If Swillhouse can nail anything, it’s a city-best moody underground venue — and the hospo crew’s impressive Sydney CBD bar, The Caterpillar Club, is just that.

This hidden rooftop locale is one of Sydney’s best CBD bars for a few reasons. First, the lush palm-lined outdoor deck is perfect for those seeking a sun-soaked retreat in the city. 

Originally built in 1893 and beautifully restored in 2005, the Marble Bar is a luxury basement bar featuring iconic marble archways, a frosted glass ceiling and a beautifully repaired mahogany bar.

This underground Sydney CBD bar is full of unpretentious fun and charm. Meander down to the dimly lit space that feels almost like an old-school pub and hidden Berlin bar all at once.

What was once a CBD institution for late-night revellers as the final stop on a night out before they were forced to head home has reopened as a flash multi-storey and multi-concept pub. 

Sydneysiders can sip some of the world’s best cocktails from 22 stories up, thanks to the cocktail bar inside the A by Adina Hotel. Dean & Nancy on 22 comes from the team behind Maybe Sammy.

Following the world-altering whirlwind of 2020, award-winning Eau-de-Vie closed down, promising to return in the near future. While it took a little longer than expected, the sleek cocktail bar officially reopened to the public in Sydney’s CBD in 2023.

Zaffi is a multi-level dining and party space on Little Hunter Street that’s arrived in Sydney right as the city is in the swing of a late-night-scene revival. It's a venue that is pushing Sydney’s nightlife into the early hours of the morning. 

PS40 was started by the creators of PS Soda, an alternative to sugary, soulless mixers. While it was originally a way to showcase these bright and bubbly sodas, it’s since evolved to become a hotspot for some of this city’s most inventive cocktails. 

CBD courtyard bar Since I Left You (SILY) has been kicking around for yonks now and has always managed to keep things fun and laidback — a refreshing find in Sydney’s city centre. 

Part pasta shop, part bar, all fabulous. Fabbrica is an absolute gem of a venue in Sydney’s city centre where you can pop in to grab some pasta, deli bits and Italian wines to take home.

An old garage down a service laneway might not sound like your typical spot for a Sydney bar, but that’s exactly where this 20-person mezcal bar has taken up residence. 

Stitch might be hard to find, with its subtle tailor’s shop front and staircase to the subterranean bar, if it weren’t for the frequent queue that forms in this nondescript part of York Street.

Sydney’s original speakeasy basement bar. Also brought to you by Swillhouse, The Baxter Inn is somewhat of a magnet for international accolades — most notably making the World’s 50 Best Bars list several times since its opening in 2012. 

If you’ve never been to an oyster bar, here’s your chance. A welcome addition to the lower end of George Street, Morrison’s is a class act. Enter, and you’ll be transported to a timeless industrial chic interior complete with exposed brick and concrete.

Pass through an old-school barber parlour to find one of the very best gin bars in Sydney. The Barber Shop has regularly won first place in Australia’s Gin Bar of the Year awards, thanks to its impressive 700-strong gin selection.

Tucked away among the chaos of the CBD and hidden through a nondescript Clarence Street door, Burrow Bar is hard to spot, so you could be forgiven for not having visited yet.

Highly awarded cocktail bar Maybe Sammy welcomed a sister venue to the CBD back in 2021. Sitting in the heart of Sydney’s CBD along King Street, the new espresso bar takes its design cues from Maybe Sammy.

Knock three times on the brass pineapple and wait. Then, head through the door, down a staircase, along a dark corridor, to find one of the best bars in the Sydney CBD. 

Despite taking its name from a raucous, rundown pub in the 80s flick Road House, Double Deuce Lounge isn’t a dive bar. Instead, the CBD drinking hole from the Ramblin’ Rascal team is a refined cocktail lounge with a touch of ’70s porn chic’. 

Little Felix, a 1920s Paris-inspired cocktail bar and little sister to Ash Street’s bistro Felix comes to Sydney courtesy of hospo giant Merivale. You can expect to find 1.5-litre magnums of champagne, old-world cocktails and tartines aplenty.

On September 25, 1981, Sydneysiders got their first look at the revolving restaurants in Sydney Tower. Exactly 39 years later, the restaurants reopened after a $12-million renovation, with new looks, A-plus cocktails and a star cast of Sydney hospitality elite.

Compared to some of the more decadent and over-the-top bars in Sydney’s CBD, Vini Divini — Italian for ‘divine wines’ — errs on the side of minimalism. The furniture is sparse, while the walls are adorned with bottles of wine or prints of Italian celebrities. 

Shell House comes from The Point Group, the hospitality collective behind the likes of The Dolphin, Bondi Beach Public Bar and Harry’s, as well as the restaurant, bar and wine room on the former defence facility, Fort Denison. 

Tiva combines Sydney’s love of luxurious bars and live music into a romantic venue underneath The Charles Grand Brasserie & Bar. Head down Wednesday–Saturday, and you’re sure to find a band or a solo artist filling the room with jazz, soul or R&B.