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The Charles Bar

Friday: 11:30 AM – 12:00 AM
66 King Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000
Phone
(02) 9145 8066
Website
thecharles.sydney
Instagram
@thecharles.sydney

Read time 3 Mins

Posted 14 Aug 2023

By
Alexandra Carlton

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.

Ambience at the charles bar sydney
Why you goEvery city needs venues that shapeshift into whatever you want them to be at any time of day: coffee and croissants before work, a quick bar lunch at midday, a business meeting around 4:00pm, then sliding seamlessly into drinks and dinner when the sun goes down. The Charles Bar, one of three venues that make up the complex known collectively as the Charles Grand Brasserie & Bar, has heard Sydney’s pleas and is here to be of service. Gussied up with every New York cocktail-bar motif you can think of – black and white chequerboard flooring, Art Deco lights, squishy banquettes, waistcoated waitstaff – it acts as a bridging venue between the building’s two other spaces: the lunch and dinner space of the Grand Brasserie, and the downstairs Tiva, which fills the gap for an after-dark club. The beauty of the Charles Bar is that it gives you the best bits of both spaces and it’s there exactly when you need it.
Why you stayThis question depends on your reason for being there in the first place. In the early part of the day, you can treat the Charles Bar almost like an upscale diner – somewhere you can drop by for St Ali coffee and eggs, or granola or a pastry that was baked across the bridge at the boulangerie attached to sister venue Loulou Bistro. After that it’s choose your own adventure. At lunchtime, you’re likely to join the office throngs grabbing the $25 club sandwich and beer lunch special, while in the late afternoon the bar stools beckon. Stop in for a Highball and a chat to the staff and to wind yourself down with a little James Brown.
food served with drink at the charles bar
drinks served at the charles bar sydney
What drink to order

Ordering a Martini here requires you to make a single decision: gin or vodka. Whichever way you swing, you’ll be presented with your spirits mixed into precise proportions along with a wardrobe of accessories – olives, brine, lemon twists, pickled olives – presented on the side for you to add at your leisure. 

The Reverse Martini is the Martini you have when you’re not having a Martini – it flips the spirit-to-vermouth ratios on its head so you get all the sexiness of a Martini without the huge booze wallop. Beer-wise, there’s a strong choice that includes White Rabbit, Kosciuszko, Stone & Wood, and Kirin Ichiban, while the by-the-glass wine list includes a considered mix of French, Italian and New World as well as Veuve Clicquot Champagne (including a 2012 Grande Dame if you’re going all out), Ruinart and Moët. On the bottle front, you can pick between home-grown classics like a Ten Minutes by Tractor Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir, or high-end imports like Châteauneuf-du-Pape or Bordeaux.

If you still can’t find something that suits, ask for the hefty wine menu from next door’s brasserie, which has more than 700 bottles. Whole pages are devoted to granular styles. There are 10 Chablis grand crus, for instance, and two pages of Bourgogne blancs listed by region and village. Order a cocktail for sustenance as you skim – you could spend a good hour making your selection.

Regular’s tipThe Charles Bar stands up as a venue in its own right, but it works just as well as a teaser for either of the attached sister venues. You might, for instance, start things off with a Champagne here before heading across the heritage hallway to the brasserie for afternoon tea, which includes a grand dessert-trolley finale (make sure you grab the Russian honey cake before everyone else does). Or perhaps you could start your night with beers at the bar with friends before migrating the crew downstairs to Tiva (open from 6:00pm Wednesday to Saturday) for live music and bottle service. There are few bromides more bland than “the choice is yours”, but here it truly is.
Food and drinks at the charles bar
Regular’s tip At lunch, the club sandwich is a chunky two-hander, with the usual fillings packed between three slices of bisected white bread. The prawn cocktail has four fat crustaceans curving into a nicely tangy Marie Rose mayonnaise-based sauce, and the duck-liver parfait is a generous wedge you spread yourself onto slices of springy brioche bread. There’s not a lot for vegetarians, but what’s there is pretty glam – mixed leaves come with a dish of whipped French Brillat-Savarin cheese to toss through, and there’s also a soul-singer-smooth cacio e pepe, Italy’s pasta dish laced with cheese and black pepper.
drinks served at charles bar
Don’t leave withoutChecking out the artwork on the stairwell that leads from the brasserie to the upstairs bathroom. Minimalist, curved, silk-like wall sculptures are a bit of a thing in Sydney right now (there’s a famous one on the back wall of Gildas a few suburbs over) and the ones here are designed by Sydney artist Clementine Maconachie. 
Make it fancyThe Charles Bar has no shortage of extravagant options if your wallet is deep enough. A wee drop of Craigellachie 33-year-old single malt at $600? They can do that. A carafe of Domaine du Chardonnay Petit Chablis for $63? This is the place. A four-figure bottle of Louis Roederer Cristal Champagne? Hey, you only live once.
Authour image
Alexandra CarltonAlexandra Carlton is a freelance writer who contributes to Australia’s leading food, wine and travel publications.
Tags
Drinks DirectoryA+ spirits listSydneyNon-alc OptionsFancy occasionDate nightHappy hourBrewery or DistilleryCasual catch-upGood for groupsBarAfter work drinksSydney – CBDKiller cocktailsTop notch wine list
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