Doesn't matter whether you met at the gym, through friends, on an un-named dancing flame dating app or even accidentally spilling your morning flat white on each other as you jostle out of Toby's on your way to work (okay, maybe that ones saved for the screen) every relationship (be it one night or one year) starts with a first date. But where are the best first date bars Sydney?
Here's a list of places you may want to think about choosing from when you're making that first impression.
The Best First Date Bars Sydney
#1 Dead Ringer, Surry Hills
Apart from making our list of Best New Sydney Bars to Visit in 2016, Dead Ringer is making a name for itself as a bonafide first date destination. A contemporary yet rustic menu and intimate setting, plus world class cocktails, local wine, beers and ciders make this the ideal spot to impress with ease.
GO HERE IF - You want to break the ice in a relaxed environment, but show your date a fine dining experience.
#2 The Commons Local Eating House, Surry Hills
Located in a heritage farmhouse in the heart of Darlinghurst, The Commons is a place to hide away from the hustle and bustle, enjoy a good ol' drink and some of the best blues and jazz in town. A menu of seasonally influenced, ingredient-focused cuisine, combining local sensibility with European traditions give Commons its first date appeal.
GO HERE IF - You're on a low-key, laidback date with someone who cares about where her food comes from.
#3 Low 302, Surry Hills
This place has been my go-to locale for first dates in recent times. It's relaxed, has comfy couches, a solid un-pretentious cocktail list and has that darkly lit lounge kind of vibe that is conducive to getting undressed. If drinks stretch to dinner (you're doing well!) they have rotating list of specials that will not disappoint.
GO HERE IF - You're the type of guy who wants to relax and lean back into a cruisey evening with your date.
#4 The Winery, Surry Hills
Surry Hills' The Winery is a playground for wine lovers and first daters alike. It's an expansive restaurant and bar with plenty of wide open indoor and outdoor spaces to drink the night away on a group date, or get intimate in The Winery's champagne room. Punchy cooking, brimming with flavour, paired with over 60 kinds of vino means you'll be loving up that Dutch courage and hitting all the right first date notes.
GO HERE IF - You and your date are keen to indulge in a bottle of fine wine… or several.
#5 Palmer and Co - Sydney City
It's hard to go wrong when choosing somewhere Merrivale has had a hand in. This place is a great option for after work drinks that can stretch late into the night. Get yourself an old fashioned and soak up all the corporate-hipster you can.
GO HERE IF - You want a speakeasy slant to your after work drinks.
#6 Eau De Vie, Darlinghurst
Impress on your first date at Australia's Best Cocktail bar, Darlinghurst's Eau De Vie. Tucked away behind the tumbleweed streets that was once a buzzing Kings Cross, Eau De Vie is the perfect intimate getaway for you and your main squeeze. Eau De Vie's Whisky Room is perfect for who want to get playful with spirits while the main bar is the heart and soul of Eau De Vie.
GO HERE IF - You want to impress with your extensive spirits knowledge.
#7 Love, Tilly De Vine, Darlinghurst
As the website states, “Without being pretentious about it, we want this to be a bar where people come to drink well rather than to just get drunk - a place to take a good friend, or a prospective lover.” It's also a place to enjoy lots and lots of really good wine in a super intimate setting that takes the awkward out of a first kiss and first date.
GO HERE IF - You want to get real cosy and close.
#8 Since I Left You, Sydney City
Since I Left You is located in the heart of the Sydney CBD in a heritage-listed storehouse and pairs a welcoming relaxed feel with old-school decadence and charm, just how you'd like to appear to your date. Keep it simple with gourmet toasties, SILY cheese fondue and classic cocktails plus sweet treats like the Don Juan or Little Grace.
GO HERE IF - You and your date are a couple of hipster suits.