Sydney
Australia
Sydney
Maybe Sammy at #8 in the World's 50 Best Bars puts Sydney in elite global company. The city's bar scene spans rooftop terraces with harbour views, world-class whisky bars with 800+ bottles, and molecular cocktail laboratories. Circular Quay, Darlinghurst, and Newtown each offer entirely different worlds of drinking — all of them excellent.
World's #8 Bar
Harbour Views
Whisky Culture
Maybe Sammy
1950s Italian Riviera · World-Ranked
World's #8 Bar 2025 and Oceania's finest. A 1950s Italian Riviera fantasy in Circular Quay — theatrical service, flawless cocktails, golden-era jazz, and a sense of glamour that transports you entirely. Essential Sydney.
#8 World's Best Bar 2025
The Baxter Inn
Underground Whisky Bar · CBD
Down a laneway in the CBD — a candle-lit underground bar with 800+ whiskies covering every distillery of consequence on earth. Expert bartenders who will guide you to something you've never heard of and will never forget.
800+ Whiskies
Eau de Vie
Molecular Cocktail Bar
Sydney's most theatrical cocktail experience — smoking vessels, custom ice, liquid nitrogen presentations, and a menu that reads like a science experiment. Multiple Australian Bar Awards, consistently one of the city's finest.
Molecular Theatre
Ivy Pool Club
Rooftop Pool Bar & Club
Sydney's most celebrated summer institution — a rooftop pool bar in the CBD that transforms into one of Australia's best clubs after midnight. Sundays by the pool here are the stuff of Sydney legend.
Sydney's Best Summer Venue
Melbourne
Australia
Melbourne
Australia's culture capital has a bar scene of extraordinary depth. The CBD laneways are home to some of the world's great hidden bars — Bar Americano fits 20 people; Eau de Vie requires a password. Fitzroy's Black Pearl has produced more internationally acclaimed bartenders than any other Australian bar. Revolver Upstairs runs until noon Sunday.
World-Class Laneway Bars
Hidden Gems
Marathon Club Nights
Bar Americano
Standing Bar · No Seating
Australia's smallest serious bar — 20 people, standing only, no reservations. A laneway in the CBD. The Negroni variations here are considered Australia's finest. Perfectly executed Italian-American classics in a space the size of a wardrobe.
Australia's Best Negroni
Black Pearl
Craft Cocktail Bar · Fitzroy
Australia's most celebrated bar export — Black Pearl has produced more World's 50 Best bartenders than any other Australian venue. The Fitzroy flagship is intimate, warm, and delivers cocktails at a consistently world-class level.
Australia's Most Iconic
Revolver Upstairs
Open-Until-Noon Club · Prahran
Opens Friday evening, closes Sunday at noon — 40 consecutive hours of electronic music across two floors. The marathon club night is Melbourne's most beloved ritual. Everything from house to disco to techno, all with extraordinary energy.
40 Hours Non-Stop
Eau de Vie Melbourne
Password Speakeasy · Whisky & Cocktails
Call ahead for the password, present it at the door of what looks like a private members' club. Inside: 400+ whiskies, cocktails built with theatrical precision, and an atmosphere of elegant mystery. One of Melbourne's absolute best.
Password Entry