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Drinks Directory|Bar|Happy hour|Sydney – Inner City

Busby’s

Saturday: 7:00 AM – 9:30 PM
Oxford House, 21 Oxford Street, Paddington, NSW, 2021
Phone
(02) 9071 4750
Website
oxfordhouse.com.au
Instagram
@busbys.bar

Read time 4 Mins

Posted 02 May 2024

By
Matty Hirsch

A busy scene inside Busby's in Sydney

Sharp drinks that lean to natural and organic, on-song eats, and killer tunes converge at this sexy hi-fi bar put together by some of the city’s top talent.

The moody setting at Busby's in Sydney
Why you goTake a handful of the biggest trends over the past several years – the rise of the listening bar, the soaring popularity of natural wine, the emergence of a lighter, fresher style of cocktail – then roll them all up into one. Chances are you’ll end up with a place a lot like Busby’s – the long, slender, low-lit hangout on the ground floor of the Oxford House boutique hotel. It’s got all the swagger you’d expect from an establishment in a happening “urban resort” in one of Sydney’s most stylish neighbourhoods, but looks and location are a small part of the package. What really gives the place life is the creative muscle behind the concept, conceived by the enterprising Public Hospitality Group and consultant Ed Loveday, better known as co-owner of the sorely missed Acme and Bar Brosé. In Mike Bennie, you have one of the country’s premier wine personalities behind the wine program, looked after by Public’s head of wine, Harriot Berry; in the Maybe Sammy team, you have perhaps Oceania’s most-awarded bar in charge of cocktails. And with Clayton Wells overseeing food, you’re in the hands of one of the city’s pioneering chefs. Set it all to a toe-tapping vinyl soundtrack played by local selectors over vintage Klipsch speakers – Grace Jones followed by Azymuth – and what you’re in for is a great night ahead.
What drink to orderGiven Busby’s is billed as a wine bar, that’s probably how you should treat it – and the 150-strong list makes that easy, with roughly 20 poured by the glass. Organic drops with no or low sulphur may take up most of the page space, but nobody’s preachy about it. Those looking for ease and approachability will find it in, say, a zesty chardonnay by Adelaide Hills upstart Bande Apart or a feathery pinot noir from Tassie master Joe Holyman. There’s lots happening on the wilder side of the spectrum, too, from a super-light obscure white blend from Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley to a potpourri-perfumed Italian malvasia that spends 100 days on skins. Because there’s so much pedigree behind the stick, cocktails also deserve a look – especially the ripper mandarin-accented Mando Daiquiri, and other bits from the Twists on Classics section of the menu. (If you’re pinching pennies, slide in and score one for $12 during aperitivo hour, which runs from 5:00pm to 6:00pm daily.)
Cocktails served at Busby's in Sydney
Various share plates at Busby's in Sydney
What to pair it withHand-held snacks are especially strong here, starting with the tiger prawn roll. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s perfectly pitched – a clean-flavoured, crisp-fried prawn patty on a squishy bun with shredded lettuce and curry mayonnaise. You’ll likely want a potato pavé, too – a crunchy stack of thinly sliced spuds finished with a squiggle of herbed cream cheese and beads of trout roe. These are filling things, but be warned that the menu may tempt you into the more sizeable likes of beef tartare with sheep’s milk cheese and heady North African spices or rigatoni alla vodka perked up by marinated peppers. Clever yet uncomplicated stuff.
Don’t leave withoutGrab the business card that arrives with your bill. On it, you’ll find a QR code linked to a playlist put together by the bar’s creative team, which is sure to keep the good times rolling well into the night (or your morning walk).
Make it fancyThe prices at Busby’s are largely democratic, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get stuck into a Burgundy or Barolo worth most of a week’s rent. Even so, keep your eyes peeled for surprisingly good buys at the pointier end, like Taittinger’s peachy, brioche-scented Prestige Brut Champagne, listed for a cool $29 a glass or $145 a bottle. Heck, even the splashiest Champagne on offer – a 2014 Louis Roederer Cristal – is a relative steal at $760. If that’s the sort of game you’re playing, you might as well go the distance and spring for one of the 55 rooms in the hotel upstairs, which start at $295 a night and grant you access to the guests-only pool.
The music is a highlight at Busby's in Sydney
The plush interiors at Busby's in Sydney
Who to takeWhile the curvy banquettes along the window can accommodate small groups, this is an intimate spot best suited to date night or a casual catch-up with a couple of mates at the max. And the seats you want to fight for? Those would be the tight tables in front of the DJ, which afford you not just a view of all the action in the booth, but of the fashion-forward crowd both inside and out on Oxford Street as well.
Authour image
Matty HirschMatty Hirsch is a Sydney-based writer, critic and editor whose work has appeared in Time Out, Delicious and Gourmet Traveller.
Tags
Drinks DirectoryDate nightRestaurantCasual catch-upVego Food OptionsKiller cocktailsSydneyBarGreat tunesSydney – Inner CityNon-alc OptionsAfter work drinksMeal and a bevTop notch wine listHappy hour
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