Quite simply: Just go to the Opera Bar.
It's not perfect, but every minor flaw it has is compensated for by breathtaking beauty, and it really doesn't have a major flaw to speak of.
Tucked away in the lower concourse shelf under the famous Sydney Opera House, this bar is basically location, location, location. And then some more location. From comfortable outdoor seating area you have the most superb view of the Opera House looming over one side, with the stunning beauty of Sydney Harbour laid out before you - including a full frontal view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. By day or night, this is a gorgeous place to be.
Of course, there are a lot of bars and restaurants in this area - some much more luxurious and some pulling many more of the beautiful set that kicks around this part of town. But most of them, whilst lovely, are pricey, and none can quite compete with the uninterrupted view. You would think, with a bar that looks like this (I implore you to check out the website link and yes it is as beautiful as the photos) that they would charge you for the pleasure, but they really don't. Sure, the drinks are not the cheapest you will find in town but they are really quite reasonable. The food menu, whilst limited, is meant to largely cater to the quick bite in-and-out theatre crowd attending Opera House performances, so the meals are fairly simple. But for a meal in Sydney, the prices are good and the food is quite good quality.
And the icing on the Opera Bar cake is the music. In the evening times (I'm not sure if it's every evening but certainly on weekends) you'll be invited into a lovely ambience created by some wonderful jazz. I'm not personally a big jazz person - I don't dislike it, but don't own any jazzy tunes - but it suits the venue perfectly and sets the tone for a really lovely evening.
The only real downside to the Opera Bar is that it is largely reliant on the weather. The indoors/undercover part of the bar has limited space and is sheltered from the full panorama of the view. The good news is, Sydney does tend to have a fair bit of good weather! The Opera Bar also do their best to compensate by providing umbrella cover over parts of the outdoor seating, and in winter they do have outdoor heating to take the bite off the harbour breeze.
Regardless of this, I think if you are in Sydney and want to soak in the true beauty that the city has to offer with a relaxed drink for a decent price, then head down and chill out at the Opera Bar. read more