In basements and on rooftops, through secret doors and up narrow staircases, drinks are being poured, music is being played and good times are being had. Join us at one of the best bars in Canberra.

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Sideway

1/10

This bar and music room in the city’s Sydney Building slings soda spiked with yuzu sake, primo pizzas and the kind of natural drops that get called “funky”. Show up for happy hour at 6pm and don’t be surprised if you blink and it’s late. Beneath a suave exterior, this place is a vortex of great times. Keep your eyes on the website for tickets to funk, disco and rock ’n’ roll gigs at the venue.

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Leyla

2/10

Afternoons are golden on the glossy rooftop of Barton’s Burbury Hotel. Grab a seat on a leather lounge for the big city views with a sunny disposition. As it darkens, Leyla’s interior steals the scene with its glittering onyx-backed bar and slick booths where champagne feels so right. The wine list is impressive and, if tinnies are more your thing, a top edit of brews awaits.

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Capital Brewing Co.

3/10

The city’s only B Corp-certified carbon-neutral beers are pulled at this taproom in Fyshwick. On game days, footy fans come here for the big screens and an even bigger atmosphere. Nab a seat in the family-friendly beer garden, courtyard or by the fermenters in the main bar and quench your thirst with one of Capital’s classic ales, the XPA or a special release, such as the tangy mango sour.

Canberra: Always more than you imagine. Start planning your trip today

Image credit: High Jinks

High Jinks

4/10

Walk across the garden by New Acton’s Nishi Building and take the elevator to the basement. Bunker bar High Jinks matches candlelit saloon vibes with fanciful cocktails and top-shelf gins and whiskies. The Lord Jim Zombie, spiked with three types of rum, absinthe and passionfruit, is the signature drink but the bartenders here are award-winners – so go bespoke and know you’re in great hands.

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BentSpoke Brewing Co.

5/10

When this Braddon brewpub opened in 2014, local beer fans rejoiced, sinking more than 3000 litres of indie brew on its first weekend. BentSpoke still has buzz, its Crankshaft American IPA having topped the GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beer people’s choice poll twice in recent years. Every beer on tap is a cracker. Try the cider, too.

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Monster Kitchen and Bar

6/10

Another hotel bar that punches far above its weight, the watering hole for folk flocking to Hotel Hotel has been embraced equally for its yabby jaffles and its up-market lobby drinkfest. Channel your inner aristocrat with a Mistress of Chesterton Hall gin cocktail and an extensive global wine list.

Canberra: Always more than you imagine. Start planning your trip today

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Hippo Co

7/10

Whiskey, taxidermy and a taste for all things mid-century prove very good bedfellows at smooth operator Hippo Co above a Chinese restaurant in Garema Place. Swing by for jazz every Wednesday and regular whiskey masterclasses.

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Lucky’s Speakeasy

8/10

The QT hotel chain knows how to do a good bar and its Canberra incarnation stands out from the crowd by virtue of its location (the “secret” entrance is accessed through the Barber Shop) and a punchy cocktail list that’s supplemented by American-style snacks.

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The Highball

9/10

It’s getting hot in here… climb the stairs to this tropical hideaway and get down with a rum-driven drinking scene in a venue that channels Little Havana by way of Civic. The younger sibling of speakeasy bar Molly, The Highball also boasts that Canberra rarity: a broad balcony for alfresco imbibing.

Canberra: Always more than you imagine. Start planning your trip today

Image credit: Lean Timms