Pub Crawl: Sydney CBD Small Bars
This pub crawl explores seven different bars to give a taste of quite different venues in Sydney's CBD. They are all close together on York and Clarence Streets, and as you'll see below, you can quite easily extend it to 10 bars. At the same time, it is easy to modify this pub crawl if things become slower than a crawl - you can skip past a place if there is a line or finish at a different venue. This one is very easy on the feet, and being in the CBD, transport is very convenient. The downside is that only one of the bars is opened past midnight (Baxter Inn), and because of the midnight closing, most will not allow you in after 11:30pm. Below you'll find tips about distance, closing times, a Google map showing the route and pinned bars. If you have some feedback, you can leave it at the bottom of this page.
Total distance: 400 metres.
Bars close: Midnight, except Baxter Inn which is 1am. Have a plan for what happens after 11pm as most bars won't let you in after 11:30pm.
Number of bars: 7, with options to make it 10.
Modification: Shorten the distance by skipping The Rook and Lobo Plantation. This means you will end up at Baxter Inn as the last stop, with its 1am close. Beware, it will have lines. You can add in Stitch as the second place to visit (near Uncle Mings). To extend the pub crawl after Lobo Plantation, walk 100 metres around the block to Papa Gede's and Since I Left You (this latter bar has a great courtyard which can accommodate groups more easily). These additions are marked in blue on the map.
Group size: Up to 12. Lobo Plantation and Baxter Inn often have lines so more than 12 will be waiting a while.
Transport: Perfect. The pub crawl is never further than 200 metres from Wynard Station or George St.
Other tips: The rear of Barber Shop has access to the small courtyard where Baxter Inn is located, so it' only a few metres, rather than walking around the otherside of the block. The long way round is shown on the map below in case you decide to skip The Barber Shop.
The Pub Crawl
Uncle Ming's This 1920s opium den features spicy cocktails, dumpling side dishes and drinks from all over Asia: 7/10
Mojo Record Bar Both the bar and record shop feel like you are in good hands. The atmosphere is relaxed, a little nostalgic and fun: 7/10
Spooning Goats Spooning Goats is one of those bars you want to love. Its quirky name and layout may appeal to some more than others: 6/10
The Rook
This find-me-if-you-can small bar, hidden on the rooftop of an office block, offers great food and a laidback vibe: 7/10
The Barber Shop There aren't many places in the world where you can get a haircut and enjoy a cocktail while you wait (don't worry, haircuts are optional): 6/10
Baxter Inn An intriguing, well-hidden basement bar in the centre of Sydney with hundreds of whiskies and fine cocktails: 9/10
Lobo Plantation If your rum experiences are limited to Bacardi or Bundy and coke, now is the time to explore the spirit that has been overlooked for so long: 7/10
Optional extras
Stitch A well styled city bar with an unusal take on hamburgers and hotdogs. Expect some twists on the cocktail menu too: 6/10
Papa Gede's Bar This Kent Street hideaway is likely to attract people who are more interested in taking their time rather than downing beer after beer: 6/10
Since I Left You A bar that borrows from many themes to create a bar that mixes city decay with a contemporay interior: 6/10
The route: follow the red dots (green ones are optional extras).
You are here: Pub Crawl: Sydney Small Bars. 10 bars, mapped with directions and reviews