s best margarita. That’s due, in part, to the almost fluffy shaved ice, and to the use of orange oil, fresh lime and smoky booze. But there’s also much joy to be found in other cocktails, plus hard-to-find agave spirits for sipping, with guidance by clued-in, enthusiastic staff.

Council Place, Sydney, okokok.com.au

Centro 86

From the team behind aforementioned Cantina OK!, this basement-dwelling tribute to the margarita is inspired by Mexico’s time-worn cantinas. It’s a premise we can all get behind at this hidden marg den, which delivers charismatic service, a technicolour bar top, rare spirits and uplifting bracers that’ll have you reaching for the free popcorn.

86-88 Pitt Street (enter via rear), Sydney, centro86.com

The Cumberland

The “underground speakeasy” trope may be a bit tired, but that’s hardly the most exciting thing about The Cumberland. That would be the painstaking detail lavished on this snug, sandstone-lined and destination-worthy 75-seater, from the antique curios to the thoughtfulness behind the cocktails, which call upon native ingredients and Sydney’s rich history with no shortage of flair.

17-19 Central Avenue, Manly, cumberlandmanly.com.au

Double Deuce Lounge

We’ve said it before, and we’re going to keep saying it: there’s no better nightcap in the city than DD’s minty, boozy, Fernet-Branca-buzzing Stinger. But the 1970s-channelling basement bar is also the kind of place where you want to sink into a booth for the whole evening, order a bowl of Jatz crackers and French onion dip, and put yourself in the hands of cocktail champions Alicia Clarke and Sebastian “Cosmo” Soto for a dealer’s choice. Pretence-free. Fun-times forward.

6 Bridge Street, Sydney, doubledeucelounge.com

Earl’s Juke Joint

Few watering holes hold as much magic when they’re quiet as they do when they’re pumping. Yet Earl’s might hold even more, such is the splendour of its sweeping candlelit back bar and the expertise and execution that come along with it. A pioneer with an uncannily steady strike rate that keeps on keeping on. Amen.

407 King Street, Newtown, earlsjukejoint.com.au

Fortunate Son

Where else in Sydney can you chase a note-perfect dirty martini with Dom Perignon by the glass and follow that with a tin of Pabst Blue Ribbon or a mystery 20-year-old malt in a bag? Nowhere, that’s where, which is exactly what makes this neon-drenched inner west dive a total diamond (and a perennial bartenders’ favourite – always a good sign).

105 Enmore Road, Enmore, fortunateson.com.au

Jangling Jack’s Bar & Grill

Like your favourite denim jacket, Jangling Jack’s keeps getting better with age. Wedged into a leafy Potts Point backstreet, it’s a shining example of “the neighbourhood bar”, with bottle-green walls plastered with Polaroids of locals, a rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack, and stonkingly good-value cocktails at happy hour. As for the “grill” part, that means cheeseburgers, Sunday roasts and top-drawer fried chicken.

175 Victoria Street, Potts Point, instagram.com/jangling.jacks

Maybe Sammy

Shaking tins is one thing, but turning nuanced and highly conceptual cocktails into an outright experience, the way the dapper team at Maybe Sammy does, is quite another. Simply put, no crew in town comes close to matching the rizz factor here, nor the dramatic height of the pours, the elaborate garnishes, or sheer number of bubbles blown per shift.

115 Harrington Street, The Rocks, maybesammy.com

Old Love’s

Fresh bartenders and a new concept menu mean the rooftop at Old Mate’s Place is as enticing as ever, but slip downstairs and sibling Old Love’s is quietly making a good fist of the tiki genre. Feathery lightshades and cane detailing set the tone, while fresh sugarcane juice complements a rum-stacked back bar. The order? A seasonal daiquiri, please, followed by a spin on the Ramos Gin Fizz featuring coconut rum and green mango.

Basement, 199 Clarence Street, Sydney, oldloves.sydney

Paski Sotto

A handsome communal table has been recently added to this sharp Italian wine bar, run by a collective that includes pioneering vino importer Giorgio de Maria. The table is almost as long as the wine shelves, which are stacked with the great natural-wine producers of the world, meaning there’s always something exciting to drink. The snack game is strong, too.

239 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, paski.com.au

PS40

Last year’s Good Food Guide Bar of the Year continues to offer some of the CBD’s best drinks service inside its plush (but not too fancy) high-ceilinged space, and plenty of innovative cocktails to boot. First-timers should gravitate to modern classics such as the Breakfast negroni or Basque Old Fashioned (just like a cheesecake only boozy, pictured above), but we’re also very much into the Miami Vice, combining the magic of a watermelon margarita with the Mango Weis.

2/40 King Street, Sydney, ps40bar.com

Village: A Taproom by Mountain Culture and Wildflower

What was once Wildflower HQ is now a joint taproom shared by Marrickville’s masters of wild-fermented, barrel-aged beer and Mountain Culture, the Blue Mountains’ very best craft brewers. The unparalleled warmth of the place endures, but with double the taps there’s twice as much to love – and that’s before you consider the A.P Bakery and Goldstreet Dairy snacks.

11-13 Brompton Street, Marrickville, wildflowerbeer.com/pages/village

The Waratah

It’s an upstairs-downstairs affair at The Waratah, a cosy corner site infused with an Australian accent. Stay down, and a rotating roster of cocktails (a mezcal-spiked Japanese Slipper, say) joins a fine burger and the signature rhubarb and watermelon Waratah Spritz. Head up, and it’s bistro classics with Aussie wines, plus drinks of beauty and complexity from co-owner Evan Stroeve, infused with ingredients from regional growers and makers. Either way it’s a win.

308-310 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, thewaratahsydney.com

Where’s Nick

Is this Sydney’s premier wine bar? It’s hard to argue otherwise when sommelier Bridget Raffal runs a list brimming with so much interest. The blackboard alone might list Basque Country txakoli, organic chilled reds and “rare and special” drops of beaut value. The list proper runs deep, with plenty of vermouth and sherry for starters. Pair that aperitif with an anchovy crostini and Nick’s stylishly unstyled setting, and it’s a lock.

236 Marrickville Road, Marrickville, wheresnick.com.au

The winners of The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2025 Awards will be announced on November 11, presented by Vittoria Coffee and Oceania Cruises. The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2025 is on sale from November 12.