The Best Bars in Manly

Fire-driven cooking is the specialty at this sultry backstreet bar. The menu is backed up by cocktails on tap, and around 300 natural wines to try.

Natural wine and handmade pasta from the crew behind Chica Bonita and Sunset Sabi.

Look behind the old wood door at the back of the Cove deli and you'll find The Cumberland – one of Sydney's finest underground bars. The drinks list includes 250 whiskies, an impressive wine cellar and three distinct cocktail lists. Plus a hearty food offering that includes melty raclette.

A New York-style bar with exposed brick and copper piping throughout.

Parts of the beer community were dismayed when the world’s largest brewing company, AB InBev, acquired 4 Pines at the end of 2017. But nothing much has changed since then. The team continues to produce a superb core range (we like the slightly malty pale ale) and genuinely interesting seasonals and one-offs. As the name implies, the brand’s wharfside HQ is better established than most, with a true pub feel.

A literary-themed cocktail bar complete with menus stapled into the pages of old children's storybooks. But that's as high-minded as the place gets: it also serves chicken nuggets and VB tinnies.

This rustic little bolthole, hidden in a Manly back alley, is one of the seaside suburb's most popular and enduring eateries. We can see why. The laid-back atmosphere belies just how seriously this team take their food.

Whisky and vegan burgers.

This intimate wine bar nods to days gone by with an expansive list of drops, Basque-inspired pintxos, live pianists and a library stacked with antique books.