NOW EXPERIENCING:Love a bargain? These are the Happy Hours to know in Sydney
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Love a bargain? These are the Happy Hours to know in Sydney

Read time 3 Mins

Posted 12 Sep 2024

By
Amelia Ball

Vermouth and snacks at Vermuteria in Sydney

Clear your early evenings – we’ve found $6 drinks, half-price oysters and more.

If the cost of living has you down and out, and you feel like you can’t afford to go out anymore, we have good news. All over Sydney, benchmark venues are serving up great deals on beers, wine, cocktails and snacks. Going out at 5pm might seem like something best left to parents of toddlers and the seniors crowd, but with most Happy Hours happening in the late afternoon, this is absolutely the best time to hit the town. 

Need convincing? The Hook in The Cross offers half-price oysters every day from 5pm to 7pm (that’s $3.25 per oyster at the time of writing) and drinks start at $10. Newtown’s Huelo also has $3 oysters daily from 4pm to 6pm, and specials include a $13 Martini. If you’re after a drink that gives change from $10, you’ll get a glass of wine or tap beer for $8 at Tucano’s, with select cocktails and snacks for $12 (Wednesday to Friday, 5pm-6.30pm), or stop by Alfie’s for a G&T for just $6 (daily, 4pm-6pm). You might prefer a $10 chicken kebab roll at Maydanoz, paired with a $10 cocktail (daily, 4pm-6pm), or head to Employees Only to pay 50% for certain dishes and drinks (Tuesday to Saturday, 5pm-6pm). That’s $6.50 for a bowl of fries – just like the olden days.  

To help save you a few dollars, we’ve rounded up some of the best Happy Hour deals in Sydney. Many also offer weekly specials well worth checking out – think tacos, steak nights and more – so keep an eye on their socials for all offers and prices as they change regularly.

The best Happy Hour deals in Sydney
Sydney
The Tocky Terrace at The Toxteth
This Glebe stalwart has been given an up-top glow-up with a fancy new rooftop terrace bar serving excellent Aussie beers and a drink-friendly menu of pub fare along with knockout views.
Sydney
Teddy’s Enmore
Party down the bottom, classier party up the top. Inner-west stalwart The Warren View has opened Teddy’s, a charming new bar on its top level, so you can tailor your night to your fanciness levels.
Sydney
The Duke of Enmore
Dingy, divey, always lively – The Duke has been the inner west’s best place for cold beers and loud tunes since the 1980s, and now it’s home to a tasty line-up of eats, too.
Sydney
Poetica
Big, bold and ambitious, Poetica brings sophistication and flair to North Sydney with a bar that pairs polished cocktails with snacks that hit hard on invention.
Sydney
Caravin
Seldom do cosy neighbourhood wine bars hit as many high notes – surefire snacks, a hit list of wines – as this understated, Euro-tinged bolthole in Sydney’s inner east.
Sydney
Tucano’s
Expect a sunshower of tropical cocktails and fun fruity wines set amid technicolour splendour with tropical prints, a bit of Miami vibe and a good helping of disco dazzle.
Sydney
Alfie’s
A single cut of beef is the star at this energetic, script-flipping CBD steakhouse and bar, with a drinks list that covers all corners and hits the right notes.
Sydney
Jacksons on George
Jacksons on George revives a CBD landmark with a fresh outlook. It’s classic but contemporary, with a rooftop bar, pub and bistro across three levels. 
Sydney
Huelo
A three-for-one Newtown crowd-pleaser offering clever tropical cocktails in the middle, a Euro-style wine bar and shop up front, and a sunny courtyard out back.
Sydney
The Charles Bar
Theatrical cocktails, classic snacks and a wine list that would stretch all the way to Wynyard if you laid it end-to-end – this all-day joint with a New York vibe is at your service.
Sydney
El Primo Sanchez
Tequila and mezcal take centre stage at this swanky cocktail bar and diner by some of the city’s sharpest operators who look to Mexico for inspiration and run with it in style.
Sydney
Public House Petersham
With wood-fired pizza complementing pub classics, a sprawling beer garden, resident microbrewery and a family-friendly vibe, Public House Petersham covers all the bases.
Sydney
The Unicorn Hotel
An Oxford Street staple that was refreshed in 2015, The Unicorn Hotel has built a reputation as one of Sydney’s best pubs, offering god-tier grub, standout drinking and a keen eye for good times.
Sydney
Banco Manly
Natural wines, well-executed cocktails and please-all-comers share plates await at this on-trend hidey-hole that marries Melbourne’s laneway vibe with downtown New York swagger.
Sydney
Vermuteria
Step off the streets of Kings Cross and into Barcelona at this vivacious, pocket-sized vermouth bar, where welcoming and accomplished staff deliver a slice of European drinking culture.
Sydney
Employees Only
The Sydney outpost of a celebrated New York speakeasy, Employees Only brings a slice of glamour to the CBD – and an engaging sense of revelry.
Sydney
Maybe Sammy
A suave, 1950s-style cocktail bar in the heart of central Sydney that pours cocktails with polish and more than a little Rat Pack-style panache.
Sydney
Maydanoz
Turkey comes to Sydney’s CBD in an energetically modern restaurant where the flavours of the Aegean are celebrated in a killer cocktail list and a menu that’s a share-friendly snack-fest.
Sydney
The Old Fitzroy Hotel
A vintage local with truckloads of character, The Old Fitz offers a whole lot more than meets the eye, with unexpected depth to the drinks lists and a deft take on pub dining.
Sydney
Monopole
This wine-focused Sydney fixture from a formidable pair of restaurateurs flies the flag for all things French at the table, with classic Gallic hits on the plate and in the glass.
Sydney
Restaurant Hubert
A fantastical entrance of cascading stairs leads to a celebration of all things French – a confident reimagining of the bistro playbook with a well-stocked cellar and service smarts to match.
Sydney
Dean & Nancy on 22
This swanky throwback to the glamorous glory days of the Rat Pack sets a new standard for Sydney’s hotel bars with inspired cocktails delivered in debonair style.
Sydney
Piccolo Bar
A legendary Kings Cross coffee shop has found new life as a tiny bar that taps into the rich tradition of aperitivo – the northern Italian ritual of pre-dinner cocktails and snacks.
Sydney
Shady Pines Saloon
A hidden honky-tonk specialising in beer, whiskey, peanuts and country-and-Western-flavoured good times. It’s a dive bar with a heart of gold.
image credits: Top image, Vermuteria
Authour image
Amelia BallAmelia Ball is a journalist, editor and former Editorial Director of Halliday Wine Companion, who specialises in drinks, food and travel.
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