Opera Bar

Editorial

Citysearch® 2010 Best in the City Winner: Best Bar with a View!

On the lower concourse level of the Sydney Opera House sits the Opera Bar, an incredible location and probably as close as you can get to the Harbour without getting wet. The views here are stunning, not only the Opera House, and the water, but the whole city skyline leaps up above you, not to mention the bridge in all her glittering glory. Visitor or local, this is one of those 100-bars-to-visit-before-you-die kind of place.

There's plenty of seating on the spacious concourse under the elegant umbrellas, but don't phone ahead because they don't take reservations. It's all first come, first served, and you'll need to order your food and drinks at the bar.

If you fancy a drop of beer while soaking in the view, the Opera Bar has its own beers; Organic Pale Ale on tap, Opera Bar Organic Blonde in a bottle. Both are true organic beers with no added sugar, preservatives or additives, making for a rather purist drinking experience. Wines and bubbles include a fairly short selection of local and international labels. The cocktail list is rather more impressive, with the wonderfully named Dirty Carpet Disco, a delicious concoction of Chambord and Absolut Vanilla with wild strawberry liqueur over macerated red currants and raspberries, finished off with apple juice and soda. I'll have another, thanks.

Dining includes a fairly ordinary menu of shared plates and mains. That's the thing with some places in Sydney; they put all that effort into the architecture, the view and good quality alcohol, but the food seems to be added on as an after-thought. This is called 'resting on your laurels', and I hope they sort it out soon.

The Opera Bar, true to its location, does serve up great live music though. Sample an eclectic mix of live jazz, funk, soul, pure groove plus regular DJs, which makes the bar a great venue for live music - a bit of a rarity in Sydney. Entertainment starts nightly from 8.30pm and 2pm on weekends. And if you like the music you can also buy one of the Opera Bar CDs to take home as a souvenir. For more info check out their Gig Guide.

Meri Harli, March 2010

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