Champagne with views of the Opera House could be a once in a lifetime Sydney experience when you live here, but make sure you have it...

Locals know that this is the place to get a gasp out of visitors. A mixed crowd, in daytime there’s no Sydneyish door policies...

Order a Mojito (packed with lime and ice and mint) and perch on a stool on the balcony bar and look over the QVB and George Street...

This might be one of those bars that tempts city folk to jump on a bus to the beach. It has the chi chi sophistication that city slickers crave...

One very good reason to ship out to Manly on the ferry. Eccentric bar serving Minted Bourbon Iced Tea. Mavericks!

All we’re saying is wicked Japanese food matched with cocktails like Memoirs Of A Geisha.

It’s a tough decision: skip the Almond Astasse pear cocktails in favour of a drop of designer wine from a super-long list? What works...

A sliver of a bar opposite the packed kitchen table at A Tavola. A lengthy wine list to mull over and decent cheese plates with grissini...

Wine by the half-bottle is a very thoughtful idea at Sydney’s latest bar. Sip fine wines by the glass on red velvet Indian sofas watching...

It’s by the bottle or the glass at this glam newbie among soft lounges, exposed brick, low lounges and jazz and soul tunes...

Ahh, you’ve gotta love a bar with a chandelier. Bambini has a beautiful sparkly diamond one that twinkles, bathing the dome-shaped room...

Justin Hemmes’ hippodrome of entertainment is all about style. A labyrinth of 19 bars, nine restaurants and eleven shops...

Taking advantage of the few small spaces left in Sydney is Small Bar. Vibrant atmosphere, extensive wine list and more-ish...

Perfect meeting place and drinking hole before a dinner date. Look to the bar manager for help on the bewilderingly huge wine selection...

A stylish drinking den on the ground floor of the newly renovated Ruby Rabbit. Are you cool enough to get in? You’ll find out as there’s...

Pizza by the fire, drinks at the bar this pub always puts you in a good mood.

Sleek and trendy and all new, Side Plate – little sister of swish catering company Plated – has created quite a stir on Bourke with high-quality eats...

Imagine whipping up 200 cups of coffee an hour. Good thing Campos has baristas who can make 36 coffees in 16 minutes and you still get a mean latte.

Toby’s Estate coffee and tea as well as delicious cakes blend to get us all in a froth.

Cool and casual, just the way the Northern Beaches crowd likes it – this is a great place for coffee and some serious chat.

Mosaic chai latte mugs, tree- stump seats and yes, you’d feel fine wandering in barefoot.

aka ‘God is the machine’, café bike shop in Camperdown. Think cool art with coffee.

good grinds at this chic Clarence Street city café.

This lovely little hidden wine bar opens out onto the street. The wine specials are scrawled on the mirror but just let the owners know...

Sophie Monk, Gisele Bündchen, Harrison Ford have all been spotted here – it’s black label all the way. Dimly lit and über glam...

The good old ‘Bays’ is for those with a serious cocktail head on. Charlie Ainsbury and his team are always winning awards for best...

Long slim and glamourous, like its clientele. Best for a fruity cocktail on a hot date.

If you can’t get in for the French Asian fusion cuisine for dinner, pop in for a Libertini cocktail in the front bar. In a group? Try to snag...

Muddling in this Manhattan- style space is what’s done best here. Famous for its stick drink which is fruit pounded by a wooden stick...

It may open early (happy hour from 4pm until 9pm on a Friday) but this bordello with fringed lampshades and exposed brick walls rocks...

Hide away at the end of a long night with a nice glass of red – just ask Charlie – and a late- night/early-morning eggs and chorizo...

A Sydney after-work favourite. Suits and cocktails – a heady mixture after a day working on the financial markets in the CBD...

The Argyle is still the funkiest place in The Rocks, turning up its volume with ‘70s tunes. New at the Perch Bar is the sashimi and sushi...

A converted bank now funky bar and nightclub with 1930s décor on the main strip in the Cross. Dark wood and huge red palm...

A sprawling bar that gets busy on game nights downstairs plus pool and ping pong comps.Upstairs is more elegant.

Once the footy is finished this small bar turns into a bit of a house party.

Dozens of beers on tap and brilliant crispy thin pizza served on wooden boards.

Classic movie nights on Mondays are all the rage.

slug back hot shot espressos at red American-style diner tables in Waverley.

Paris-style pavement café for drinking lattes in Surry Hills.

luxe iced coffee straight from Milan – but in Leichhardt.

party animal or health nut, there’s a type of coffee and a time of day to suit you on Victoria Street in Darlinghurst.

(the Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst one.) Brilliant brews, creamy scrambled eggs and maybe a ricotta cake or two.

pick a special custom blend and sip while atop a wooden stool as barefoot Bondi surfers cruise past you on Hall Street.