Bar in Hobart, Australia
New Sydney Hotel
100Pearl PointsSolid Hobart pub, no frills required.
About New Sydney Hotel
New Sydney Hotel on Bathurst Street is Hobart's low-barrier, walk-in pub option — useful for groups, late-night finishes, and anyone who hasn't booked ahead. It doesn't compete with the city's serious cocktail venues, but it fills a real gap when the more polished spots have wound down. Best treated as a practical late-evening stop rather than a destination in its own right.
Verdict
If you've walked past New Sydney Hotel on Bathurst Street before, the question on a return visit is whether anything has shifted enough to make it worth stopping. The short answer: it depends on what you're after late in a Hobart evening. As a bar destination in a city that now has serious competition from places like Dier Makr and Franklin Bar & Restaurant, New Sydney Hotel occupies a different lane — accessible, low-barrier, and easier to walk into without a booking than most of its Hobart peers. That accessibility is its clearest advantage, and also the honest limit of what it offers.
First-Timer's Briefing
If this is your first visit, set expectations accordingly. New Sydney Hotel is a pub in the traditional sense: a place built for Hobart locals who want a drink without ceremony. The address at 87 Bathurst St puts it in the central city, walkable from the waterfront and the broader CBD cluster of bars and restaurants. For a first-timer arriving from out of town, it functions leading as an early-evening stop or a late-night fallback when the more reservation-dependent venues have closed their kitchens.
The late-night angle is where New Sydney Hotel makes most sense in the context of Hobart's bar scene. Hobart closes earlier than most capital cities, and options after 11 PM narrow quickly. A pub with reliable hours and no dress code becomes genuinely useful in that window, even if it isn't where you'd plan a considered evening out. If your night has already included a proper dinner at Institut Polaire or a cocktail session at Mary Mary, New Sydney Hotel is a reasonable place to finish rather than a place to build an evening around.
What to Know Before You Go
Specific menu details, current pricing, and hours are not confirmed in our data at this time — check directly with the venue before visiting. What the address and pub format suggest is that this is a drinks-forward, come-as-you-are operation. No booking is needed. Walk-ins are the norm. For a city like Hobart, where the more polished venues require forward planning, that ease of access has real practical value , especially for groups who haven't pre-organised. For broader context on where New Sydney Hotel fits in the city's hospitality picture, see our full Hobart bars guide, our full Hobart restaurants guide, and our full Hobart hotels guide.
If you're benchmarking against serious cocktail programs elsewhere in Australia, venues like 1806 in Melbourne, Bowery Bar in Brisbane, or Bar Leather Apron in Honolulu sit in a different category entirely. New Sydney Hotel is not competing at that level, and it doesn't need to be. Hobart also has its own high-end experiences worth planning around , see our Hobart experiences guide and our Hobart wineries guide for the fuller picture.
Quick reference: No booking required. Walk-in friendly. Central Hobart address at 87 Bathurst St. Leading suited to casual drinking, late-night use, or group visits without prior planning.
Who Should Book (and Who Probably Shouldn't)
Go to New Sydney Hotel if you want a no-fuss pub experience in central Hobart, need somewhere to land late in the evening, or are with a group that skipped making a reservation. Skip it if you're prioritising a considered food and drink experience , Hobart has better options for that, and they're worth the advance planning. For anyone building a proper Hobart itinerary, New Sydney Hotel works as a supporting stop, not the main event.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the food good at New Sydney Hotel?
Expect pub standards rather than destination dining. New Sydney Hotel on Bathurst Street is built around drinking, and the food offering reflects that — functional rather than a reason to visit on its own. If eating is the priority, Franklin Bar & Restaurant nearby sets a much higher bar. Come here for a drink and treat food as a practical bonus.
What's the signature drink at New Sydney Hotel?
No confirmed signature drink is on record for this venue. As a traditional Hobart pub, the safe assumption is a solid tap beer selection over a curated cocktail list. If craft cocktails or an adventurous wine list matter to you, Institut Polaire or Mary Mary are better fits in the same city.
Is New Sydney Hotel good for groups?
Yes, this is one of its stronger use cases. A central Hobart pub with space to accommodate groups that want somewhere low-effort and easy to land without a booking headache. It works well as a first or last stop on a bigger night, particularly if your group skips formality.
Does New Sydney Hotel have happy hour deals?
No happy hour details are confirmed in our current data — check directly with the venue at 87 Bathurst St before planning around it. Traditional Hobart pubs in this category often run promotions, but specifics shift and are worth verifying ahead of time.
Is New Sydney Hotel good for a date?
Probably not the first choice. The pub format at New Sydney Hotel trades atmosphere for accessibility, which is useful for groups but less so for a date where setting matters. For something with more intention behind it, Dier Makr or Sonny in Hobart give you a sharper experience worth the occasion.
Do I need a reservation at New Sydney Hotel?
Almost certainly not for the bar. As a central Hobart pub on Bathurst Street, walk-ins are the default expectation. If there's a dining room component, it's worth a quick call to confirm — but this is not the kind of venue where booking pressure should factor into your decision to go.
What's the crowd like at New Sydney Hotel?
Hobart locals rather than tourists. This is a working pub in the traditional sense, drawing a mixed crowd that skews towards regulars who want a drink without theatrics. Expect a relaxed, unfussy room — good if that's what you're after, less so if you want energy or scene.
Location
87 Bathurst St, Hobart TAS 7000, Australia
Hobart, Australia
Compare New Sydney Hotel
| Venue | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|
| New Sydney Hotel | Easy |
| Sonny | Unknown |
| Dier Makr | Unknown |
| Franklin Bar & Restaurant | Unknown |
| Institut Polaire | Unknown |
| Mary Mary | Unknown |
Comparing your options in Hobart for this tier.
Also Consider
- Sonny, Notable alternative
- Dier Makr, Notable alternative
- Franklin Bar & Restaurant, Notable alternative
- Institut Polaire, Notable alternative
- Mary Mary, Notable alternative
How It Compares
Against Hobart's stronger bar options, New Sydney Hotel competes primarily on accessibility rather than quality of experience. Dier Makr and Franklin Bar & Restaurant both offer a more considered drink and food pairing, with kitchens and bar programs that reward forward planning. If you're in Hobart for one or two nights and want to make the most of the city's food and drink scene, those venues should come first. New Sydney Hotel doesn't offer the same level of curation, but it also doesn't require a reservation, which matters in a city where the better venues fill quickly.
Institut Polaire and Mary Mary sit closer to the cocktail-bar end of the spectrum and are the stronger choices for a deliberate evening out. Institut Polaire in particular suits drinkers who want something with creative depth. Mary Mary suits pairs and small groups who want a tighter, more intimate room. Neither is as easy to walk into as New Sydney Hotel on a busy Friday or Saturday.
The practical split is this: plan your evening around Dier Makr, Franklin, Institut Polaire, or Mary Mary, and treat New Sydney Hotel as the late-night fallback if you're not ready to call it a night. For groups of four or more who haven't pre-booked anything, New Sydney Hotel is also the path of least resistance for a first drink while you figure out where to eat. It won't be the highlight of a Hobart trip, but it serves a genuine function in the city's bar ecosystem.
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