Sydney CBD
www.spooninggoats.com.au
32 York Steet, Sydney
Spooning Goats is one of those bars you want to love. Tucked off busy York Street in a subterranean mezzanine enclave next to Golf Mart, it has hopes of a comfortable hideaway. But as you pass the concrete bunker entrance and barred windows, it doesn’t give you the most welcoming feel. Once inside, the high wooded bar greets you and offers glimpses of people passing on York Street above - and it creates an American filmic quality (particularly if it is raining outside). The drink selection is good, but not a stand out. Then again, small bars don’t have to impress.
As you move into the main area, you’ll notice a lot of old lounges, bric-a-brac and spoon collections – maybe taking a more literal interpretation of the bar’s unusual name of Spooning Goats*. It is also marketed as a ‘retro bar’, but Hinky Dinks and others pull off this title much more assuredly. Here the retro looks like an unthemed collection of second hand memorabilia and furniture. Looking for a place to settle, you’ll notice the space feels odd. A concrete pillar dominates and there is no place to simply hang without getting in other peoples’ way. Even some of the seating arrangements can leave you staring awkwardly at the rear ends of others standing in front of you.
*Spooning Goats had to modify its name as the it was deemed inapproriate by the liquor office, and is now simply called 'The SG'.
Best things: Sitting at the bar; looking up onto York St and pretending you’re in a film
Ideal for: Dropping in for a quick drink as part of a bigger night
Date tip: Grab the corner couch near the window, on the right as you enter.
Gripes: Poor spatial arrangement and claiming to be a retro bar, when it is more like a collection of bric-a-brac.
Rating: 6/10
Last updated: August 2017
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