Low 302

Here's a bar that knows what it's doing. It gets the drinks the right, it gets the music right and it gets the vibe right. Surry Hills' most recent addition to an already thriving scene is this dark, low-lit bar and we're all the happier for it.

Remember that Greek restaurant on Crown Street where you'd always see skeezy-looking guys standing around outside sucking down ciggies while drunk hens would be inside smashing plates? In its place you'll find a moody room a very well stocked bar. Lush red velvet drapes line one end of the dark, wooden panelled space scattered with high tables and a big outdoor front section that spills onto the street. The big blackboard up the front of the bar is filled with daily cocktail specials. The regular menu is chockers with the classics (they make a ripper Aviation) and a great range of beers, too. Nothing on tap, which is a shame, but plenty of the good stuff by the bottle such as Sapporo, Coopers, and Estrella Galicia - a particularly tasty Spanish cerveza (that's beer to youse).

Low 302 has a whole lotta assets: fun and attentive staff, an owner open to blues, jazz and indie live music bookings, and a moody, spacious interior. But its hands-down best feature is its operating hours. On Wednesday through Sunday this little gem is open until 2am, and, more importantly, so is its kitchen. That’s right: at 1.30am on a Thursday you can hook into twice-cooked pork belly or tempura chicken wings and the team behind the bar will make you a hella decent drink. The Jack Rose (Laird’s Applejack brandy, pomegranate syrup, lemon and lime juice) and Plum and Pisco Sour (plum and classic Pisco, bitters, lemon and lime juice) are our picks, but steer clear of the Cuban Cooler. It’s pretty much just Havana Club and soda with a party hat on – and by 'party hat' we really just mean half a lime.

Low 302 is a welcome addition to Sydney's drinking scene and we're most happy to ring it in.