Best Bars for Dancing in Sydney

Nightclubs are kind of all-or-nothing. Either you’re standing at the bar being jostled, or you’re on the dance floor getting into it. And having a decent conversation? Forget it.

Bars are a little more flexible – when you need it, there’s room to take a break from dancing or have that long-overdue D’n’M with your best mate. Plus, the drinks are almost guaranteed to be better, whether you’re drinking beer from an actual glass, or sipping on a well-made Negroni.

Words by Nicholas Jordan
Updated on 26 August 2024

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Club 77

After a makeover inspired by New York’s dive bars, this late-night icon is open till 4am seven nights a week. Head in for after-work drinks and topnotch hot dogs, or party till the wee hours to five-hour sets by local and international DJs.

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The Cliff Dive

A pumping hip-hop nightclub from the team behind Cantina OK. A weekly line-up of DJs spins the best of the genre till super late on Friday and Saturday. This place also has a killer cocktail game, with signature drinks going for a steal before 9pm.

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The Abercrombie

This 24-hour Chippendale pub was once home to Sydney’s thriving indie scene. Now that it’s back, new owners have ambitions to tap into emerging party crews. Dance late under pulsating lights, or head upstairs for cocktails, a wine bar, a bottle shop and an outdoor terrace with big inner-city vibes.

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The Imperial Hotel

This pub has maintained its LGBTQIA+ identity for decades. You’ll still find drag queens on the mic and queer parties in the downstairs basement, but there’s also a slick bistro menu and hefty selection of biodynamic wines upstairs. If you’re looking for something more relaxed than the downstairs party, the front bar plays disco most nights.

Restaurant

The Beresford Hotel

Bero Sundays are the stuff of Sydney legend, and one of the best weekend extenders in the city. It starts with a few well-priced drinks in the jungle-y courtyard, before escalating at the dance party upstairs. Up here, a rotating cast of DJs do their very best to melt those Sunday blues away. And they usually succeed.

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Forrester’s

As an ode to Della Hyde, a now-closed Darlinghurst bar that was once home to an legendary R&B night, the Forrey transforms its upstairs into a dancefloor with DJs and good times till late. Keep an eye on the Della Hyde socials for the next instalment.

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The Golden Sheaf Hotel

A slice of eastern suburbs history, with a beer garden to rival any in town. Hordes flock to it every day of the week, but Sheaf Wednesdays are a staple. Come for $7 drink specials between 8pm–10pm, then let loose to DJs taking over the garden bar and rooftop. Entry is free.

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Goros

A restaurant, bar and karaoke venue in one. Combine those three elements with a 3am licence and an evening here can go from zero to 100 faster than you can butcher your rendition of The Horses. Adding to the vibe are 20-person karaoke booths and a hip-hop-fuelled dance floor. If you’re feeling brave, try the bar’s signature sake bomb: a pint of Sapporo with a shot of sake.

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Bar

The Bearded Tit

The Tit is a bar that welcomes everyone and anyone. When the it isn’t hosting a drag show or an exhibition launch, it’s not uncommon for a spontaneous to dance floor to break out. The dancehall, hip-hop and house soundtrack sees to that nicely.

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The Soda Factory

The entrance to The Soda Factory is hidden behind a Coke vending machine – and it would actually be a secret were it not for the queues out front every weekend night. The reason people are waiting probably has something to do with the $15 happy-hour cocktails and the affordable American diner fare. Add in regular DJ sets, and this spot can break out into a throbbing dance floor at any moment.

Restaurant

Hotel Harry

For a great night at Harry’s, start by nabbing a Paloma or a beer at the front bar. Enjoy it with the last rays of sunlight in the tiled courtyard. From there move to the booths and order a taco, burger or fried-chicken sandwich from the Cuban-American-inspired menu. Finish on the dance floor – Friday and Saturday nights are when things are at their best.

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The Lord Gladstone

When this grungy gem was taken over in early 2019, punters feared for its soul, as well as its reputation for late-night raucousness. Luckily, those fears were unfounded. There are still regular DJ sets and the occasional live band. Plus, there’s an accessible pub-grub menu to keep you going well into the night.

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The Clock Hotel

After 150 years, you still can't do the Crown Street crawl without a trip to this Surry Hills icon. On Saturdays there’s a dedicated dance floor upstairs at the pub’s breezy balcony bar, along with exclusive cocktails to keep the good times flowing. Retreat to the wraparound verandah if and when you need a break from the bass.

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El Primo Sanchez

At the second incarnation of the Mexican cocktail bar from the Maybe Sammy team, it’s in with the old and in with the new too. There are tequila loyalty cards and Horchata Colada slushies, plus bookable karaoke and enough Margaritas to make Jimmy Buffett blush.

More Options

The Ivy Precinct, Sydney
But no matter how tight the whole operation seems, Ivy still knows how to get loose. WAO Superclub on Friday is a multi-level monster of EDM, trance and R&B with world-class pyro and sound. For a different mode, head to the rooftop and boogie at Pool Club with uplifting disco classics every Saturday.

Palms on Oxford, Darlinghurst
If you want to dance like no one is watching and scream the words to I Will Always Love You with your BFFs on a Friday night after a boozy dinner, then head along to Palms. It’s an RSL-style blue-light disco crossed with your third cousin’s wedding – but with a closed-shoe policy.

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