I recommend this...

East Village

Editorial Review

Editorial Review

When push comes to shove, the East Village will always be cool, simply because of its location. Situated only slightly off the beaten track in East Sydney, it's close enough to the city for the glamours to pop by for a quiet one, and obscure enough to keep the locals coming. Plus it has a roof top with one of the best unobscured views of the city you'll find for the price of a schooner.

Having said that though, the East Village's abundance of function rooms and willingness to lend them to all and sundry means the locals are more often relegated to the downstairs bar, where you'll be lucky to get anything more sophisticated than a Coopers on tap or a $5 chardy, and the cocktail menu is standard at best.

Fortunately for some though, the glitzy upstairs parties have attracted a number of fairly glitzy promotions. Most recently was Belvedere vodka, which you could get muddled, mashed, shaken or stirred with just about anything the bar staff could lay their hands on. The promos get turned around fairly quickly so you're guaranteed a swag of fresh ideas if you keep visits down to once every few months.

Just be aware that the East Village is a strange beast: its cult following may have sparked a sense of complacency with the staff, and while its design-studio location may sound glamorous, don't go in there expecting to be treated like a royal.
Jessica Miller, December 2007