Concrete Playground

‘Go to Hunky Dory Social Club’, they told me. ‘It is awesome. You know they have a rooftop bar? It’s just like Williamsburg, only it’s actually Darlinghurst. I know – crazy, right? Also, they make pretty rad drinks. You seriously haven’t been yet? Wow.’ And they all looked smugly askance at me, much like bonnet-clad little old ladies in BBC period dramas. And by ‘they’ of course, I mean my infinitely cooler acquaintances who had clearly been having way too much fun without me. The point to this is that I had very high expectations once I got my act together and finally took myself down to Hunky Dory Social Club. And I wasn’t at all disappointed.

Like all good things, it’s bigger than you might expect from first impressions. There’s the downstairs restaurant, Bruno’s, the middle bar, accessed by the staircase on the right, which is decked out with a couple of giant peacocks and a DJ area, and then there’s the infamous upstairs roof section, which has a small bar attached. It’s got your converted-warehouse prerequisites covered – rough brick walls, beaten up couches and unfinished surfaces, as well as the addition of an intricate chandelier for good measure.

The menus are ensconced inside the adorable re-purposed covers of Little Golden Books, which would be enough to make you smile on it’s own were it not for the fact that the drinks are awesome. Cocktail highlights included the Blackberry Julep and the Machelli, and they also sell Rekordelig Cider, perhaps the only cider with a cult following. The food consists mostly of pizzas and Italian sharing plates, with a menu that changes seasonally and comes via the restaurant downstairs. While I didn’t have the chance to sample any food, I shot envious glances at the pizzas I saw being eaten and am universally assured by Hunky Dory aficionados that they are brilliant. While the food is very reasonably priced, be warned that the drinks are on the pricey side, with cocktails coming in on average at $18 a pop. However, standard beers and wine are still cut-price for cheapskates.

The Hunky Dory bar opens at midday, meaning two things: that you can get in early to beat the crowds, and that it’s also a popular spot for after-work drinks among trendy professionals who are wont to go nuts once they’re released from their nine to five captivity (or so I gather). While it’s pretty chilled at half four in the afternoon, by eleven on a Saturday night it’s packed. For the best experience, show up early enough in the late afternoon to stake out a couch and watch the sun set over the city.

And the rooftop? It is excellent. Check out our full list of Sydney's best rooftop bars.