The glittering harbour and iconic architecture all bathed in the afternoon sun: Sydney was made to be seen from the sky. But you don’t have to spring for a helicopter ride to get a million-dollar view, any one of these rooftop drinking holes will do the trick. And even if you have to queue, the reward will be more than worth it. Words by Hannah-Rose Yee.
Come for the view, stay for the snacks. Sure, having a drink at this swanky city hotspot is a stylish and sophisticated endeavour, and yes, the vista of the Barangaroo-side of the harbour foreshore is very pleasant. But it’s the nibbles menu – think potato gems with togorashi salt, chicken karaage with chilli bean sauce and fried squid with yuzu mayo – that you’ll go home thinking about. Level 2, 35 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo, barangaroohouse.com.au/smoke-bar-about.
If there’s a hotter ticket on a sunny summer Sunday than the Coogee Pavilion’s rooftop bar, we haven’t heard of it. In the warmer months anyone who is anyone can be seen grasping an Aperol spritz and eating a woodfired pizza or platter of oysters while looking out across the kind of ocean views that would make a grown Australian shred their passport on the spot. Come early, come thirsty and come often. 169 Dolphin Street, Coogee, merivale.com/venues/coogeepavilion
A bit of a hidden gem in the heart of the Sydney CBD, this cocktail bar is run by a trio of bartenders with a storied resume. (Their combined credits list includes Lobo Plantation, Kittyhawk and Black by Ezard.) The vibe is all exclusive members club – leather armchairs, bookshelves stuffed to the brim, an open-air terrace surrounded by leafy planters – and the drinks edit is suitably high end. The biggest surprise, though, is the food menu, which comprises platters of cured meat and a handful of superb Philly cheesesteaks. Level 4, 199 Clarence Street, Sydney, oldmates.sydney
Is the rejuvenation of this historic pub one of the greatest success stories on the Sydney hospitality scene? After years of abandonment, when the Hotel Palisade re-opened in 2015 complete with a Sibella Court-approved interior renovation, it was cause for celebration. Today, each of the pub’s five floors are never empty, but it’s the rooftop bar – with its 360-degree views of the harbour from the Millers Point vantage spot – that make the inevitable wait for a table worthwhile. A very Aussie menu dishes up pub classics like chicken schnitty and barra and chips, as well as a range of burgers and salads to cover all the bases. 35 Bettington Street, Millers Point, hotelpalisade.com.au
The team behind Websters Bar really make you work for your tipple. In order to access the rooftop bar, you’ll have to climb all the way to the ninth floor from the third. But once you get there, you’ll be rewarded with prime position perched above the hustle and bustle of Newtown’s King Street on a terrace decorated in a style we like to call ‘Aussie Backyard’, complete with naked-bulb string lights and battered garden chairs. 323 King Street, Newtown, webstersbar.com.au
Getting a seat at this jewel-box of a rooftop is all about timing: too late and you’ll never squeeze in; too early and you’ll miss the stellar sunset. But if you judge it perfectly, you can climb the winding staircases up through this popular Paddington pub, balancing a glass of the beloved house white in your hand, and burst onto the rooftop to see all of the Eastern Suburbs sprawling out around you. Soak it all in and then escape before the lower levels of the pub become too crowded with the weekend football-watching crowd. 237 Glenmore Road, Paddington, royalhotel.com.au
If your idea of heaven is a cold drink on a hot day under the sun, the New Brighton Hotel’s rooftop terrace is the place for you. Offering stunning views of the beach and a range of seating options that run from beer barrels all the way to Balinese-style sunbeds and private sheltered cabanas, it’s not hard to see why this is one of the most popular spots on the Northern Beaches. 71 The Corso, Manly, newbrightonhotel.com.au/rooftop/
This one’s for all the sports fans out there: Nowhere in Sydney offers a more spectacular backdrop for barracking for your favourite team than the Bridgeview Hotel. So dedicated are they to the cause of offering matches under the North Sydney sky that the television on the rooftop terrace is all-weather, as is the charming Astroturfed floor. Embrace the no-frills atmosphere and opt for classic pub fare: a chicken parmi or steak and chips and a pint. 580 Willoughby Road, Willoughby, bridgeviewhotel.com.au
A caveat: No-one is at Ching-a-lings for the view. Though technically speaking this is a rooftop bar, its position sandwiched on the main drag of Oxford Street means that you won’t be seeing much of the city surrounds. What you will get, though, is a trendy terrace atmosphere, fantastic drinks and a roster of DJs who actually know how to get a crowd in the mood. When it comes to good vibes, no-one does it better than Ching-a-lings. Level 1, 133 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, chingalings.com
The OG, the classic, the grand dame… Everyone has a story of one perfect night spent under the stars at The Glenmore. And it’s no wonder, considering the magic of the traditional pub’s sensational views right down to the Opera House combined with an exhaustive drinks menu, including a stellar range of sparklings, quite a few chilled reds and big jugs of sangria and Pimms. 96 Cumberland Street, The Rocks, theglenmore.com.au
