The Best Hidden Cocktail Bars in Sydney

If you love a great cocktail and a fun atmosphere, you’re not short on choices when it comes to Sydney’s bar scene.  

Sydney is packed with everything sky-high rooftop bars to classic pubs, and hidden cocktail bars tucked away behind secret doors and blink-and-you-miss it entryways. 

Sometimes you just need to know where to look when you’re after something special.  

Consider this your field guide to some of the very best hidden cocktail bars in Sydney.

An atmospheric Prohibition themed bar, Palmer & Co transport you to the 1920s. Make your way off the George St leaving the hustle and bustle of the city behind as you wander down Abercrombie Lane. 

With exposed brick walls adorned with black and white photography, you’re stepping into another world, if only for a night. 

The Soda Factory is an American diner themed bar with a menu to match. Think mac and cheese, fried chicken and waffles, hotdogs, and burgers.

The cocktail menu is serving up all your favourite classics as well as signature cocktails, and in true diner style fashion you’ve also got soda floats served with a scoop of ice cream, whipped cream, and a cherry on top! You’ll find The Soda Factory on Wentworth St in Surry Hills.

Look for the Bobby’s Boss Dogs sign and enter via the secret door hidden behind the retro Coca Cola machine!

With some of the best views in all of Sydney, Hyde Hacienda sits above the busy pedestrian pathway around Circular Quay and offers views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. You’ll find Hyde Hacienda on Level 3 inside Pullman Quay Grand.

Serving up premium cocktails and share plates, this Sydney cocktail bar is an ideal place for first-time visitors to Sydney thanks to its iconic harbour views.

The views are complemented by a botanic and pastel interior making for a picture-perfect backdrop inside and out. 

Located on the rooftop above the State Library of New South Wales, with views of the city skyline, this Sydney bar is one you won’t want to miss. 

While the entrances to the State Library are on Macquarie St and Shakespeare Place, you’ll find your way to the bar tucked away on Hospital Road, across from The Domain. 

The Library Bar is the perfect spot for sunset cocktails. Pair your cocktails with good company and a cheese board, and you’re in for a fantastic night out in Sydney.  

This hidden basement bar in the heart of Sydney is easy to miss if you don’t know it’s there. Once you find it, you’ll knock on the door to be ushered in. 

The cocktail menu at Door Knock is unique and seasonal so you’ll have an opportunity to discover something new.

Burrow Bar is a boutique cocktail bar located on Clarence St in Sydney CBD. You’ll enter at street level, passing through the iron gates (keep an eye out for the sign marked ‘B’), before heading downs to the basement level bar. 

An intimate space and fun, welcoming atmosphere, Burrow Bar serves up both classic and signature cocktails. And if you’re feeling peckish, the food menu is a delicious selection of items from the nearby Vietnamese Cash Only Diner.  

Tucked away behind a nondescript door off Crown St and not far from Oxford St in a Darlinghurst alley, Shady Pines Saloon is serving up its own special blend of honkytonk country meets dive bar.

The walls are adorned with taxidermy watching over you as you gnaw on peanuts and sip on your cocktail. 

If you’re into good beer you’re in luck too, the menu features a bit of everything from lagers to ambers, IPAs to sours, and a few solid stouts too. This intimate bar is a local favourite with great drinks and a welcoming atmosphere. 

Located in the plaza near the end of Phillip Lane on the corner of Bent and Macquarie Streets in Sydney CBD, Kittyhawk is a sophisticated space with a great range of cocktails. 

The bar takes its name from the World War II fighter jet and the bar is inspired by Liberation of Paris celebrations. Want to join in raising a toast? Head to Kittyhawk’s take on Happy Hour: Liberation Hour takes place 4pm until 6pm, from Tuesday to Saturday.

Heading into Sydney’s inner-west you’ll find Earl’s Juke Joint. This speakeasy style bar is hidden behind a butcher shop on King St. Look for the Betta Meats sign and head on in. 

The ‘top quality meats’ advertised on the street front window have been swapped for top quality cocktails, and some great beers and natural wines too. Come here for a casual and fun night out. 

Dulcie’s Kings Cross is in a basement-level space on Darlinghurst Road at Kings Cross. Named after writer and ‘Queen of Bohemia’ Dulcie Deamer whose bohemian spirit inspires the underground cocktail parlour, you’ll descend the stairs to enter Dulcie’s. 

The cocktail menu features Australian craft spirits so you’re in for a treat whichever drink takes your fancy. Dulcie’s also hosts regular events including burlesque shows, a reminder of space’s former life. 

For a memorable evening in one of Sydney’s best bars, you can’t miss a visit to Dulcie’s Kings Cross.