Employees Only

Like ordering a pastrami sandwich at Katz’s Deli and visiting the Guggenheim, sipping a cocktail at Employees Only in the West Village is one of those quintessential New York experiences.

The bar, which opened in 2004 with an unassuming door and a notoriously misleading “Psychic” neon sign, was a pioneer of the city’s reinvented cocktail scene, forging a path that several other Manhattan institutions would eventually follow. It’s now regarded as one of the finest cocktail bars in the world, thanks to its well crafted but evolving cocktail list and theatrical-but-switched-on staff.

The Sydney location – the first in Australia – opened in 2018, and was set up by Dushan Zaric, the bartending expert who set up the original. To that end, you can expect signature drinks created in New York, most notably the Amelia (vodka, elderflower liqueur, pureed blackberries and fresh lemon). But Employees Only is equally a restaurant, with a sizable menu served until late. Highlights include oysters shucked to order, a signature double Angus burger, and a steak tartare chopped tableside.

The bar is located in a heritage-listed, semi-hidden basement near George Street and Martin Place. The dark timber and brass highlights are spiked with illumination from skylights around the room’s edges. And, like the New York original, there is a resident psychic who will read your fortune, if you dare to listen.