There are plenty of cool bars in Sydney, but what happens when you want to take someone special there for a romantic night out? Is there anywhere that you can get a great cocktail but also be able to cuddle up and talk without going hoarse by the end of the night?
Here are 7 cool Sydney bars that are also romantic.
I never understood why bars have their music up so loud. I am, however, very aware that saying this makes me sound like a grumpy old man. And that sits just right with me.
Mrs Romance has an interesting theory about the loud music though. She thinks it’s to save people who have nothing to say from having to struggle with the effort of conversation.
I also have no idea why bar managers think that turning the music up in an empty bar will make it magically fill up. It won’t. In fact I’ve seen places get emptier as a result.
Rant over.
Thankfully there are enough cool bars in Sydney these days that at least some of them don’t have an earless maniac with one heavy finger on the volume button.
7 cool Sydney bars that are also romantic
1. Eau de Vie, Darlinghurst
Slick, dark and a menu full of award-winning cocktails, Eau de Vie is an institution in Sydney. Just like its Melbourne counterpart, this bar is all about the elegant ambiance of a modern day speakeasy.
Pull up a table and get close and comfortable with your drinking partner. This place is perfect for a romantic evening or to share some good news (or juicy gossip) with a friend!
2. Golden Age, Surry Hills
Tucked away under the Surry Hills streets is Golden Age Bar and Cinema. The cinema screens classics in its tiny 56-seater theatre, which was used by Paramount executives to watch pre-screenings.
The bar fits perfectly into this beautiful art deco building. It’s a great place to sit and watch the crowds ebb and flow as each film starts and ends. It’s popular for after-work drinks and makes for a good post-dinner nightcap bar as well.
Here’s more on the Golden Age.
3. The Easy Eight
Easy Eight is sadly no more, but in its place is the Duke of Clarence – perhaps the best impression of an English pub you’ll find this side of the equator.
If you want hidden away, this is the place for you. Tucked right in between whisky central Baxters Inn and the gin geniuses at the Barber Shop, this clean-cut reformed American diner of a bar has a secret weapon as well hidden as its front door.
Apart from having a top Sydney sommelier and small bar expert in charge of the bar and cocktail menu, ex-executive and sous chefs from Rockpool, Marque, Toko and Sepia create incredible delicacies from the kitchen.
If you’re after intriguing cocktails, dishes to quench a hunger, and soul and Motown at a well-mannered volume to go with your conversation, you’ve just struck gold.
Here’s more on Easy Eight and its awesome neighbours.
4. Grandma’s, CBD
Decked out in all the faded kitsch of your granny’s place, this quirky little cocktail bar is a fun place to come for a chat and a very good rum cocktail.
Grandma’s is hidden away down a fairly innocuous set of stairs next to a guitar shop. It’s not until you step inside and down into the bunker-like hideaway bar that you realise just how cool this place is.
5. Goblin, Summer Hill
An unexpected delight to find as you explore the gritty inner-west of Sydney, Goblin Bar and Kitchen is a recent night-owl progression from its daytime café beginnings.
With the weekly cocktail specials up on the wall next to the graffiti’d goblins, this is a great place to chill out with a cocktail jug or a pot of beer and chew some fat with friends. The food here is also amazing and well worth a go.
Check out our full review of Goblin here.
6. Peekaboo, Woolloomooloo
This bar reminds me of a very cool hipster hermit crab that’s found a new home in an old worker’s cottage townhouse. This small rockabilly bar has an excellent cocktail list and a cheese platter to die for.
Peekaboo is low-key, comfortable and very friendly.
We’ve got more to say about Peekaboo.
7. Archie Rose, Rosebery
A real one-of-a-kind bar, this place has its own distillery attached! In fact this is Sydney’s first distillery in over 160 years. The bar – a rugged, industrial affair – sits only metres away from the copper stills that produce the bar’s house pours.
It’s a cool fit-out perfect for a date venue with a talking point. You can even organise a tour of the distillery if you like.
Learn more about Archie Rose here.
We love exploring new bars – especially ones without too much bass! And the great this is these days there are new ones popping up every other week.
Where do you like to go for a quiet drink or somewhere that the patrons make the atmosphere not the music? Tell us in the comments!
