Basements, cellars and underground vaults can be a little… creepy. Unless, at the bottom of the stairs, you’re greeted with a lineup of rare Champagnes, cocktails being served out of embellished cow horns or a horde of shirtless, overall-toting bartenders (well, the latter is a matter of preference).

Sydney has no shortage of standout bars hidden away underneath the hustle and bustle of the city — and there’s one for every occasion. Feel like munching on a Mary’s burger while you throw back cognac? Sydney has it. Prefer a lobster roll paired with a bottle of Dom? Got that too.

Good for impressing a date, taking someone from out of town or just for a well-deserved after-work tipple, these are our favourite bars under the city.

 

By Concrete Playground | MAY 11, 2021

 

Mary's Underground

Mary’s Underground

As well as a full French-style bistro menu, this CBD restaurant from the Mary’s crew has a seafood bar and jazz running six night a week.

Employees Only

Employees Only

Visit NYC’s world-class cocktail bar’s first late-night Australian outpost for cocktails and cabaret.

Dulcie's Kings Cross

Dulcie’s Kings Cross

Step into the 1930s at this swish Kings Cross cocktail and cabaret bar.

Mjolner

Mjolner

A Thor-inspired carvery doing modern Nordic food and exceptional cocktails.

The Doss House

The Doss House

An old-world whisky bar in The Rocks.

Door Knock

Door Knock

A hard-to-find underground cocktail bar in the CBD.

Ramblin' Rascal Tavern

Ramblin’ Rascal Tavern

Head to this basement bar for a booze-slingin’ good time.

Palmer & Co.

Palmer & Co.

A hidden, but well-known, cocktail bar reminiscent of Sydney’s notorious past of speakeasies, sly grog and razor gangs.

Shady Pines Saloon

Shady Pines Saloon

The Darlinghurst original that spawned an empire.

The Swinging Cat

The Swinging Cat

A sophisticated homage to New Orleans and its signature drink, the sazerac.

Restaurant Hubert

Restaurant Hubert

High-class French food in a subterranean space on Bligh Street, where the chicken fricassée is the stuff of legend.

The Lobo

The Lobo

The moment you step up to the bar, you’re made to feel like a real regular at this relaxed yet refined slice of old Cuba.

Solera Bar

Solera Bar

Barangaroo’s new small bar serving up rare Champagne and charcuterie boards.

Big Poppa's

Big Poppa’s

A late-night cheese, wine and hip hop bar.

Frankie's

Frankie’s

Part dive bar, part New York-style pizza parlour, part blast from the past in the form of 80s metal.

Burrow Bar

Burrow Bar

This cosy, hidden gem feels just like a friend’s lounge room.

The Baxter Inn

The Baxter Inn

A cavernous whisky bar where the bartenders know their stuff and good times are at the top of the agenda.

Golden Age Cinema and Bar

Golden Age Cinema and Bar

This revamped screening room and small bar brings a little old-school charm to ‘going to the movies’.

Soultrap

Soultrap

We take our hats off to this new Surry Hills bar combining fortified wines and feathered fedoras.

Stitch Bar

Stitch Bar

A subterranean bar with sewing machines and hot dogs.

Uncle Ming's

Uncle Ming’s

This York Street basement bar is a little bit kitsch and a little bit mysterious.

Charlie Parker's

Charlie Parker’s

The cosy basement bar at Fred’s with exposed sandstone, seasonal cocktails and killer bar snacks.

Barrio Cellar

Barrio Cellar

Some of Sydney’s best tequila and mezcal cocktails await at the Barrio Chino team’s basement bar.

The Cliff Dive

The Cliff Dive

The Tio’s boys have done it again. And this time things are tropical.

 

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