101 Best Bars in Australia

This popular venue is known for live local and lesser-known international rock bands, and as a stand-up venue during the International Comedy Festival.

Maxim's Bar, located inside Todd Tavern, the only traditional Australian pub in town, has something going on every night. The property also includes a restaurant, bottle shop (liquor store), and gambling facilities. You can bet on horse races across the country with TAB (the Australian equivalent of OTB) or try your luck at keno—but keep some change aside to lose in the slot machines. Shoot some pool, be a pinball wizard, or catch some sports on the TVs.

Don’t be embarrassed if you hesitate at the skillfully camouflaged doors to this opulent underground speakeasy; most first-time visitors do. Push through them and you’ll find a fully table-serviced bar serving innovative cocktails with an emphasis on sustainability. 

This rooftop haunt is furnished with market umbrellas and upcycled bench tables, which make it both welcoming and hip. In 2021, a brand-new retractable roof keeps the deck, and patrons, dry when it rains. Access to this happening bar is via a rear lane coated in street art, adding to the intrigue. With upward of 30 craft beers, a rotating cocktail menu, and creative bartenders that know how to make just about any mixed drink known to man, it's a surefire bet for a good time. Owners, a husband-and-wife team, aimed to create a neighborhood atmosphere when they moved into the gritty urban suburb of Northbridge, and they have. 

Age-buffed leather sofas, cigars, and an exhaustive wine list characterize this classy club. For views and cocktails, continue upstairs to the rooftop terrace bar Siglo, which overlooks the neoclassic architecture of Victoria's state parliament building.

In the shadow of Harbour Bridge, Mercantile Hotel is Irish and very proud of it. Fiddles, drums, and pipes rise above the clamor in the bar, and lilting accents rejoice in song every night of the week except Monday, from 8:30 pm until late, and on weekends from 3 pm.

One of the oldest pubs in town, pulling pints since 1868, locals love the unpretentious vibe of this British-style establishment in the city's financial district. It's especially popular with nine-to-fivers who like an after-work drink in the beer garden.

Bands and DJs play Afro-Cuban and disco dance music here Thursday to Saturday evening, and the Latin big band on Sunday night is legendary.

Bands perform most evenings at this old-school pub.

For a northern Sydney landmark, The Oaks encapsulates the very best of the modern pub. The immensely popular watering hole, named after the huge oak tree in the center of the large beer garden, is big and boisterous. The pub has a restaurant and several bars with varying levels of sophistication. It's packed on Friday and Saturday night.

This theater, which first opened in 1927, features film, music festival openings, and concerts by Australian and international acts such as the Soweto Gospel Choir and Joe Bonamassa.

A prime waterside location and a big, breezy deck draw an upbeat, mixed crowd to The Pier Bar. They flock here for wood-fired pizzas, well-priced drinks, and laid-back Sunday sessions with live music and DJs. The bar gets noisier, younger, and more crowded as the night wears on, but service is friendly and food is palatable, even when the bar’s jam-packed.

Mix with colorful and quirky clientele in an equally fun 1920s design with red-velvet lounges, gilt mirrors, and chandeliers. Also enjoy a traditional or contemporary cocktail—there are 55 concoctions to choose from.

For rock and roll, punk, and grunge, head to the Prince Bandroom at the Prince of Wales, which attracts a straight and gay crowd. Ticket prices vary widely, depending on the gig.

Every Friday and Saturday evening, this lively piano bar comes alive with a friendly crowd that loves to shout requests to whomever is playing that night. There are classic cocktails, Australian wines, and cheese platters and tapas. Stay late enough and it's likely you'll end up dancing with the local patrons. 

The Queens, as it's known locally, resides in an attention-grabbing colonial-style property that was built in 1899 and offers an excellent, thriving outdoor beer garden that features plenty of local and international craft brews. The upstairs bar has a relaxed lounge vibe, with DJs on Friday and Saturday. There is also free Wi-Fi throughout, leather sofas, and fireplaces burning in cooler months. 

Live music rocks this pub, known locally as The Rails, every night; it's built on the old railway station site.

Most nights of the week, for the past few decades, this great pub, located down a backstreet, has been showcasing local acts. There's also a great range of craft beers available, which you can enjoy in the beer garden during the warmer months. Established in 1869, this neighborhood pub has budget steak nights on top of its regular menu, and over 100 beers for you to work your way through.

The cool kids head to this raucous, art deco pub warmed by roaring log fires to watch nightly live music, including plenty of top Tasmanian and touring bands. The food on offer is excellent and good value.

This expansive pub has local bands performing most nights of the week. It also has one of the city's best beer gardens.

This bar caters predominantly to young partygoers, with early-morning recovery sessions—a time for revelers around town to keep on partying—that are especially popular.

This is the home of Adelaide comedy, with a rotating lineup of open-mic nights and showcases as well as cabaret performances. Some of Australia's best comedians and high-profile overseas acts have graced the tiny stage, but it’s also a great place to catch emerging talents. During the annual Fringe Festival every available space is turned into a venue as it becomes a bustling comedic hub. Check the website for upcoming performances.

Thanks to its selection of craft beers and right-in-the-middle-of-it location, the Heritage-listed Sail and Anchor Pub is one of Australia's most popular watering holes. You can watch buskers from the balcony, enjoy live music in the front bar, watch the game or UFC, and partake of no-nonsense pub grub at the bistro. There are comfy couches upstairs.

A shipping container located in an old parking lot in Chinatown, set in an alleyway filled with street art, Section 8 is all things Melbourne. The reliably trendy bar is popular with the artsy student crowd enjoying a drink (and maybe a dance) in this mostly outdoor bar.

This underground bar offers an authentic saloon experience, with Johnny Cash songs playing, whiskey flowing, and peanut shells found all over the ground. The vibe is friendly, with cocktail hour between 4 pm and 6 pm being a massive hit thanks to A$10 cocktails. Always a fun place to let your hair down, with live music playing on weekends. Open every night of the week.

Known as the Subi, this gastropub attracts a lively after-work crowd during the week—especially on Friday—and has an excellent, busy restaurant that serves sophisticated pub grub from the bar menu and elegant cuisine at the bistro. Built in 1897, this much-loved establishment is rich in history and drenched in true-blue Aussie vibes. 

This 1940s-style club was once just for women, but now anyone can sit at the wooden booths and enjoy a relaxing meeting with friends or a meal at this arty café that does a great breakfast; in fact the kitchen is open all day. Established in 1984, the café stages a full range of cultural events from poetry readings to live music, particularly jazz and blues. Check the website for details.