Hotel Bars That Even the Locals Should Know About and Frequent
The hotel bars across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane worth seeking out for the drinks alone — no room key or out-of-town postcode required.
Most hotel bars offer a forgettable lounge pouring overpriced house wine to guests who are too jetlagged to find anywhere better. That's not what's on this list. A hotel bar earns its place here by possessing a few important qualities: a real concept behind the drinks, a signature list worth ordering from, and a room designed with enough intention that it'd draw a crowd even without hotel rooms upstairs; the kind of place a local would suggest to a friend, not just the place a guest defaults to because the lift's right there.
The spread runs from a 1960s Mexican fantasy above Sydney's Circular Quay — margaritas and mezcal old fashioneds from the team behind Maybe Sammy — to a cocktail list at Capella that turns its own architect's building designs into a tarot deck, one card unlocking a drink at a time. In Melbourne, a subterranean cocktail den tucked off a Flinders Lane lobby has a rabbit-hole ceiling award-winning enough to have its own trophy, while a few buildings over, The Douglas Club pours 1930s aviation-themed cocktails inside a heritage banking chamber. And in Brisbane, Iris turns the top floor of The Alva Hotel into a Spanish escape — plunge pool, private bungalows, olive trees growing up through the marble. Presented by Honda ZR-V, these are the hotel bars worth seeking out on their own terms, whether or not you're staying the night.
Read other guides in our A to Z with Honda ZR-V series:
After-Work Drink Spots to Meet Your Friends and Wind Down the Day
Espresso Bars and Specialty Coffee Roasters to Start Your Day Right
Galleries to Spend a Rainy Afternoon Wandering Around
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RestaurantCleo, Hyde Melbourne Place
130 Russell Street, Melbourne
High above Hyde Melbourne Place, this rooftop bar serves Mediterranean sharing plates and drinks from breakfast until late.
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BarAcapulco El Vista
61 Macquarie Street, Sydney
Perched above the Pullman in Circular Quay, this glass-wrapped lounge channels 1960s Acapulco through ice cold cocktails.
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BarThe Lobby Bar at Ace Hotel Sydney
53 Wentworth Avenue, Sydney
Ace Hotel’s lounge doubles as a living room, with a sunken ochre lounge, DJs most nights, and one of the city’s best daily happy hours.
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BarFiume Rooftop Bar
5 Boundary Street, Brisbane City
At Crystalbrook Vincent, Fiume pairs an infinity pool and river views with Italian bar snacks, sangria jugs and boutique wines.
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BarIris Rooftop
458 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley
Perched atop The Alva in Fortitude Valley, Iris turns the rooftop into a Spanish-inspired escape with a pool, private cabanas and tapas.
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This guide was produced in partnership with Honda ZR-V. To learn more about the ultimate car for urban discovery, click here.