Want to know which venues our people in-the-know loved most this year? Us too, so we asked for their top picks.
It’s a tough gig, but someone’s gotta do it. Our Drinks Directory reviews come from a team of the nation’s best food and drinks writers, who visit each venue to try the food, sample the drinks, catch the vibe and, if their articles are anything to go by, have a very good time in the process. Our reviews are therefore the real deal, from people on the ground in every state and territory who know what they’re on about. So, as the curtain closes on 2023, we wanted to know which places brought them the most joy this year.
Everyone has a different idea of what makes the ideal venue, and that’s what makes the eclectic mix below so great. Whether it’s a guaranteed-to-please wine list, snacks you can’t stop thinking about, a transportive experience, or something else entirely, our writers know just the place. If you’re travelling interstate and want a bar that’s a sure-fire winner, consider this your cheat sheet. And if you’re overdue to explore your own backyard a little further, pinch these expert-approved ideas for all your new-year catch-ups.
Alex Carlton
Ducking into a louche little tucked-away bar like Vermuteria and sipping on a splash of vermouth with a vinegary little snack post-work and pre-dinner – that's what separates us from the animals. Vermuteria is sexy and entirely civilised, and I'm very glad we have it.
Bar Copains opened in the middle of the Great Sydney Bar Bombardment of late 2022, but it immediately stood out from the pack, thanks to the quality of both its food and drinks. You'll struggle to find a bad drop or plate anywhere in the house.
Matty Hirsch
If the improbably tiny dimensions of corridor-like izakaya Nomidokoro Indigo don’t charm you from the get-go, it’ll be the warm service, cold Highballs, approachable sakes and bang-up Japanese snacks you don’t see every day. It’s about as close to Kyoto as you’ll get in inner-city Sydney.
Looking for the Harbour City’s finest Margarita? You’ll find a strong contender at the Maybe Sammy team’s glamorous ode to Mexico at El Primo Sanchez, complete with karaoke room and pulsing LED-lit ceilings. Better still might be the Batanga, which takes tequila and Coke to a new level by way of smoked cola and corn liqueur. Dangerously good.
David Matthews
Mediterranean grill up the back, sprawling bar up the front, Le Foote stands and delivers as a leader of The Rocks revival. Go for the two-sip Martinis and Sbagliatos on tap, stay for the expanded bar menu featuring pork cotoletta and oysters by the half-dozen.
Clam Bar might occupy a site in the top end of town, but this next-gen Australian take on a New York-style grill keeps things light with Blue Daiquiris and Jungle Birds on the cocktail list, and classics made just that little bit more fun – a burger special presented impaled with a knife, oysters served with lemongrass-infused chipolatas. All eyes on what's coming next in the dedicated bar space downstairs.
Michael Harden
Andrew McConnell’s first stand-alone bar Apollo Inn is an elegantly compact triumph of meticulous detail from finely-tuned cocktails to a plush room capable of instantly transporting you far away from the real world.
March, a dark and handsome wine bar attached to Collingwood restaurant Ides, is a 26-seater that lavishes equal attention on drinks (vintage Armagnac, ethereal German riesling) and food (sake-steamed pippies with yuzu), and keeps its cool doing it.
Pat Nourse
There are few places I like to drink in this world more than Gerald’s Bar, so when I heard that two of its proudest sons, Daniel Docherty and Gabriel de Melo Freire, had teamed up with their pal Adina Weinstein to open a place of their own, I put Commis at the top of my to-do list. And there it has stayed, because no matter how often I go, every time I’m there, I discover a new detail in the decor, or something Gabs has just added to the menu, or that cocktail gun Tom Hope is throwing in the shaker, or some new, weird hooch that Daniel has unearthed for the drinks list. Commis: go now, go often.
Tomas Telegramma
The devil is in the details (and the eggs!) at new Rathdowne Street recruit Bar Bellamy, with a curious knack for making first-timers feel like regulars from the second they sit down.
Fiona Donnelly
Bar Francine is Brisbane’s first pescatarian wine bar, and it’s fun, genuinely friendly and rocks an all-Aussie wine list that focuses on smaller, thoughtful producers. Expect quirky eats with a Euro lean that deliver full-throttle flavours. Anyone serving up maximalist Gildas, crisp radish with bottarga butter, sugarloaf schnitzel and a killer onion fritti (a notable local take on the US steakhouse favourite bloomin’ onion) is worth regular custom.
Every city needs a bar for grown-ups. Brisbane got lucky and snagged The Nixon Room. It’s moody and slick, and there’s enough tongue-in-cheek reference to the 1970s to fuel conversation, but not so much to put you off your $39 Martini. Then, of course, there’s the eats. Essa head chef Phil Marchant’s wood-fire-fuelled menu is reason in itself to make a visit.
Ben Johnston and Jess Huddart have big plans for Mapleton Public House, but they’ve already succeeded in creating a landmark regional pub that’s creating amazing pub food thanks to Falls Farm produce and the skills of Cameron Matthews and team. Sitting on the shady verandah with widescreen views out to the coast – with the offer of detour-worthy dishes like Black Agus striploin with cheesy spuds and a black garlic sauce Diane – make this pub more than worth the 90-minute trip.
Alex Carlton
Waterfront bars and restaurants have a tendency to let the views do all the heavy lifting. Not these guys. The heavy lifting at Tillerman happens when you pick up their thick-as-a-forearm wine list. It's an absolute cracker, as are the saltbush and black vinegar potato scallops and the Moreton Bay bug dumplings.
Max Veenhuyzen
Wines of While was a hit from the day it opened, but over the past 12 months, the crew here has found another gear. The food is the sharpest it’s ever been, the service has found its groove, and the wine selection continues to astound. This is still one of Australia’s most essential (natural) wine destinations.
What is it about ocean views that makes drinks taste better? Not that beachside newcomer Al Lupo is just another bar-with-a-view. Classy design plus a smarts drinks list and a modern re-interpretation of coastal dining equals a destination that would draw a crowd in any setting.
