DeepGroove

You're at the bar. You get stuck in with a beverage, and a few minutes later your song comes on. Is there any better feeling? Newtown newcomers DeepGroove are turning that elation into a regular occurrence at their newly opened vinyl record bar where the patrons choose the tunes. The bar occupies prime real estate along King Street, taking over the space of the short-lived Nordic B. DeepGroove is officially open for business.

The joint venture between hospitality veterans Steven Sparshott and Mai Polic follows a simple, yet genius concept: come in, grab a drink at the bar and thumb through the extensive selection of vinyl. Pop your favourite on the turntable and let your song or full record play out. Their collection has something for everyone and spans everything from Beyoncé to The Beatles and Justin Bieber to Guns N' Roses. For the vinyl illiterate, they also have an iPad full of over 15,000 songs to scroll through — but, honestly, where's the fun in that?

The small bar is set up casually with high tables and stools, along with the requisite rock posters and vinyl sleeves on the wall. To give patrons an even bigger reason to smile, they're running a $10 cocktail happy hour everyday from 5pm to 7pm. Their signature, the Deep Groove Yuzu, sounds especially tasty, with the Japanese inspired concoction combining sake, gin and yuzu. For bar snacks, think traditional finger food like sweet potato fries and antipasto platters.

Of course, DeepGroove isn't the first bar in Sydney to focus on vinyl; the city also boasts The Record Crate just over in Glebe and the ever popular Mojo Record Bar in the CBD. It is, however, the first of its kind in Newtown and seems to be the only one of the three that's focused on in-bar enjoyment rather than records for purchase. Any bar that brings more tunes to the neighbourhood is alright by us.

Images: Bodhi Liggett.