With killer views from two terraces, gorgeous detailing, a Champagne parlour and an epic whisky list, Nick & Nora’s is leading the way for Parramatta bars.
Nick & Nora’s is Parramatta’s most glamorous bar, with stunning views and luxe details, plus cocktails, Champagne and spirits menus that take some beating. Set on the rooftop level of the schmick V by Crown building on Macquarie Street, it offers enviable views from a terrace overlooking Western Sydney and back towards the CBD and harbour, while the other side takes in the distant Blue Mountains. In every corner of the sprawling, 300-person space there are layers of detail. Deco lines are seen in everything from the gleaming ceiling, light fittings and tiled floor to the velvet-clad booths and Venetian blinds filtering the afternoon light. Greenery lines the terrace, chairs are backed with rattan, and behind the bar, row upon row of bottles gleam under lights as bartenders shake and rattle signature cocktails with no shortage of flair.
In short, this is a bar in the most classic sense, and even if the promise of Cognac flights, a Champagne menu, a whisky list ranging into the hundreds and cigar service suggest an air of opulence and VIP pandering, what’s refreshing is that Nick & Nora’s isn’t clubby or exclusive at all. It’s democratic, spirited and just plain fun. Jump in the lift, press the button for level 26, and see what’s in store.
Nick & Nora’s is led by hospitality heavyweight the Speakeasy Group, which is behind such storied venues as Eau-De-Vie, Viking bar-restaurant Mjølner and another Nick & Nora’s in Melbourne, which is to say that this is a bar that knows what’s what. Table service is led by staff who are across the intricacies of the menu – ask, and they’ll steer you towards something spritzy from the terrace gin bar to start, then suggest which cheese and cured meats to load your board with before leaving you to ponder your next move.
The bar takes its name from fictional sleuths Nick and Nora Charles, made famous in the 1934 novel The Thin Man and subsequent films, known for their love of cocktails, elaborate parties and fine times. You’ll do well to follow their lead by making cocktails or sparkling your first port of call. But here’s the real trick: Nick & Nora’s suits all tastes and times. Whether it’s in the afternoon sun, or while watching the city lights twinkle on the horizon, count on bartenders who can stir down an ice-cold Martini given a twist with pickled jalapeño chilli juice or pour a Champagne tower as deftly as they can suggest a non-alcoholic cocktail or a refreshing lager to quench your thirst. Whatever your mood, whatever your flavour, there’s something here for you.
If it’s hot out, the signature Nick & Nora Spritz (from the bubbles-focused Hollywood Starlet section of the menu) is where to start. Combining Bombay Sapphire gin, Italy’s Aperol liqueur and French Suze liqueur with the house Champagne-watermelon cordial, soda and your choice of Mumm Petit or Grand Cordon, it hits in all the places a Spritz should, with a fresh fruit finish. Or let the staff wheel out a French Cannon, a twist on the sparkling gin-based French 75 that’s infused with bay leaf, yuzu citrus and elderflower. Across the cocktail list, expect sorbets, liquid nitrogen, aged spirits and infusions all to have their moment, and count on expert bartenders to deliver the classics.
If you’re not after mixed drinks, scan the QR code to install the N&N app and browse the whisky list, all 400-plus options given tasting notes, and detailed according to age, origin, strength and barrel. There’s similar attention given to bubbles, so ask the staff to guide you through the Champagne and sparkling menu, then pop a cork to celebrate.
There’s the regular-sized Champagne bottle of 750ml. Then there’s the magnum, at 1.5 litres. Go larger and it’s a Jeroboam at three litres, a Methuselah at six litres, then a couple more sizes before it maxes out at a whopping 15 litres in a Nebuchadnezzar. Damn. Thing is, all these are on offer at Nick & Nora’s. It ain’t cheap – even a magnum of Mumm Cordon Rouge comes in at $370 – but there’s no bigger flex than dropping $6000 on the big one and pouring out a glass for you and 119 of your ride-or-dies.
