First Look: Freshie’s Harbord Hotel Levels Up With Bombies, a Rooftop Party Bar

Once the caretaker’s residence, the sunny top floor of the Harbord Hotel is now a breezy rooftop bar fit for sundown drinks.

Inspired by ’70s surf culture, Bombies glows with terracotta and ochre tones – from the rust-red tiles on the bar tables to the mustard-yellow curtains surrounding the stage. The Californian-style space was revamped with live music in mind.

The team’s vision? “A house party on the beach with activations you’d do at your own party,” Glenn Piper, CEO of parent company Epochal Hotels, tells Broadsheet.

Cue open-mic karaoke sessions for anyone game enough to perform in front of a crowd, with a live band and a backing vocalist. For those not inclined, the rooftop will also host comedy shows, monthly surf film screenings and big-name music acts, with the likes of Sneaky Sound System already secured.

A highly shareable menu keeps the party going. Sticky lamb ribs glisten with a sweet and savoury sauce. Gilda-style mortadella skewers see cubes of smoked mortadella joined by whole green olives, balls of buffalo curd and pickled peppers, all doused in a basil-infused oil not dissimilar to pesto. And in the crab sanga, meat lightly dressed with chives and lemon zest is layered with avo and shredded lettuce on fluffy white bread, with a side of salt and vinegar crisps.

On the drinks front, you’ll find the usual suspects: wines, beers and spirits. But Bombies brings the party with highballs and tropical cocktails including the Tropic Like It’s Hot, served in a fun pineapple-shaped glass. It’s slightly more elevated than a standard pina colada, combining Bacardi coconut rum with passionfruit liqueur, pineapple juice, champagne and soda for a light and bright sip. It comes together with a wedge of pineapple and a maraschino cherry on a little umbrella.

Bombies
Level 1/29 Moore Rd, Freshwater
(02) 9905 3434

Hours
Thu 3pm–11pm
Fri to Sat 12pm–12am
Sun 12pm–10pm

bombies.com.au
@bombies_harbord