After-Work Drink Spots to Meet Your Friends and Wind Down the Day
Wine bars, rooftop haunts and afternoon pours across Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to remove any more decisions.
There's an art to the after-work drink venue: proximity to the office, seating reserved for walk-ins so you're not refreshing a booking app at 4:50pm, great drinks that don't vanish the second happy hour ends, and space that can actually hold a group. When you've already spent the day screen-side, the last thing you want is to trawl the internet for somewhere to take the load off.
We've traversed Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne and narrowed it down to the ones that really deliver: wine bars with serious lists, bar snacks substantial enough to double as dinner, and rooftop spots built for whenever the night runs long. Presented by Honda ZR-V, this guide is your cue to skip the group chat debate and just pick a place – whether that's one old friend for a debrief or the whole team marking the end of another week.
In partnership with
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RestaurantBar Copains
67 Albion Street, Surry Hills
This small Surry Hills wine bar in Sydney trades big groups for lingering one-on-one over shared plates and natural wine.
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BarBar Hernandez
60 Kings Cross Road, Potts Point
In Sydney’s Kings Cross, vermouth and sherry pour straight from the tap for an easy, low-key wind-down.
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BarDear Sainte Éloise
5/29 Orwell Street, Potts Point
On a Potts Point laneway in Sydney, this copper-lined wine bar is made for watching the room over a glass with a friend.
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BarLetra House
344 Kent Street, Sydney
Sydney’s underground answer to Spain’s tapas bars stays open late enough to cover you if after-work drinks run into dinner.
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BarKahii Kissaten
364 Kent Street, Sydney
This Sydney cafe quietly becomes a French wine and cocktail bar by evening, an easy shift from coffee catch-up to after-work drink.
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BarBar Miette
443 Queen Street, Brisbane City
This riverside terrace and wine bar in Brisbane city pours martinis from 11.30am for the during- and after-work crowd.
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BarNaldham House Brasserie & Terrace
33 Felix Street, Brisbane City
This heritage Brisbane brasserie, with its 28-page drinks list and pianist on the grand, turns an after-work drink into an occasion.
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BarRothwell's Bar & Grill
235 Edward Street, Brisbane City
Tucked into a 136-year-old Brisbane building, Rothwell’s compact Foyer Bar is built for a quick, polished martini before heading home.
