A standing room performance venue. There are-limited benches. I came during the FBI free evening…read more Mostly a 20 to 30 year-old crowd. Expect loud music. The mezzanine is not as loud. I stayed for two sets. Credit card only for beverages. A short walk from the town hall train station

Are you ready to ROCK?…read more Well pull on those skinny jeans, kid, and wax up that indie fringe 'cos the Metro, that grand old dame with the leather pants and smoky, sexed-up eyes, has got what you need and she's got it in spades. I've seen a cosmic $hit-ton of gigs here, from Julia Stone to Miami Horror to The Rubens just last night, and the place always jams. No matter where you stand, from the pit floor to the tiered platform standing that wedding cakes up to the back of the house, you'll get a rich view of the stage, ain't no black spots here. The drinks are pretty exxy but hey, this is rock and or roll, this biz ain't free, yo. One of my all-time favourite Sydney venues, the original and still the best.

This is the most amazing new nightspot in sydney, Great…read morelive jazz bands and the best DJ's that play old records of some real classics Craig the owner and barman is out of this world this place is going to do really well. Hidden just off the main street of Marrickville up a few flights of stairs you walk in to a awesome bar with the roof painted with a huge Kama sutra mural and tin roof tiles and leather lounges. Licensed to 3am with great wines and boutique beers on tap.

Jazz hands... What an eclectic, eccentric and too cool for…read moreyou, place this is. LazyBones is about as underground as you can get on the second level. It's a Jazz club with live acts every night, its a bar lounge. It's sophisticated dark and intimate. " Once you're inside Step back", says the purple haired door mistress with the voice activated LED t shirt, "and look up". Apparently painted by a famous Sydney artist, there is a huge mural on the ceiling. The place was pumping on Friday night. Jimmy Vargas and Mia Mortal (say it slowly... ) Vargas like a Brian Ferry look-a-like is apparently a self titled 'Croonoir' from San Francisco's cabaret. Mia Mortal has been sashaying the burlesque scene for the past 25 years. The show was a stunner. The Owner Craig was at the door when we walked in, he told us he'd moved up from Melbourne, and had been running clubs like Lazybones for years. He said "If it's not underground, I'm not interested" I liked his Moxie, and I had to concur. The hipster scene seems finally on it's knees with the clientele here being an over 30s crowd. I admit, I felt very relaxed. I even saw a member of a well known Sydney rock band here. If you want to stay ahead of the game? Say Hello to sophisticated class! Lazybones you're doing it right. $10 on the door gets you entry. Wine and Beer are priced reasonably, cocktails at $18 seemed a little pricey, but it looked like top shelf liquor. The menu, while I didnt try it, featured "Bunny Chow" with pick your own topping for around $12 as I recall. There were also Samosas and curries. It's very loud on a Friday night, Adults only. Good for date night or a chilled out trip into sin alley.

Little hard to find but mainly because we forgot about the hidden door, but overall cool spot with…read morea relaxed divey speakeasy vibe. Bar staff were very friendly and helpful!

If you get lost coming here, that's okay. Keep calm and carry on. And honestly, find the bar. I…read moreain't playing wit chu. I wish I had come here earlier while I lived in Sydney because it is such a classy joint. Not to mention a lil country, a lil rock & roll, and quite frankly... one of my favorite bars in Sydney. A good point of reference is the American Apparel on Oxford Street. It's in the lil alley right behind. There will be no sign, but there will be a security guard (and depending on the time of day: a line). I have had several drinks here and must have enjoyed myself a little too much bc I don't remember the names. But there is a great selection of cocktails and if you want something a lil different or a lil special, the cool bartenders can fix something up for ya! Yes, the peanuts are a nice touch. Not to mention the candles, the wooden decor, and the funkiness of it all. If you don't believe me, here's another reason why five stars is earned: a moose on the wall. Need I say more?

Wow, so many great bars in such a small area. This has to be the inner city of Sydney (or…read moreMelbourne, but no, it is Sydney). This is one of those bars, and even though they didn't have a great range of beers, they still have a decent enough selection to make this place worthwhile. I guess it is one of those places that simply have that atmosphere about it that gives it a real electric feel. Yep, this place is actually pretty awesome, and certainly a place I'd have not hesitation in returning to.

Arcadia opened last Friday, and it's already apparent that these guys are pros. Pros with beards…read more One is quiet, one of them never stops talking. He used to run The Old Fitz in Woolloomooloo. After several months of hammering shit together and an injury or two, these two fellas have found their Arcadia, and joined the Sydney small bar scene. Arcadia is right near that really ugly sculpture on the corner of Redfern & Regent. When you walk in, the light is warm (maybe a little too bright?) and the place is decked out delightfully: exposed bricks, rustic metal chairs, stunning glass mirrors (from Rozelle markets), and a back patio area full of well tended plants. It's a gorgeous garden space, and yes, this does provide a spot for smokers. The bar itself is large & wooden), with the bar stools just a tiny bit too low. Like The Dock nearby, this is a place where it's fine to linger at the bar all night, chatting with the owners. It's a spacious place, and we spotted an upstairs - though didn't venture up there on this visit. There are 2 beers on tap (Coopers & a crisp German Larger of some description), and right now they've printed up their wine list, with the cocktail menu still in the works. Actually that's quite good because you can ask the guys for classic cocktails & they're happy to oblige (at approx $12, depending on what you order). The Old Fashioneds were excellent, and mixed with precision & humour. You can order food from Wah Fung (across the road) and eat it in the bar, and they'd probably let you bring in a Vietnamese roll from that little place nearby. It's pretty laid back. All in all, this place is excellent, and will most likely get rather busy on weekends. I almost wanted to give it a bad review just so we can keep it to ourselves.

Now it is these types of bars that is the reason that I love the inner city. This place is just so…read morecool. I would say classy but that might just give you the wrong impression. No, not classy, hip, trendy, but not classy. Actually, the back area certainly has its charm, especially the caravan that has been set up as one of those private areas where you can get away from everything. Oh, and the interior is pretty good as well, and they also offer that rather nice beers.

Although the décor has its charm, sadly this bar seems to be relying on this alone at the detriment…read moreof the food, drinks and service. I paid $10 for the "Starving Artist" plate which consisted of Jatz Crackers, Cheese cubes, and Cabanossi. The martinis and negronis were nothing to write home about - especially at $18 a pop, and in an all but empty bar it took me a few goes each time to grab the bartenders attention to get another round. Take your own food and drink if you wanna check this place out.

Away from the grime of Oxford Street, Lo-Fi provides a safe haven of trendy people, slick drinks…read moreand smooth tunes. The balcony is probably the highlight, with 80% of the patrons drinking, talking and hitting on each other out here. Inside there are lounges running along a significant length of room and allow for a more chilled out lounge session. I usually come on a Sunday when it is less busy but no less enjoyable. The Ginger Ninja cocktail jug is an incredible explosion of lychee and ginger beer. Winner! Upstairs at Lo-Fi Collective there are lowbrow art exhibitions promoted every so often. Checkout their Facebook page (http://facebook.com/pages/Lo-fi-collective/140757972621366) and get yourself to one of the opening nights. Just sit back, have a beer and experience this creative space.

I was blindly led to Darlinghurst on Saturday night after having a couple of drinks. Not knowing…read morewhere I was, my friends and I exited the taxi and went straight up to Lo-Fi, which is located above Kinselas. With no expectations, I was quite impressed with the hip atmosphere and the artsy crowd of attractive 20-somethings. Like a warehouse that skipped on its electricity bill, the place is dark and spacious, but certainly not empty. The bar is clustered, yet colorful, and the blackboard on the wall is scribbled to the brim with food and drink items. They offer a multitude of retro and inventive cocktails, and the hipster bar staff appeared capable in executing these drinks to perfection. There's a large balcony that offers views of Taylor Square, allowing you to spy on the sloppy messes trying to navigate Oxford Street. I felt lucky to be up here. From what I remember, the music was primarily 90s and RnB, all coming from a pretty decent speaker system. I kinda shrugged of confusion when I heard 'errybody in the club getting tipsy,' reminded briefly of when that song was played at my high school dances of yesteryear. So I just busted out my high school moves. Up the stairs from the main bar, there's a whole other room with a large dance floor and high ceilings, decor in the same vein as below. Except that there are ping-pong tables behind the bar! Great thinking.

Don't go! Manager is on a hair trigger to create trouble!…read more Security forcibly manhandled us out of the club, because the manager thought we were high on drugs or heavily drunk. (I had a lemon lime and bitters, other 2 had a cyder. No other alcohol prior to visiting the club. And aren't the drug-taking type!) Even after explaining we were perfectly sober to the security guard, the manager said no to re-entry, and decided to change his story to "erratic" dancing endangering other people! We are in our early 60s! Our dance was hip-hop moves! It's a dance club! How do you determine what dances are acceptable and others not?? Manager just decided to target us for some unknown, and nonsensical reason. We are owed an apology and what we got back was nasty responses from a manager who is very vindictive. Other recent reviews are also showing similar stories of bad judgment calls, making stuff up out of thin air - All part of Michael the manager!

Went out to enjoy this establishment with some friends but we weren't let in because of our race…read moreand nationality. They said we don't do big groups and security showed me their policy and I read it and no where there said anything about big groups. Moreover, we were not even that large. When I went to ask as question the security guard refused to talk to me and brushed us off. While another group behind us was let in. I would not recommend going.

Love the view from their outdoor seating patio ! A good place to have a date or just people watch…read moreon a lazy weekend :) Came here on a Sunday afternoon and it was pretty quiet. The bartender is pretty cool and he was very knowledgeable (or sounded like) about cocktails/ mocktails. Just tell him what kind of flavour you enjoy and let him works his magic! Verdict? The drink I had was pretty good but definitely not cheap! (2 specialty cocktails + one pint + one coke = $60) Or maybe Im just cheap.

Great drinks, cigars and atmosphere. Nice to find a place in Sydney where you can enjoy a…read moreCigar and a drink.