Side Bar

I’ve only ever been here for breakfast, so that’s all I can speak to. The croissant I had was still cold from coming out of the freezer (and therefore limp and gross), but the coffee was pretty good. It’s just that the atmosphere here is very hostel-​esque: fend for yourself or there won’t be anywhere to sit and the staff sure as heck won’t care. I only stop by here when I’m desperate, and I recommend you do the same.

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Make sure if you go here you bring girls otherwise they tell you you’ve had too much to drink. Can’t say I’ve ever been profiled before, welcome to Australia.

Super !! cool !! que de souvenirs !! le side bar est mythique !! trop bonne ambiance dans ce bar !! de nombreux français en whv connaissent le lieu !! c’est une secte lol !! A tous ceux qui passent leur soirée dans cet endroit !! profitez bien !!!

(I’ve been in study mode this week and haven’t had a chance to get out, so I’m going to take the opportunity to review Sidebar, which I’ve wanted to do for a while)
My best friend was born in Sydney but spends most of his time travelling. He loves meeting new people, and from different parts of the world. This is why when he’s here, Sidebar is where he spends much of his time — he knows it’s one of the few places where in one night he’ll chat with a German, a Brit, a Norwegian, an Israeli and many others.
We’re tight like a sailor’s knot so where I go he goes and vice versa. It was a year ago that he introduced me to Sidebar and my first interaction was with a 20-​something Austrian: «Vat ze faaaak» he said to me as we queued. That was his response to a British lass being prevented entry for calling the security guard a «FOOKING KOONT».
I knew at that point my mate wasn’t kidding: the Sidebar experience is unique, and I can attest it has been every time since: We’ve for instance done speed-​dating there, learned the salutations of about 30 languages there, and even found our girlfriends there. How often can that be said of a Sydney venue?

Horrible staff for an average-​at-​best bar. Myself and a few others weren’t allowed in one night because the monkeys working the door thought us too intoxicated, when in fact we had only had a couple drinks. They did however let in very drunk females. Went back another day, found there was nothing special or exclusive about this place. Recommend against, would give less than one star if I could.

Yeah, not the best. Either be 18, or be very, very drunk.
Or both.

Backpackers Central! This place is home to mostly backpackers and travelers as its location is adjacent to a hostel.
I came here with a friend and we stumbled upon this place by looking at our free sydney maps, and it recommended this place as a fun place to hang out. My experience was great and definitely enjoyed the live music and large crowds of people.
It was also a special night for ladies as they could get free champagne until 9pm. I ordered a beer and was shocked that it costed $ 8.50 for the small glass as I was hoping it would be a little cheaper just because of its backpacker affiliated status.
The venue is a good pub/​bar where there is ample seating throughout the venue. It’s a good place to hang out if you’re around town.

This bar/​pub/​club is attached to the Wake-​Up hostel (pretty certain it’s owned by the hostel). Thus, its clientele is primarily mostly all travelers. This can be awesome (or not what one wanted) depending on interests. The downstairs area is pretty open sandbox seemed. Some okay dancing. I don’t think the drinks were spectacular but they weren’t bad. In fact, in writing this, I realized it felt like someone’s large basement cleared out with a bar island and bar-​banner things. I’ve been there on two occasions and I think there was a DJ at one. Definitely an okay experience. Not mind-​blowing, but fun and okay for sure.
I saw these gorgeous irish women outside of side bar in 2009 when went first time and bouncer wouldn’t let them in; I think they were strippers or hookers possibly, then they randomly jumped in someone’s car who was driving by. At least seemed that way, could have been arranged vehicle. I still hate cars though.
Met someone from south africa which wsa interesting. Huge mix of people, very diverse. Kind of definitely okay I guess.
My first time I went there I was staying at the hostel and was rooming in a room with tons (like 8 or so) germans. In hindsight I should’ve gotten to know the germans to the best of my abilities, but it was like a double culture shock of a) being in aus and b) being in a room with a germans and not speaking german (they all seemed nice though) but I only stayed in sydney that night.
I guess some people could describe the place as possibly quasi-​tacky, but meh, it’s very diverse, which is awesome.
When I went there in 2010 I danced around and talked to people but it felt like WORK being there. I had met three british women at hostel and really enjoyed chatting with them, and went ot side bar treating it like ‘work’ which it was and that’s what it felt like. I guess I mean just danced and tried to be lively and entertaining with people or something. So right when it closed I booked it out of there @ 2am, not lingering because hey it felt like work but made the best of it. In hindsight talking with the british women before (on balcony with fairly beautiful view overlooking sydney) I may have felt seemed like not a vip area but another area of a party (even though it was hostel near pool; swimming looked fun but the pool was too small and that’s about hte hostel). So showered, and went to the side bar. I recall a slightly portly but good-​spirited person from south africa whom was dancing in a funny and carefree way. But as said, it was meh… okay tried to be lively and whatnot and was moderately fun-​nish but was work, so I went to a strip club somewhere which was expensive but an interesting/​fun adventure of sorts (where I lost phone at stripclub, met a nice kiwi stripper, and missed flight next day, and couldn’t find boots which were in shower HAAH)…
yah…so…Side Bar is very decent for a ‘travelers place to drink’ not much of typical bar atmosphere which could be welcoming depending on what you like. It really just seems like an open sandbox basement as said before. Usually it’s pretty crowded (like over 50 – 100 or more ppl? difficult to visually recall and count people).
It basically seems like going to a basement party full of travelers. I can see how it could get old or tacky but diversity is awesome and this def. had that so jolly good.

Side Bar is the ultimate for backpackers. They only have to venture downstairs from the Wake Up Sydney Hostel and in they’re in backpackers heaven. The drinks are reasonably priced and on Monday’s the bar is absolutely packed. There is an outdoor courtyard which is a haven when you need to catch a breath of fresh air. The club is underground so it can get quite hot in there. It’s also very packed which can add to the heat. It is best to have had a few drinks before going here, otherwise you will feel like the only sober one!

This is the type of place I caution you NOT to visit unless you are a) 18 years old and from overseas or b) you have ingested a whole bottle of something strong already and you just want to dance your face off.
I went first with a date after a casual couple of drinks in Glebe. I don’t know why I had suggested it in the first place, but by the time we had waited in the queue for 15 minutes and argued with the bouncer over whether our American and British IDs were real, we were too proud to turn back.
We went up to the bar — correction, fought through the thick, swaying, pulsing crowd to get the bar– and got the attention of a young female bartender. We ordered two Heinekens and waited as she poured 1.5 of the 2. Apparently the keg was empty and we were to wait for another one to be replaced. Not wishing to stand there getting elbowed by punks any longer, I asked if I could just have something different as the second beer. She gave me some attitude and ended up yelling at me about how she’s sick and tired of people giving her crap etc. etc. You know what, chick? You should not be working in a busy, underground bar then. Don’t take your job-​related frustrations out on me.
We somehow sorted it out, got our beers and took them back to one of their side benches to watch the crowd. As soon as a couple started basically dry humping right in front of us, we chugged our beers down (admittedly, like teenagers) and got the hell out of there.

The traditional backpacker clubs around the city, are all about closing your eyes and hoping that you don’t contract something. It’s the debauchery, the galavanting, the mindless dancing, raving and fist pumping that makes backpacking clubs both irresistible and undeniably pathetic.
You certainly have to be in the right mindset to stand in line, and battle the lines, and the surprising look on the bouncers face that you have an Australian license, to enjoy yourself. If you’re completely sober, and want to talk to someone for any length of time longer than it would take to scream your name, then this isn’t a bar for you.
The thick lines around the bar, are the only illusion of popularity that Side Bar has, compared to their un-​popular pop music that screeches through the heavy bass speakers, which have had too many bottles of double black spilt over them. It’s only recommend if you have met a tourist, they’re staying at the Wake Up Hostel, and you both have never been here before, take the low road, and keep the rest of Sydney’s bars for the one’s who wear thongs with no socks and speak english with an Australian accent.

Ahhhh backpacker bars! Debauchery capitals of the world! When shame is lost with the luggage on that internal flight in Thailand, and not found again until safely back home across the otherside of the planet. Found in the basement of the Wake Up! Hostel at the junction of George and Pitt St, next to Central station, Side Bar is by no means, any different to any other bar catering to the same clientele. That’s not to say you won’t have a good time. No one goes to one of these establishments and comes away saying «well, that was boring». They usually say «Where did that stamp on my wrist come from? And who are you?» Complete with sticky floors — so you don’t slip over — and that smell that you can’t quite put your finger on, this place certainly doesn’t try and mask its identity as one of Sydney’s premier backpacker hangouts.
My days of going to places like this are probably over now (he says), but if you fancy heading somewhere for a bit of a laugh and you’re a bit over some of the snooty bars that inhabit the CBD area, you could do worse!