A tinny somewhere tiny? A pint somewhere pint-sized? A cocktail somewhere compact? The intimacy of drinking in a small bar just hits different, and that’s often before the exceptional booze and hospitality start to flow. 

Sometimes you feel like you’re in on a secret. Other times it feels like a reward for braving the queue or securing a booking. But it’s also about the joy of sharing an experience with so few others in a world that can feel increasingly, overwhelmingly busy. 

Australia’s small bar scene has never been more exciting or diverse, but our most diminutive players also happen to be some of the biggest hitters. Here are 13 of the best tiny bars around the country, including a Melbourne favourite that’s closing soon. 

+81 Aizome Bar, Brisbane

The fact it seats only 10 people is far from the most interesting part about +81 Aizome Bar. This Tokyo-inspired drinking den is splashed in indigo blue, but even bolder are the drinks it’s becoming renowned for. Typically, there’s just one bartender, pouring cocktails underpinned by Japanese teas, like a nashi pear Pina Colada with gemaicha, and other “neo cocktails”, a style of wine-like drinks made over five days. 

Bar Bar, Adelaide

What Bar Bar lacks in real estate, it more than makes up for in its unbridled appreciation of agave spirits. Tequila, mezcal and raicilla supercharge the cocktails and sprawl across the backbar at this 14-seater from the team behind Jennie, Alfred’s and Malt & Juniper. Two-sip freezer-door cocktails are both speedy and satisfying, including one with heirloom-corn liqueur.

Bar Brutus, Brisbane

Massive windows cut into the red brick facade let the outside in to Bar Brutus, where there’s room for 10 people parked up on stools – but more than double that in the adjoining alfresco area. The vibe is easygoing Italian, with several spritzes (ranging from the usual suspects to gin-spiked spin-offs), and on-theme cocktails like a drinkable tiramisu with cacao-washed rum. Spuntini (snacks) plates keep things meaty, cheesy and carby.

Bar Peripheral, Adelaide

“Not for everyone” might seem like an alienating tagline. But the 12-seat Bar Peripheral just wants you to know that it’s not like other cocktail bars – where else whets your whistle with chicken broth? There’s no menu, no standing and no groups larger than four people. And there’s very little luck for walk-ins, so book in advance. The black-walled city-fringe bar offers a cocktail experience unlike anywhere else in Adelaide, or Australia.

Cantina OK, Sydney

Your first brush with Mucho’s smallest bar will ruin all other Margaritas for you – for a while at least. Icy, spicy and in a league of their own, they’re expertly made with hand-shaved ice and hand-pressed limes. But equally memorable is the setting: down a grungy laneway in Sydney’s CBD, the bar occupies what was originally a single-car garage. Working with just 17 square metres, it’s standing-room-only for 20 punters. Snag a bar spot and linger till late with rare Mexican mezcals and primo service. 

Karl Bar, Canberra

On a night out in the nation’s capital, it doesn’t get much more intimate than at Karl. With just 12 seats inside (and six outside), the walk-ins-only cocktail bar is a compact counterpoint to The Chairman Group’s other Canberra venues, including Mu Omakase and Chairman & Yip. You might find a Gin Sour gone green and earthy with matcha, or a Margarita with a hue as pitch-black as the bar itself, thanks to an injection of charcoal.

La Rue, Melbourne 

Housed in the former Melbourne Stock Exchange, eight-seat La Rue is a dark and moody companion for Reine, among Melbourne’s grandest fine diners. La Rue has all the polish of Reine, but in a pint-sized package – perch on a stool (or in the adjoining courtyard) for fancy snacks, big-ticket wines via Coravin, and classic cocktails that take fruity detours. Hello, pineapple Old Fashioned.

McEvoy Tavern, Eldorado

“The smallest pub in Victoria” is proudly emblazoned on the sign of this true-blue regional tavern in Eldorado, a three-hour drive north-east of Melbourne. The claim rings true in the front bar, where there are currently only four seats alongside the pool table. But if it’s at capacity, you’ll find many more places to plonk with your pint and parma in the leafy beer garden, or the separate dining room in a converted stable.

Pig Mary, Sydney

The sister bar to lauded fine diner Ester has been open less than a month, but its 12 indoor seats (and the smattering outside) have been full since day one. Somehow, the team has crammed plenty of things we love about Ester into a tiny package – from the cheese pie to the cutting-edge wine list, all ferried from the restaurant up the street. But this walk-in only spot has plenty of its own moves, including one of the city’s finest snack menus for a bar of this size.

Sonny, Hobart

Lining up to snag one of the coveted bar seats has become something of a rite of passage at Hobart instant classic Sonny. The space is so slimline that the bar doesn’t take bookings, but it’s worth waiting to join the party. Part of the fun is feeling like you’re seated in the kitchen, as you order a “mystery wine” and snacks off the chalked-up menu, while the vinyl collection plays over Pitt & Giblin speakers.

Tachinomi YP, Sydney

While it’s not devoid of seats, this Crows Nest hangout is a love letter to the tachinomi, or traditional standing bars, of Japan. In eight years, Tachinomi YP has proved you don’t need big digs to build a big community. On any given night, find hordes of locals making the most of the ice-cold, free-flowing Orion beer, and snacking through the week’s obanzai (Japanese side dish) specials. 

The Magpie, Sydney

The confines are mighty close, but that’s a big reason why it’s worth swooping into The Magpie, Sydney’s smallest sports bar. The walls are covered in memorabilia, except where there are screens beaming the games of the day. Go early for cracking deals like pints at schooner prices, or weekly specials like $6 taco nights and meat-tray raffles. Then pop next door for a gig at The Trocadero Room.

Tiny Bar, Melbourne

A list of tiny bars wouldn’t be complete without the Tiny Bar. The beloved bolthole is seriously small (just five square metres), but not as small as the window of time you have left to visit. Zac Shearer and Jamila Fontana’s 15-seater is closing on October 9, so get in while you can for greatest-hit dishes like custardy gougeres and tomato tarte tatin, and a spectrum of drinks from textbook Martinis to VB longnecks.