The LifeStyler – Hidden (or not so hidden) Bars

He’s back to what he knows best this week, the drink and bars. Fire away LifeStyler!

Did you know that hidden bars were “a thing”?  It may be just an excuse to charge more money for a drink, but it is a thing right here in Sydney and unless you know what you are looking for you may never even know they exist.

The LifeStyler has been out on the town again and come across a few hidden bars.  A hidden bar is really a hidden venue, as once you find the venue you have no trouble finding the bar!  It is actually the entrance that is hidden or more precisely lacks signage to indicate it is a bar.  

To be honest the biggest giveaway due to licencing requirements is a security guard standing out the front but that also makes you feel as if you are going into some illegal betting joint with a bouncer at the door.  A note for those younger readers; we once did not have legal casinos and there were a lot of illegal unmarked establishments.

So how do I find these secret venues?  Easy really and they are not just here in Sydney, you will find them in most capital cities.  Just search hidden bars on Google and not only will their location appear on Maps you will also find a host of articles indicating which hidden bars are best.

The LifeStyler likes to visit the odd bar but by no means is he a restaurant/bar reviewer so I cannot give you my rating, instead I will give you my experiences of three of these bars.

The easy to find Button Bar actually says Cocktail bar above the door.  You simply walk in to find a pirate-themed den with an astonishing number of bottles of spirits classed by categories of pirate, merchant seaman and land lubber.

The harder to find Stitch Bar looks like a store selling old sewing machines but if you open an unmarked door at the rear of this small room it leads downstairs to a reasonable-sized bar. Here you will find a dimly lit room of tables and booths with old newspaper clippings covering the walls.

The hardest to find Eau De Vie is actually in the Kirketon Hotel and the secret bar is found by going to the back of the bathrooms.  Inside you will find a 1920’s-styled jazz influences speakeasy with very extravagant spirits.  Think leather seats and fancy cocktails.

Never fear, there are many more to explore with secret entrances through barber shops, butcher shops, pizza joints etc. You do feel like you are part of a private club when you visit these places which is part of the clever marketing surrounding them.  Take a friend to show off!  Cheers!

In Bowens’ words did you know that hidden bars was a thing?  It may be just an excuse to charge more money for a drink but it is a thing and unless you know what you are looking for you may never even know they exist.

The LifeStyler has been out on the town again and come across a few hidden bars.  A hidden bar is really a hidden venues as once you find the venue you have no trouble finding the bar.  It is actually the entrance that is hidden or more precisely lacks signage to indicate it is a bar.  

To be honest the biggest giveaway due to licencing requirements is a security guard standing out the front but that also makes you feel as if you are going into some illegal betting joint with a bouncer at the door.  For those younger readers we once did not have legal casinos and there was a lot of illegal unmarked establishments.

I hear you thinking how I find these secret venues.  Easy really and by the way you will find them in most capital cities.  Just search hidden bars on Google and not only will their location appear on maps you will also find a host of articles indicating which hidden bars are best.

The LifeStyler likes to visit the odd bar but by no means is he a restaurant/bar reviewer so I cannot give you my rating, instead I will give you three experiences of how to get into/find these bars.

The easy to find “Button” actually says Cocktail bar above the door.  You simply walk in to find a pirate themed den with many many bottles of spirits classed by categories of Pirate, merchant seaman and land lubber.

The harder to find “Stich” looks like a store selling old sewing machines but if you open an unmarked door at the real of this small room it leads you down stairs to a reasonable sized bar. Here you will find a dimly lit room of tables and booths with old newspaper clippings covering the walls.

The hardest to find “Eau De Vie” is actually in the Kirketon Hotel and the secret bar is found by going to the back of the bathrooms.  Inside you will find a 1920’s styled jazz influence speak ezy with very extravagant spirits.  Think leather seats and fancy cocktails.

Never fear there are so many more to explore with secret entrances through Barber shops, butchers shops, pizza joints etc. You do feel like you are part of a private club when you visit these places which is kind of the clever marketing surrounding them.  Take a friend to show off!  Cheers!