Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - Sydney - Place for cocktails

Any tips for a classy place to have cocktails late (midnight or so) on a Saturday in Sydney.

Somewhere similar to Orbit bar would be tops.

Cheers,
Luftaom

Also wondering similar. A good place for drinks.

Bayswater Brasserie has an excellent rep for cocktails. Bayswater Rd, Kings Cross. Unfortunately the bar at Blue (ex- W; the Water Bar (http://www.eatability.com.au/au/sydney/water_bar.htm)) at Woolloomooloo closes too early to make it worth your trip.

My favourite place in the city, for a quiet drink with a spectacular view, is the Shangri La's bar. It's been a while since I've had cocktails there but everyone else seemed to be happy with theirs. Last time, the service was excellent.

FYI my old standby, though not totally reliable, is the www.eatability.com.au reviews. The Top Ten list is a starting point (http://www.eatability.com.au/au/sydney/top_ten/index.htm). At least you will get a quick list of venues and some recent comments, which might help you to avoid places which are now best avoided.

Another reliable spot with a great location: Customs House / Cafe Sydney

Cheers! ^

Agree Shangri La's bar "Blu Horizon Bar (http://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/sydney/shangrila/dining/restaurant/bluhorizonbar)" is a great place for a cocktail.

Zeta Bar (http://www.zetabar.com.au/) in the Hilton is good

Out of the city and for a younger trendier crowd then Soda Bar (http://www.goldensheaf.com.au/BarssodaBar/538/n/3/0/0/)

Plenty of other great places if you want more ideas let me know ;)

Thanks for the replies.

A good option is Orbit Bar at the top of Australia Square (the round white skyscraper opposite Wynyard station on George Street). The room spins around so you get a great view of all of Sydney. They used to have a happy hour in the late afternoon/early evening which was great for a cheap ($10) cocktail after work. Sadly it doesn't appear that this is offered anymore.

I would go there next week - but Miss Luftaom and I have been there quite a few times - its about time I got out a bit more!!!

http://www.summitrestaurant.com.au/default.asp?bg=orbit&page=46

Just to state the obvious - get a room at the Westin with lounge access (as a SPG Plat) and enjoy the lounge bar.
Not as good a view as the Intercon but a great room and lounge.
It's a couple of minutes' walk from Ivy - has anyone had a night there, yet?

I have heard that The Establishment is a great watering hole.

I have heard that The Establishment is a great watering hole.That was my recommendation, particularly upstairs at Hemmesphere. However, I haven't been there since 2005, so I'm not sure how things have changed since.

I'm sure the owner made a fortune out of Est the bar(s) and the hotel.
He's gone out on a limb with a huge redevelopment of a city block with Ivy, so provided his finances hold up, this could quietly attract a lot of his existing clientele from the old place.

Has anyone tried the Japanese restaurant or steakhouse (Mad Cow), yet?

The Ivy is the new establishment etc right now, v popular and in. Not been at night (I must be getting old) but have had lunch at Mad Cow there which was pretty nice.

Not a recommendation but a source for some enjoyable reading - Sydney bar reviews from SMH (http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/good-living/bar-reviews/) [this link is the index]:

Bar 77 Grace (http://www.smh.com.au/news/bar-reviews/bar-77-grace/2008/06/09/1212863533843.html)
A city hotel's watering hole is a comfortable place to retreat for a tipple.

Foveaux Bar (http://www.smh.com.au/news/bar-reviews/foveaux-bar/2008/06/09/1212863518019.html)
Secret hideaway that's cosy and seductive.

Cheese and Wine Room (http://www.smh.com.au/news/bar-reviews/cheese-and-wine-room/2008/06/02/1212258699346.html)
The perfect place to meet friends when you feel like a more grown-up date than cocktails.

The Lord Dudley Hotel (http://www.smh.com.au/news/bar-reviews/the-lord-dudley-hotel/2008/05/27/1211653989709.html)
This eastern suburbs institution may trowel on the olde worlde Englishness but it's still irresistibly cosy

Piano Room (http://www.smh.com.au/news/bar-reviews/piano-room/2008/05/26/1211653910607.html)
It might take a long time to convince Sydney's bar hoppers of the merits of a Sunsilk-flavoured cocktail.

Flex those mussels (http://www.smh.com.au/news/bar-reviews/flex-those-mussels/2008/05/22/1211182965388.html)
Almost 30 boutique Belgian beers on the menu and superb food, specialising in mussels.

The Mean Fiddler (http://www.smh.com.au/news/bar-reviews/the-mean-fiddler/2008/05/12/1210444320570.html)
A pub with something for everyone: deli, playground, ice-creamery and beauty salon.

Bar Europa (http://www.smh.com.au/news/bar-reviews/bar-europa/2008/05/05/1209839536838.html)
Speed-daters abound as two dynamic types contemplate a show of their own.

Maps are included in the reviews, which is helpful. Enjoy.

I checked out the websites of a couple of the recommended bars and noticed that the drinks are pretty pricey! $18 - $24? Is that a normal price for nicer places in Sydney? What would you say is the average price for a cocktail at an average bar?

I'm getting the impression that food and drink in Australia is significantly more compared to what we pay in Los Angeles.

G'day Karen, welcome to FlyerTalk and especially to this forum. :)

I'd sooner get a whisky than a cocktail, so I'm probably useless on current cocktail pricing. eatability reviews (www.eatability.com.au) might have some pricing detail, along with the reviews above, but I'd expect prices to start at $15 or more.

Places catering for the after-work crowd usually offer happy hours, which might help if you begin early - not 'round midnight. ;)

Sydney has a culture of 'beer barns' - mega sized pubs for the after-work and clubbing crowds; most of these will have happy hour promos.

The best prices - as distinct from best places - for cocktails are 'registered clubs' (ie. clubs making their profits from 'pokies'). Find a nice one and you will have cheap drinks all night. :)
Try the Tattersalls Club, Pitt St, Sydney - opposite Pitt St Mall / Sydney Central-Westfield / Market St. There are some bars upstairs - past the innumerable pokies. :D

I'm getting the impression that food and drink in Australia is significantly more compared to what we pay in Los Angeles.

Unfortunately a lot of that has to be blamed on the weakness of the US dollar. About three years ago 77c would buy you an AUD, now it's almost on parity.

I checked out the websites of a couple of the recommended bars and noticed that the drinks are pretty pricey! $18 - $24? Is that a normal price for nicer places in Sydney? What would you say is the average price for a cocktail at an average bar?

I'm getting the impression that food and drink in Australia is significantly more compared to what we pay in Los Angeles.

Yes Sydney is not cheap but these are the better bars in town listed. If you went to a nice average bar cocktails are $12-$18 and a drink like a Rum and Coke would be $5-$7. If you go to some of the better places in LA then you would pay high prices like our top bars.

But you are correct Sydney is not getting any cheaper :(