Bar Awards 2010 People's Choice Finalists - Vote Now
You've helped us whittle the list down to a smart top ten and here they are: the finalists for the Time Out People's Choice Bar Award, 2010.
The Victoria Room
The Victoria Room is a perfect example of how good Sydney bars can be. A stunning fit-out and outstanding list make it huge with cocktail nerds and hens nights. Spend summer evenings here sitting regally in one of the thronelike armchairs with a cocktail in hand. If it's ballast you're in need of, they serve supper between 11pm and 2am on Friday and Saturday nights. High tea on Sundays is a signature.
Gazebo
It's wine or beer here and they have both in spades. There are 50 wines by the glass, including a couple of Champagnes. Cocktails are all garden party with the likes of Ginger Darling (ginger wine, vodka, lemon thyme syrup, lime juice) or Giggly Rose (mint leaves, rose petals, rose syrup, sparkling wine), but the bar's so well stocked you can instruct your bartender in something off the list.
Bayswater Brasserie
These guys are the benchmark when it comes to Sydney boozing. Aside from the sheer breadth of knowledge behind the bar (you'll often see young gun bartenders from around town hanging out for staff drinks and learning a thing or two), it's simply a cool place to drink. If there's one bar you visit during your time in Sydney, make it this one.
Sticky Bar
There's something particularly exciting about a place that opens on selected days and is hard to find unless you know exactly where it is. Upstairs from Table for 20 you'll find a room stuffed with old-school arcade game stools, a mixture of Victorian parlour lounges for sitting up straight on, and over-stuffed, round-armed Deco armchairs for sinking into. The walls are all painted black and covered in blackboards displaying a very large all-Italian wine list as well an Italian-inspired cocktail list.
Time to Vino
You could quite easily bunker down and really put a dent in the wine list here and sommelier Clint Hillery and the crew would be more than happy to help you do it. Downstairs, everyone crowds into the room for something off the intelligent, concise and in-no-way-scary-or-daunting list, while upstairs sees more of a gallery/function area for 50. And if wine doesn't have you singing from the Hills Hoist they also serve longnecks.
The Falconer
Soft moody lighting and green leather upholstered booths make stepping off the dodgy end of Oxford St into the Falconer like stepping into a European wine bar. Lighting and leather aside, what really makes the mood of the Falconer is the music. Decades are traversed with classics on vinyl and with the turntable and Art Deco décor, the atmosphere at the Falconer surpasses many Sydney bars. Unfortunately there is no beer on tap, but the Falconer does offer a good selection of bottled beer. There are a couple from Italy and several tasty locals – extremely local in the case of Surry Hills brew Lovells.
Ching-a-lings
Finding this bar is half the fun. The only indicator it's here at all is the bouncer out the front of the Soleil tanning salon. No, it's not an elaborate front: it's just that due to licensing problems they have had to move their entrance from Little Oxford Street to Oxford Street proper. Out the back of this shadowy bar is a big, open verandah with different levels built into it for lounging - it looks a bit like a sauna and smells like butter chicken thanks to a neighbouring a North Indian Diner. Best to turn up early midweek or Sunday evening where you'll find chilled-out locals sharing a beer.
Vini
We came, we saw, we drank the wine list (and then some). There's also a superb collection of grappa to try from gentle, perfumed numbers to tipples that burn your socks off just by looking at them. Failing that, sit back at one of the outdoor tables with a beer or Bicicletta - that's a glass of crisp white wine with a splash of Campari that looks innocent but hits you faster than Kostya Tszyu on fight night.
Café Lounge
This Surry Hills stalwart is a stellar example of how good a Sydney small bar can be, having resisted the urge to go all slick and shiny. A small selection of wine contains a few gems and the beer selection is a who's who of Surry Hills faves. Meanwhile, the cocktail menu is a mix of classic and more, uh, inventive blends like the Chai Quake. Look out for regularly rotating house specials too.
Pocket
During the day Pocket opens onto Burton Street, next to Outre Gallery, but once it hits 8.30pm, the roller doors come down and you'll need to enter around the corner. It's got a great vibe, friendly staff and it's perfect for a pre-dinner drink. You'll get table service from waiters who are happy to help you with the cocktail list and there's not a wall in the space that isn't covered in art.
VOTING HAS NOW CLOSED
Winner will be announced at the Bar Awards 2010 on 24 November.
Last year's Bar Awards 2009
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