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ManlyThe Locals' Guide
Easy. Warm. Unhurried.

Nightlife & Bars

Easy. Warm. Unhurried.

Manly after dark is properly underrated. A town that's never far from the sound of the ocean, with a bar scene that's grown up nicely in the last few years.

This isn't a party suburb. The 3am club thing happens across the harbour in the city. Manly is the suburb you come to for a long, slow drink. A Negroni at sunset, a Tasmanian pinot with dinner, a final beer with sand still on your feet.

Almost everything below sits inside a five-minute walk of the wharf, so you can do a proper bar crawl without ever needing a cab. Last F1 ferry back to Circular Quay leaves around 12.15am most nights; the Manly Fast Ferry tucks up earlier at 8pm. After that it's a Lime scooter, a NightRide bus, or a short Uber over the Spit.

Featured

Where we'd drink this week

Donny's Bar

$$–$$$
4.2Bar· Manly

Natural wine, low light and Manly's best burger, hidden off Whistler Street.

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The Gopher

Bar· Manly

Stouts, cocktails and live music in a brand-new basement on the Corso.

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Manly Pavilion

$$ - $$$
3.9Bar· Manly

Spritzes and oysters on the water's edge as the sun drops behind the wharf.

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The full list

Every pub and bar that pours

Every pub, bar, taproom and cellar door in Manly — plus the Brookvale breweries worth the short trip — all 21 of them, with no quality filter applied: the ratings are shown, you decide. Tap any name for its own page.

Ratings are from TripAdvisor traveller reviews, checked 2026-07-18.

Showing 21 of 21 venues

Ratings and price brackets come from TripAdvisor traveller reviews and can change. Websites and phone numbers are as listed by each venue. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.

From the locals

A few recent nights out

Sunset Aperol on the Manly Wharf deck while the ferry pulled in. Pure Sydney summer. We stayed for three more.
Lena S., visited Jan 2026
Donny's was a proper find. Quiet, dim, the natural wine list goes deep, and the cheeseburger ruined every other burger this trip.
Daniel P., visited March 2026
Saw a five-piece blues band at the Ivanhoe on a wet Thursday. Twelve dollar schooners. Best night of the trip.
Aisha R., visited Aug 2025

Build your own

Turn this into a day, in a minute.

Pick what you love, drop the rest. Our planner stitches ferries, beaches, walks and meals into a single, sensible day — and emails it to you.

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