| Bars in Sydney | Restaurants in Sydney | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Soho Bar/ The Velvet Lounge 171 Victoria Street, Potts Point (9358 4221) CityRail Kings Cross. Open 11pm-3am Fri, Sat. Admission $10 Fri; $15 Sat. No credit cards. This is a huge celeb hangout (Kylie Minogue held her 30th birthday here) and last port of call for eastern suburbs and North Shore types (read staid). Still, the lack of cover charge (except Saturday) is appealing. As always, it's house-infused, but the commercial slant keeps cool clubkids far, far away. Embassy 16-18 Cross Street, Double Bay (9328 2200) Bus 330. Open 7pm-3am Wed-Sun. Admission $10 Wed, Sun; $15 Fri; $20 Sat. No credit cards. The plush décor and prime Double Bay environs make this restaurant/bar/club a party stop for well-to-do eastern suburbs types. Steve Rubell would have approved of the 1970s-inspired, chain mail-curtained drinking booths, but the debauched Studio 54 fantasy fades as disco classics are superseded by the latest American R&B. Embassy has one of the most firmly enforced door policies in the city: women should opt for cocktail dresses and men are advised to avoid jeans, T-shirts and sneakers Q Bar Level 2, 44 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst (9360 1375) Bus 378, 380, 382. Open 5pm-3am Mon-Wed; 5pm-8am Thur-Sun. No cover charge. No credit cards. Getting past the huge bouncers can be a challenge, but it's smooth sailing to a reliable night out when you're past the rope and into the lift. Don't feel like dancing? Have a play on the pool and tennis tables or amusement games. The house and R&B sounds aren't too inspired, but the crowd is diverse and unpretentious - everyone's just out for a relaxed time and they usually get what they're after DCM 31-33 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst (9267 7380) Bus 378, 380, 382. Open 11pm-late Fri, Sun; 10pm-late Sat. Admission $10 Fri, Sun; $20 Sat. No credit cards. Hotpants and glistening pecs are de rigueur in this land of beautiful people. Sydney's biggest dance club is a narcissist's playpen with its multi-level tiers, podiums and raised stage. One of the city's best-known hard house venues, DCM has consistently packed in a happy mixed crowd in the seven years since it opened Cave Star City, Pirrama Road, Pyrmont (9566 4755) CityRail Town Hall, then 15-minute walk/Light Rail Star City/Monorail Harbourside. Open 9pm-3am Wed, Thur; 9pm-6am Fri-Sun. Admission $12 Wed-Fri, Sun; $20 Sat. Credit AmEx, BC, DC, MC, V. The Cave's sleek interior gives it a swanky lounge look, with loads of preening possibilities for the dressy crowd out for a night of R&B and commercial dance. Friday's Da Lounge mixes R&B, funk, soul and hip hop. Saturday's Restricted offers funky house, uptempo funk and soul. Sunday's Latin Jewel blends Latin house, salsa and merengue with commercial dance in the Cave Bar, while the Mothership takes off in the Velvet Room with uptempo funk, R&B and hip hop Chocolate City The Exchange Hotel, 34 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst (9331 1936) Bus 378, 380, 382. Open 10.30pm-late Fri. Admission $15. No credit cards. Chocolate City delivers Sydney's largest R&B, hip hop and soul party on Fridays, although the emphasis tends to be on the schmaltzy side of R&B. Single women, enter at your own risk. Worth checking out if you're in R&B vein: Mo! Better Soul at EPI (0411 570 188) and Mad Afro Inc at Castles (9261 2238), both on Saturdays 'til late; also get along to Friday's Da Lounge and Sunday's the Mothership at Cave | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||