sydney Wine Bars
Timbah
GLEBE
An intimate wine bar with a democratic streak.
Cantina Bar
BALMAIN
At this colourful Mexican cantina, kitsch and fun reign supreme. Cantina won't be winning any awards for authenticity, but the food tastes great and the vibe is always good.
The Push
THE ROCKS
Cocktails and pub food are the game at this intimate bar.
The Push
THE ROCKS
Cocktails and pub food are the game at this intimate bar.
Palace Verona
PADDINGTON
One of the best places to see artfully directed cinema in Sydney.
Stop Valve Espresso & Bar
DARLINGHURST
An industrial car-park cafe.
The Dolphin Hotel
SURRY HILLS
This Surry Hills pub got a shake-up in 2020 – but it’s still one of Sydney’s best all-in-one wine bars, restaurants and boozers.
Bibo Wine Bar
DOUBLE BAY
A moody wine bar with a Portuguese edge.
Balcon by Tapavino
SYDNEY
Jamón, morcilla schnitzel, brunch omelettes and Spanish wine by Tapavino.
The Forgotten Cask
BOTANY
A Rooftop Rum-Focused Cocktail Bar Above the Cauliflower Hotel
Pilu Baretto
CURL CURL
A finely curated wine list and a view to match.
Dear Sainte Eloise
POTTS POINT
The sister venue of Love, Tilly Devine is perfect for a date night of snacks and wine.
Creek & Cella
LEICHHARDT
A cultured European-style bar for all occasions.
Bart Jr
REDFERN
This compact all-rounder constantly changes its menus, but its cocktails and Euro-inflected share plates are reliably excellent.
Next Door
CRONULLA
A one-stop seaside dining shop.
MV Bistro & Wine Bar
SURRY HILLS
Settle in for a long dinner, or eat a few snacks and dash. Both are possible at this comfortable wine bar.
Fabbrica Newtown
NEWTOWN
Natural wines, handmade pasta, sliced-to-order deli meats, and hazelnut tiramisu. You can find them all at Fabbrica's Newtown spot.
Where's Nick
MARRICKVILLE
Learn about wine in a fun environment. And drink it, of course.
Gazebo Aperitivo Bar
ELIZABETH BAY
At this neighbourhood eatery, it’s always aperitivo hour.
Culina
ELIZABETH BAY
An all-day Mediterranean diner.
Rocker
BONDI
There isn’t really anything this breezy bar and diner can’t do. There’s a Mediterranean thread running throughout, from the flavours on the menu to the day-to-night vibe. A spot on the footpath can't be beaten at golden hour.
She Loves You
NEWTOWN
A bar serving wines and cocktails with a focus on native ingredients.
The Fernery
MOSMAN
Harbour views, a rosé bar and a verdant garden in the sky.
Little Felix
SYDNEY
Little Felix is more than a waiting room for French bistro Felix. Thanks to a Cognac and Cointreau-heavy drinks list and a bar piled high with towers of French cheese cut to order, it's a destination in its own right. It’s all set in an opulent, pale-emerald room replete with comfortable dark-toned leather lounges.
Coogee Wine Room
COOGEE
Split across two levels, this classic seaside wine bar and kitchen feels like a little slice of the Mediterranean.
The Vicar
DURAL
Dural’s Vicar of Wakefield is reimagined as a wine Bar and multi-venue eatery.
No. 92
GLEBE
A handsome wine bar in a former boot factory and private eye’s office.
Cafe Freda’s
DARLINGHURST
The successor to Chippendale's Freda's channels the spirit of the original late-night haunt into a buzzing sit-down bar and diner in the heart of Sydney's nightlife district.
Pistou
NEWTOWN
This laid-back Provençal wine bar is all about small producers and easy decisions. There are just three drinks on the regularly changing cocktail list, a short food menu and a streamlined selection of wines. Plus, a choose-your-own-adventure weekend brunch plate.
Bar Elvina
AVALON BEACH
This relaxed, taverna-style wine bar flaunts a seafood-heavy menu and a breezy atmosphere to match its coastal location.
Gildas
SURRY HILLS
The sister venue to Lennox Hastie’s Firedoor is a celebration of the vibrant pintxos bars of northern Spain. The menu offers Australian ingredients with Basque-inspired touches, a taste of Spain via imported jamon iberico, and a drinks list that’ll change the way you feel about sherry.
De Vine Food & Wine
SYDNEY
An old-school Italian-influenced wine bar
S'wich
BONDI BEACH
Excellent sandwiches, big salads and natural wines are the recipe for a good time at S’wich, a new-wave sandwich diner in the centre of Bondi. In the evenings it transforms into a bar with global craft beers, Margarita seltzers from Cantina OK, pre-mixed Campari spritzes and Negronis made in-house.
Longshore
CHIPPENDALE
The Hartsyard team have turned the old Automata space into a coastal-inspired diner, where it’s all about the repeat visit. Your first visit might involve à la carte hits like sand whiting bathed in XO pipi butter. The next? An experimental 10-course snack flight.
Vermuteria
KINGS CROSS
At the site of the legendary Cafe Hernandez, this Spanish bar honours the former tenant with big barrels of house blended vermouth, banging cocktails and tapas including tinned seafood and a famous four-cheese toastie.
The Abercrombie
ULTIMO
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.
The Stinking Bishops
NEWTOWN
A gourmet cheese shop and bar that goes above and beyond.
Love, Tilly Devine
DARLINGHURST
Sydney’s OG wine bar still hits after all these years. Come for a hefty list of mainly lo-fi wines, excellent snacks and sly laneway seating unlike anything else in the city.
Famelia
NEWTOWN
Sommelier Amelia Birch’s spot on Enmore Road offers rotating wine flights, with bottles you can taste before taking home. Snacks include black-truffle-and-squid-ink salami, and a caviar-topped egg dip made from a secret family recipe.
Busby's
PADDINGTON
An all-star cast has been assembled for this vinyl-spinning bar: P&V's Mike Bennie is on wine duty, Maybe Sammy is handling cocktails, and star chef Clayton Wells is doing food. The highlights? A fried-potato dish and BYOR (that’s bring-your-own-records) nights.
Lil Sis
CHIPPENDALE
The Abercrombie’s ground-floor wine bar is where you can shop fun wines or hole up for the evening. Take your vino home, or settle in at the communal table or upstairs in the cosy bar. Gildas, charcuterie from LP’s and locally made cheese are on the snacks menu.
Postino Osteria
SUMMER HILL
A heritage former post office is now home to a casual neighbourhood Italian joint by the Ormeggio team. Come for a spritz and a plate of Milanese meatballs, stay for handmade pastas up there with the best in the inner west.
The Barrel Room by Akasha
LEICHHARDT
Akasha Brewing Company's stylish inner-west bar devoted to wild, barrel-aged brews. Come for small-batch beers you won’t find anywhere else in the country. Plus, clever cocktails and wine bar-style snacks.
Henry G's
MANLY
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.
Fabbrica Pasta Bar Darlinghurst
DARLINGHURST
This 80-seat spot serves all the Fabbrica favourites, from spaghetti cacio e pepe to cotoletta alla Milanese served with the bone. As ever, the wine list goes big on Italian and Australian drops from the minimal-intervention realm.
Randy’s Wine
AVALON BEACH
You can walk up to Bar Elvina’s fun and fast sibling with sand still clinging to your ankles. We love this breezy wine bar for its king prawn buns, weekly specials and lunchtime sangas.
Le Foote
THE ROCKS
A Mediterranean grill and wine bar unlike anything we’ve seen in The Rocks before. Visit Swillhouse Group’s grand-statement venue for two-sip Martinis; dishes cooked over charcoal; and a massive mosaic from Italy.
Attenzione Food & Wine
REDFERN
A head-turning wine bar and diner by a team of friends who’ve done stints together at Ragazzi, Fabbrica, Yellow and more. Expect small plates, thick pastas and a big focus on nebbiolo.