The Best Rooftop Bars in Sydney, Sorted by Suburb So You're Not Crisscrossing the City on a Crawl

We started keeping a running list of Sydney's rooftop bars for a mate visiting from London. Somewhere past bar number forty we realised the list had become a problem in its own right, too long to text, too good to trim. So here it is properly, sorted by precinct, so you can actually plan an afternoon instead of Ubering across three postcodes chasing a Spritz.

A few rules before we start. Every bar here has genuine open air, either a proper outdoor terrace or a view that does the work of one. We've grouped everything by neighbourhood so you can pick a pocket of the city and drink your way through it on foot. And yes, we found a few extra along the way that didn't make it onto most people's radar. They're in here too. The video above covers a few of these but we'll ad more footage here as we make our way around to all of them. Yes that's the plan anyway but I just hope we don't forget to video amongst all the fun!

The Rocks, Circular Quay and Millers Point

The Glenmore Hotel (96 Cumberland St) has been pouring since 1921 and the rooftop has a retractable roof, so rain doesn't get the final say. The view runs the full arc from Circular Quay to the Bridge. Spritzes are $15 all day Thursday. (see video above)

Henry Deane (Hotel Palisade, 35 Bettington St, Millers Point) gets close to a full 360 degrees, Harbour Bridge round to Barangaroo. The hotel below it was designed by the engineer who electrified Sydney's tram network, which is a better pub fact than most.

The Mercantile Hotel in The Rocks only just opened its rooftop, in time for Vivid this year. Bridge views, fresh paint, not yet on everyone's list. Get there before it is.

Jacksons on George (176 George St) puts its rooftop under an architecturally striking canopy that genuinely does look like a wave. Casual bar below, bistro on level one, rooftop when the sun's out.

Martinez (Quay Quarter Tower, 50 Bridge St) is a French, seafood-heavy restaurant with a wrap-around rooftop bar and Harbour Bridge views that don't need the bouillabaisse to justify the trip, though order it anyway.

The CBD

Aster (Level 32, InterContinental, 117 Macquarie St) has the view that ends most arguments about which rooftop is best in Sydney: Bridge, Opera House, skyline and the Botanic Gardens rolling out below. There's a minimum spend and you'll need to book, but for a proper night out it earns it. (see top video)

The Library Bar, tucked above the State Library of NSW on Macquarie Street, is accessed through a discreet entrance and a historic goods lift. Harbour views over the Domain, and one of the few genuinely quiet rooftops left in the city.

Sky Bar, Shell House (37 Margaret St) is Art Deco through and through, part of restaurateur Brett Robinson's Shell House group. Sophisticated bar snacks, a date-night crowd.

The Panorama Bar (25 Martin Place) sits inside the old Botswana Butchery building, alongside The Wine Bar and The Grill. High-end drinks, a serious DJ line-up, and it doesn't really get going until the sun's down.

Cabana Bar (25 Martin Place) isn't technically a rooftop, but the sprawling wrap-around terrace and the 600ml "fishbowl" cocktails earn it a place on this list regardless.

Zeta Bar (Hilton, 488 George St) looks straight over the QVB. Happy hour runs daily 5 to 7pm, $15 cocktails.

Babylon (Level 7, 188 Pitt St) sits above a Westfield, which sounds unpromising until you're under the neon with a Turkish meze spread and a Levantine cocktail in hand.

The Rook (Level 7, 56-58 York St) makes you walk through a flower-covered archway to get in. Gin tastings, seasonal cocktails, a late bottomless brunch on Fridays from 6.30pm.

Taylor's Rooftop Bar (Republic Hotel, 69-73 Pitt St) is the after-work crowd's rooftop of choice, tankards of Asahi, DJ sets on Saturday nights.

Hotel Sweeney's (236 Clarence St) rewards the climb with a proper cold beer and a wide view over the CBD canopy. Good spot for anyone who takes their craft beer seriously.

Old Mate's Place (4/199 Clarence St) gives you two venues for one trip: a candlelit downstairs with leather booths and towering bookcases, or the rooftop terrace up top for sunshine and Negronis. Get the Philly cheesesteak either way.

Harper Rooftop Bar (Level 7, Kimpton Margot, 339 Pitt St) claims to be Sydney's largest open-air rooftop, and with room for 180 people we're not arguing. Dogs welcome.

Ivy Pool Club (330 George St) is the original, the rooftop that got Sydney doing rooftops in the first place back in 2007. Italian coastline styling, a proper pool deck, and Sunday sessions that built a reputation of their own.

Jimmy's Rooftop (Level 4, 320 George St) is one floor and a very different mood from the pool club below. Charcoal-grilled Middle Eastern wraps, open air, a Manhattan-rooftop energy for a drink with mates as the sun goes down.

Joji (Level 5, 388 George St) is the newest rooftop in this whole list, perched above the Cartier flagship store. Japanese-inspired, open until 2am most nights, order the scallop and bug sando.

The Rooftop Sydney (Level 3, Shelbourne Hotel, 200 Sussex St) leans Hamptons, rattan lounges and a retractable roof over Darling Harbour views.

Darling Harbour, Barangaroo and Pyrmont

Zephyr Bar (Level 12, Hyatt Regency, 161 Sussex St) has one of the few genuinely uninterrupted lines west over Darling Harbour, which makes it a proper sunset bar rather than just a good-looking one.

Above 319 (Vibe Hotel, 319-325 Sussex St) has an infinity pool right next door and a cocktail list that likes to show off, expect sparklers and liquid nitrogen.

The Sussex Hotel (20 Sussex St) has one of the CBD's biggest beer gardens downstairs, but the rooftop, dotted with cherry-red umbrellas, is the better booking.

The Bristol (81 Sussex St) is a five-floor comeback after a four-year hiatus. The rooftop, all spit-roast and Santorini-white, is the level worth the trip.

Smoke Bar (Barangaroo House, Barangaroo Ave) sits on the third floor of Mat Moran's harbourside venue. Seasonal pop-up events, a serious cocktail list.

Untied (Level 4, 400 Barangaroo Ave) goes tropical, Far North Queensland rather than outback, with bottomless frosé for $59 a head.

CIRQ (Level 26, Crown Sydney, 1 Barangaroo Ave) is 26 floors of harbour and Bridge views, and it books out two months ahead on the first of every month, so plan accordingly.

Darlinghurst, Potts Point and Kings Cross

Slims Rooftop (47-49 William St) makes you earn the view via a narrow stairwell, but the open-air terrace looking over William Street's Art Deco skyline is worth the queue. Brunch club runs Saturday and Sunday.

Kasbah (Strand Hotel, 99 William St) is Moroccan and Mediterranean by way of pastel lounges and Persian rugs, with the city skyline laid out behind it.

Taphouse (122 Flinders St) pairs proper craft beer with Cantonese food on an open-air rooftop garden. Noodle Mondays, trivia Tuesdays.

The Colombian Hotel (117-125 Oxford St) is one of Oxford Street's most revered queer bars, with a rooftop cocktail bar up top for watching the sun go down.

The Burdekin (2 Oxford St) has been guarding the top of Oxford Street since 1847, and the rooftop, five storeys up, is the only one of its kind on the strip.

East Hotel Village (234 Palmer St) stacks a vintage sports bar under its rooftop, so budget a breather on the way up.

The Butler (123 Victoria St, Potts Point) has an al fresco garden terrace with a full city sightline, plus a Latin American menu that leans hard into local produce.

Sweethearts Terrazza (Level 3, 33-35 Darlinghurst Rd, Potts Point) is seven flights of stairs and a tequila flight waiting at the top, beach club meets cantina.

Surry Hills and Paddington

Keg and Brew (26 Foveaux St) is the historic boozer with the spacious rooftop and the $6.50 happy hour beers, Monday to Thursday.

The White Horse (381 Crown St) came out of a multimillion-dollar renovation with a proper restaurant downstairs and a lush rooftop terrace up top.

The Strawberry (453 Elizabeth St) used to be a dive bar for gig-goers spilling over from the Gaelic Club next door. Now the rooftop terrace is open to the sky and the tacos are $15 on Tuesdays.

Royal Hotel Paddington (237 Glenmore Rd) has been the Five Ways local for decades, but the roof still feels like a secret. Only a handful of seats up there, and arguably the best sunset in Paddington if you get one.

Monica (25hours Hotel, 1 Oxford St, Paddington) is the newest arrival on this strip, a Hollywood-inspired rooftop with Oxford Street's golden hour light pouring in. Book ahead for the balcony.

The Light Brigade (corner Oxford St and Jersey Rd, Woollahra) is open-air across the whole top floor, with views stretching from Paddington to the Coathanger, and a heavy Swans crowd before and after SCG games.

The Inner West

The Toxteth Hotel (345 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe) added a light-filled rooftop nook during its 2023 renovation, looking out over Glebe's tree canopy to the skyline.

Webster's Bar (323 King St, Newtown), formerly Zanzibar, is three floors of a spruced-up Newtown pub with the rooftop and long communal tables still going strong.

Corridor (153A King St, Newtown) is barely wider than its name suggests, but the open rooftop over the backstreets is the reason to stay past one drink. $8 pints till 8pm.

The Lansdowne Hotel (2-6 City Rd, Chippendale) has rainbow umbrellas and blue astroturf on a rooftop that's only open Friday and Saturday, live gigs downstairs after.

Marrickville Springs, above Philter Brewing (92-98 Sydenham Rd, Marrickville), went full '80s tropicana resort for one of the Inner West's better craft beer rooftops.

The Imperial Hotel (35 Erskineville Rd) is the Priscilla pub, and the rooftop is where sunset cocktails happen before the basement takes over for the night. Drag shows Wednesday to Saturday.

The Cauliflower Hotel (123 Botany Rd, Waterloo) has its own classic pub rooftop, but climb one more flight to The Forgotten Cask, a Caribbean rum bar with over a hundred rums and a proper garden terrace hiding above it. This one barely makes anyone's list, which is exactly why it's worth the detour.

The Eastern Suburbs and Watsons Bay

Watsons Bay Hotel (1 Military Rd) is buckets of tiger prawns, live music and Sunday Sessions by the water, a 30-minute ferry from Circular Quay if you don't fancy the drive.

Coogee Pavilion (169 Dolphin St) has a wrap-around balcony with four separate bars and an uninterrupted stretch of the Sydney coastline. Check the website for DJ sessions.

The North Shore and Northern Beaches

The Hotel Steyne (75 The Corso, Manly) gives you front-row ocean views over one of Australia's better beaches, flamingo-pink umbrellas included.

The Fernery (719 Military Rd, Mosman) looks out over the harbour to North Head, and the team grow a fair chunk of what ends up on the menu in the kitchen garden out back.

SoCal Neutral Bay (1 Young St) skips the water view for a private deck and full Californian energy, quesadillas, Margaritas and enough sunshine to make up for it.

Parramatta

Nick & Nora's (Level 26, 45 Macquarie St) is 1930s glamour 26 storeys above Parramatta's CBD, with Blue Mountains views on a clear day. Worth the train ride out for a proper occasion.

For the nights that the weather doesn't cooperate

Sydney sells itself on outdoor drinking, but when the nights that turn up cold, windy or bucketing down these four don't have a scrap of open air between them, glass box venues, every one, but the killer views still do the work of a terrace, and nobody's cancelling a birthday because of a southerly.

O Bar and Dining (Level 47, Australia Square, 264 George St) revolves once every hour and forty five minutes, 360 degrees of harbour through floor-to-ceiling glass. Two bar areas, one on the fixed centre floor, one on the revolving outer ring.

360 Bar and Dining (Gallery Level, Sydney Tower, 100 Market St) sits inside Centrepoint Tower itself, the highest revolving restaurant in the Southern Hemisphere and about as close as Sydney gets to drinking in the clouds. Go for sunset and watch the whole city change colour while you're barely moving.

Blu Bar on 36 (Shangri-La, 176 Cumberland St, The Rocks) sits 36 floors above the harbour with a clean, uninterrupted line to the Bridge and the Opera House. No terrace here either, just glass and a very good bar. (see top video)

Dean & Nancy on 22 (Level 22, 2 Hunter St) is a Rat Pack-era supper club from the Maybe Sammy team, two-storey windows, 360-degree skyline views, live piano some nights. Glamorous, but entirely indoors.

A word on the extras

You'll have noticed Joji, the new Mercantile rooftop in The Rocks and The Forgotten Cask above the Cauliflower woven through this list. None of them were on the radar when most rooftop round-ups were written, so consider them our contribution.

We haven't filmed all of these for the channel yet, but we're working through them. If you spot one we've missed, or you've got a strong opinion about which one actually has the best sunset, drop it in the comments. We take that kind of research seriously.