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1. Zeta Bar - Hilton Hotel
- "Excuse me madam, would you like a lesson in perfecting cocktails with that martini?"
The Hilton's Zeta Bar, apart from being one of the most... read more -
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4. Loft (The)
- If a nomadic Saharan caravan set up camp in Darling Harbour, but added some beaded chandeliers, plenty of filigree patterns to the ceiling, back... read more
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- Live Music
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5. Absinthe Salon
- Any drink that's been banned in France (and most of the world) must be good. Any drink credited with artistic creation (see Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec... read more
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7. Comedy Store (The)
- In a city strangely devoid of many places devoted to laughs, this has been Sydney's premier comedy gig since 1981. It's not as if we don't have... read more
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8. Sydney Airport
- The folks from the world-renowned Montreux Jazz Festival and SSP opened the very first Montreux Jazz Café outside of Switzerland, at Sydney airport... read more
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10. Sepia Restaurant & Wine Bar
- The sexy decor: sultry sepia tones as the name suggests, the glass, and brass studded walls make the venue almost as sleek as the polished service.... read more
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It's hard not to party here. So many like-minded people and venues to cater for just about any taste, budget, age bracket and body clock. Small bars are 'big' right now. Recent changes to liquor licensing laws have encouraged a plethora of new, intimate, 'hole in the wall' or basement bars. Hardly a week goes by without a new venue opening. This is long overdue, and adds a more urbane touch to Sydney that was sadly lacking.
Surry Hills and Darlinghurst are the more vibrant nightlife hubs, while Kings Cross, with its seedy back streets, is still worth seeking out. Absinthe Salon in Surry Hills takes you back to 1930s Paris, while Grandma's, with its eccentric basement entrance (think wall mounted stag's head) describes itself as a "retro-sexual haven of cosmopolitan kitsch and faded granny glamor". Inner city Bambini and The Winery by Gazebo cater for a more upmarket, older crowd. As does Zeta Bar in the Hilton Hotel, which is like stepping onto a James Bond movie set, except you're the star, while down on Darling Harbor, the crowd at the Loft is mostly after-work professional types, but then a shift change strangely happens later when groups of tottering young girls and their impossibly cool consorts fill the space. DJs play until very late.
For the those who party late and hard, there's no place like Home at Cockle Bay. Reputed to be the largest nightclub in Australia, its waterside location, slick interior design spread over three levels, and luxurious rooftop terrace make it hard to go past. For a slight change of pace, Tone occupies a stylishly converted warehouse in Surry Hills, and bills itself as a discerning space catering to music lovers, artists and party people.
Gay and lesbian action happens in and around Oxford Street in Darlinghurst, but hetero is OK here too. Q Bar in the Exchange Hotel still packs them in; likewise ARQ, with an extraordinary sound and lighting setup, it's a venue with the lot (nightclub, bars galore exuding a different vibe, depending on your mood, as well as a restaurant).
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