101 Best Bars in Australia

One of the oldest pubs in Adelaide, Botanic Bar has had a resurgence recently but holds onto its history thanks to nice details like branded boxes of matches. There's a well-stocked cocktail bar and an intimate back bar that features local beers. The kitchen of the attached restaurant, Golden Boy, serves high-quality Thai street food.

With its primo waterside location at the northern end of King Street Wharf, and famous mussels from its open kitchen, Bungalow 8 invites a night of posing and partying. This is the place to be seen bobbing your head to the spinning of several ultracool resident DJs.

Here you can enjoy live music ranging from Mexican mariachi bands to Samba drummers, every night at 7:45 and 8:45 pm. The bar is located on trendy Leigh Street, the first of Adelaide's laneways to be rejuvenated. The atmosphere and live entertainment lineup is as unique as the contemporary fusion of South East Asian and Middle Eastern decor. Wednesday night is live Latin night with free salsa lessons. A mild-mannered restaurant by day, it's a pumping club by night.

The European-style gaming room beside the National Convention Centre forgoes slot machines in favor of more sociable games like roulette, blackjack, poker, and keno. There are 40 gaming tables here, and the complex includes a restaurant (which has live music) and two bars. The Galaxy Club Retro is open Saturday night and stages vintage dance parties.

This iconic and intimate, this rowdy rock 'n' roll bar is located on AC/DC Lane. The address alone says it all.

An "urban oasis" with fanciful design, a retractable glass roof, and street-front waterfall flowing over its contemporary architectural facade, Cloudland restaurant and nightclub woos well-heeled locals and tourists alike with an extensive drinks menu, cut-above food, and an exciting, expensive ambience.

The city's oldest comedy club is in a plush 300-seat theater in the Entertainment Quarter, which most people still refer to as Fox Studios (its former name). The difficult-to-find theater is at the rear of the complex, close to the parking lot. Shows are Thursday–Saturday at 8:30 pm, and admission is usually around A$30.

This comedy club is a good place for a laugh.

Wall-papered walls and a glorious wood-topped bar create a relaxed vibe at this discreet watering hole. It serves fine Australian wines, classic cocktails, and customized “grazing boards” to a sophisticated, largely local crowd. A long, well chosen wine list has plenty of fine Aussie vintages by the glass. Sit in air-conditioned comfort or on the shady patio and chill out to jazz while you tipple and graze.

Located in a lofty warehouse-style space with exposed ceiling pipes and a balcony, Cookie focuses on domestic and international craft beer and great Thai food.

The Corner Hotel has alternative, reggae, rock, blues, and jazz gigs with an emphasis on homegrown bands. Tasty pub meals can be had on the rooftop for a pre-gig dinner or in the beer garden, 'Round the Corner.

Sleek and sophisticated, Cru Bar + Cellar has leather ottomans, a long onyx bar, circa-1800 French chandeliers, and a fine-wine-loving clientele. Cru's huge cellar houses hundreds of top Australian vintages, to drink on-site or later; the cocktail menu is also extensive and impressive. Cheese tasting plates are available all day. The dinner menu, designed by an award-winning chef, has a focus on Australian ingredients.

Here you can taste freshly brewed beer from the local Australian James Squire range, which is brewed on the premises. There is also a short cocktail and wine list. The menu is full of pub snacks and bar food with a good choice of barbecue platters, pizzas, and burgers.

With a selection measuring in the thousands and a climate-controlled “vault” of sought-after unicorn wines, this is one of Adelaide’s best wine shops. The staff are highly knowledgeable and for a A$15 fee will open any of the bottles for you to enjoy on-site. On Friday evening, local winemakers stop by to personally pour some of their bottles and share the stories behind them, and during the annual Fringe Festival the entire laneway turns into a giant party. 

Inspired by the New York jazz scene, The Ellington is the place for jazz in Perth. It may not have curb appeal but this place hops seven nights a week in an intimate and sophisticated setting. A low-key tapas menu is available; be prepared to share a table with other patrons for sold-out performances. Entrance fees apply and it's best to reserve your tickets online in advance. 

Welcoming but still sophisticated, Embla is a throwback to and an improvement on Melbourne's original small bar scene. An accessible but often obscure wine list is accompanied by wholesome gourmet snacks from the wood-fired oven that are cooked to perfection.

Eve is a glitzy, two-story venue done up with stainless steel and retro fittings. Thursday through Sunday, the five bars, cozy lounge areas, stage, and dance floor with sound-and-light show reverberate to the sounds of renowned DJs spinning the latest dance tunes. Doors open at 9 pm. There's free entry Friday through Sunday before 10 pm.

A classic old-school pub, bartenders spout the mantra "no pokies, no TAB, no food"—pokies are the poker machines found in many pubs, and TAB, Australia's version of OTB, lets you place bets on horse races—at this music-lover's watering hole. Entertainment comes in the form of consistently excellent live music including a legendary Monday open mic night that's been running for two decades. The beer garden is one of the city's best, with secluded spots for those wanting a quiet tipple and larger tables for groups to drink en masse and alfresco. In 2017 the pub was inducted into the South Australian Music Hall of Fame, recognizing its unique commitment to live music culture.

Set above Circular Quay in the Quay Grand Sydney Harbour, this cocktail bar offers incredible views with outstanding tipples. Rum cocktails are the specialty drink of choice. On the weekends, this place comes alive in the afternoon for sundowners. During the week, it’s a bit more of a relaxed crowd, enjoying a predinner drink in a more chill atmosphere than the nearby Opera Bar, which is always packed, day and night. Arrive early and also enjoy some Latin American small bites, including the buttermilk-fried-chicken tortilla.

This is a great comedy venue that also serves up excellent jazz, pop, rock, and blues performances on Sunday afternoon, often featuring artists playing in Australia's top world music and blues festivals when they are in town. Often the performances are free. Comedy nights (around A$10 to A$15 for a performance) are held on Tuesday and Friday at 8 pm; international comedy stars have been known to drop into the pub when they're in town (and do a spot of stand-up).

Located on the water in the Cruise Liner Terminal, Hemingway's Brewery is in a historic building, has a relaxed vibe, and there's plenty of room for families or groups to spread out. Enjoy Trinity Inlet views over one of the eight in-house beers on tap. There is also a classic food menu featuring local produce served in burgers and salads, or on pizzas, for those who want something to pair with their pale ale. It's a fun venue with lovely views and good beers.

One of a string of swanky venues in the area, Hemmesphere is still drawing a hip crowd more than a decade after it first opened. Named for Justin Hemmes, son of iconic 1970s fashion designers Jon and Merivale Hemmes, this is where Sydney's hippest pay homage to cocktail culture from low, leather divans. The mood is elegant and sleek, and so are the well-dressed guests, who often include whichever glitterati happen to be in town. It's on the fourth level of the Establishment Hotel complex and draws those seeking an escape from the rowdy action downstairs.

Built as an iconic hotel in the 1940s, the original structure survived the bombing of Darwin and Cyclone Tracy only to be torn down in 1999 and rebuilt as the popular bar and restaurant you see today. Stop by for daily lunch specials between 11:30 am and 2:30 pm (or daily dinner specials between 6 pm and 9 pm), catch a game inside the sports bar, try your luck with with the keno and UBET machines, or grab a drink and listen to live music in the spacious outdoor beer garden.

This multilevel complex of bars, pubs, and eateries is in an ultrahip George Street complex. Cocktails are great but expensive, and the crowd varies depending on the night. If you don't fancy this bar, then there's the decadent Pool Club bar on the top floor, where if you get there early you can recline in your own cabana overlooking the swimming pool. Also on-site are the Den (a lavish bar with chaise longue furniture, chandeliers, and cigar menu), the casual Royal George pub, and the Ash Street Cellar bistro.

Spread out over four levels, this towering venue hosts live bands almost every night of the week. There's even a weekly open-mic night on the rooftop bar, where some of the city's best jump on stage and sing covers or originals. There's also a pub menu available, with plenty of seating if you're not one for dancing.

French expats and locals alike gather in this relaxed yet sophisticated Parisian-inspired wine bar on a quiet lane off Hindley Street for snacks and a unique bottle of wine, whether French or South Australian. Owned by a French expat, of course, La Buvette Drinkery is the ideal spot for observing the French ritual of aperitif before dinner: enjoy a local sparkling wine or well-made spritz alongside artisanal terrine to start the evening well.

This sexy little number is as sultry as the jazzy tunes that fill the discreet laneway space each night. A number of the cocktails use smoked ice cubes—not to be confused with tacky dry ice—giving the liquor a heavenly, charred dimension. There are live jazz performances most nights.

The bar is accessed down a laneway off Murray Street—look out for the "red carpet" painted on the pavement.

This Cuban-theme bar is a hit in Sydney. Patrons love the palm trees, the cane furniture, and the wall lined with Cuban banknotes. Cocktails are all rum based, with funky names like Ol Grogram with Lobo's own spiced rum, fresh lemon, sugar, and stout vermouth. The affordable bar menu is limited, with empanadas or tacos on offer, but it helps soak up the alcohol.

This jazz bar is one of the few late-night bars available in the city, opening until 2 am every night but Monday and Tuesday. There's jazz played but also live instrumental. The vibe is relaxed and the crowd friendly. The menu and drinks are simple with pizza, pasta, and cocktails available and all at a reasonable price. There is a large variety of whiskies available.

Nightclubbers are heading to Marquee—on the top level of the relaunched casino and entertainment complex, The Star Sydney—to dance the night away. The huge nightclub heaves with 1,500 twentysomethings who take to the dance floors in the Main Room and the smaller Boom Box, or chill out in the opulent Library bar. R&B artists and local and international DJs perform on weekends, with tickets from $A10 if you get in before 11 pm. When it's time to cool down, there are great outdoor balconies overlooking the city and Darling Harbour.