Bar 83 has recently opened on the top floor of Sydney Tower, making it Australia’s highest bar. As you’d expect, 83 floors up and with floor to ceiling glass, it has sweeping views of the city and harbour.
The decor is definitely something out of the Jetsons, channeling a 1970’s view of the future vibe.
The food menu is very limited and fairly expensive (found I couldn’t quite bring myself to spend $26 on a sausage roll). With a 2 hour maximum seating at the moment, it’s somewhere you’d for a pre or post dinner drink rather than spending an evening.
There is a good size wine list, with 5 sparkling, white, rose and reds available by the glass and twice that many by the bottle. It’s a little hard to work out what price point they are trying to hit with the drinks, a glass of chardonnay is $18 and a roussane $21 but there is a sauvignon blanc for $13.
The website indicates there’s a minimum spend of $30 per person, but on the night we went we only had one drink each and this didn’t seem to be problem.
The wait staff are all very friendly, but it seems as if none of them have ever worked in hospitality before (or given any training), which is very strange given the number of hospitality staff currently out of work.
There were a multitude of staff walking the floor, but none of them were interested in serving us. We waited more than 20 minutes to order a drink. During that time we watched staff clear and clean at least 10 empty tables. Once we finally go to to order, there was a fair wait before the drinks arrived and another wait while they brought back the right wine.
My verdict, worth a visit for the great views and funky decor, but be prepared to be patient. To make the most of it, book in advance and request a table at the window.