If you want a fun night out without glam or attitude, then Hawaiian Shack is the place to be. The music catalogue boasts the trendiest retro hits from the eighties, luring you to sing-a-long at your table or bust out some karaoke upstairs so the entire floor can hear. I thought the little touches of Hawaiian decor were admirable, especially the unassuming boat-shaped bar illuminated by fluorescent blue and green lighting.

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I’ve always thought it strange that Sydney’s grungily trendy and alcohol soaked Newtown has fewer than it’s fair share of cool little bars. There’s Madame Fling Flong’s, if you can find it, and Kuleto’s, if you make it in time for two-for-one cocktail hour. But just the other day I realised that there, smack back in the middle of the action, was a new small bar called Corridor.

Cool yet unpretentious, Corridor’s comfortable setting in a refurbished yet suitably rustic terrace house makes it very Newtown, and very inviting. Reasonably priced drinks and the tastiest plate of vegie nachos ever (with complimentary tequila shot) means this is a place I will go back to again and again. And it is blissfully free of the pokie machines and framed football jerseys that seem to haunt most of Newtown’s drinking establishments. More, please! [photo via SideStreetSydney]

The Tippling Club is a bold Singaporean space where molecular mixology is married with chic design and cutting-edge gastronomy, all wrapped up in a lush rainforest. Here, English-born chef Ryan Clift and barman-cum-chemist Aussie Matthew Bax, dare to push the boundaries of cuisine and cocktail creativity.

Through engaging each customer in the imaginative process both in the kitchen and behind the bar, Bax and Clift aim to offer up a joint that is more like one big chef’s table — a table where flavored smoke, dust, and air flow out of your drink while rare spirit bottles hang nonchalantly overhead. And on the menu? How about the fennel, tarragon, licorice, and smoked bluefin paired with a concoction of absinthe, gin, champagne, bitters, and ‘green fairy fog’? So whether it’s the open-air forest terrace or their tasty cocktails, this rad space is sure to draw you in — and keep you lingering for hours. Better take a cab.

My love for laneway bars instigated after the City of Sydney Council drew up plans for a temporary venue called 7 Metre Bar. Since then, I’ve found several bars hidden in nooks and crannies all around the city. A particular favorite is Grasshopper, an up-and-coming bar tucked away in Temperance Lane, just off George Street. The staff is friendly, the atmosphere chilled, and you can order any drink, just as long as it’s served in a jar. It’s cool and funky, with retro ’70s armchairs scattered around the room.

Following the success of the Red Hummingbird on Russell Street in Melbourne, famous for its hummingbird wallpaper, those same owners have recently opened The Emerald Peacock bar and restaurant on Londsdale Street. While I’m sure the food and drink is fantastic, it’s the interior that’s creating all the buzz. It again features signature wallpaper, which was used as the starting point for the entire design. Each space within the venue is slightly different, with eclectic fabrics and furnishings combining to create a decadent, moody feel. The Emerald Peacock also boasts a rooftop bar for glimpses of the city skyline.

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A Melbourne native once said to me: to find the good bars, you have to look for the bins in alleyways. Section 8 totally fits that quota. It is a bar that is a. in an alleyway, and b. filled with trash. As enticing as that sounds, I must make it clear that the alleyway is actually an old carpark in Chinatown and the trash is not exactly trash. But don’t let that stop you. Section 8 is pumping. Filled with forklift pallets for your seating pleasure, this little bar-that-could (also known as the Container Bar) makes a refreshing beverage and plays super cool beats all night.

To add to the cool urban trash, the stripped shipping container has been decked out with old metal cylinders, Chinese paper lanterns and one of those take away trailers that you find at the Easter Show. Don’t mock it! It dispenses not Dagwood Dogs, but a mean drink.

In a city famed for it’s alleyway bars, Section 8 takes the cake by keeping to its trashy roots. The untouched urban feel and the easy vibes are a refreshing change to the kitschy watering holes that you find elsewhere in the city. To put it quite simply, rubbish has never been so cool.