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.
In 2004, the doors first swung open at the original Employees Only in the West Village in New York City, landing at a time where speakeasies, dapper uniformed bar staff and old-school hospitality were just becoming trends. Its sharp drinks and pioneering approach – coupled with its hidden entrance behind a psychic shop – saw it pick up a string of awards, making expansion and more locations a no-brainer. Outposts in Los Angeles, Miami, Hong Kong and Singapore followed, before EO launched right here in Sydney in 2018.
Just like at the original, the entrance isn’t immediately obvious, the only hint being an EO logo on the doors under a neon “Psychic” sign that intrigues as much as it misleads. Take the stairs to the basement (past the tarot reader, if they’re in residence), and odds are the place will be humming, with the bar lined with guests, the tables packed, and cocktail shakers rattling. EO may no longer be leading the way, but the path it walks is well worn for good reason: it remains an immensely enjoyable way to drink and dine, and while away an evening. And as the CBD glows with its own roaring 2020s revival, the Prohibition era-style tone seems to click beautifully with the sense of revelry and abandon that comes standard with a night out in Sydney these days.
There’s something about this place that draws you in. Maybe it’s the lush green velvet booths, white-jacketed bar staff, brass accents, attentive service or showmanship that comes standard. Or maybe it’s just the sense that all the elements are in the right place, the whole greater than the parts, and in the sense of enjoyment that emanates from behind the bar to guests whose main concern is having a good time. Pull up a stool and the banter is top-class, recommendations coming thick and fast, and drinks soon following. Settle anywhere else and table service with a wink and a smile is the norm.
It all comes with a sense of class that sees guests dressing up rather than down, and a hint of glamour on the menu across drinks (spy the premium Champagne selection) and dishes (neatly plated oysters, hand-tossed beef tartare). What’s more, EO clearly appreciates that bars are meant to be fun. There’s weeknight happy hours and weekend burlesque dancers who play to the crowd while bar staff toss napkins in the air and let sparks fly from blowtorches. Then there’s the resident psychic, who, for $25, will shuffle a deck of tarot cards and peer into your future.
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