Nightlife & Bars
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.
Brisbane's riverside brewery brought to the Manly Wharf precinct. A sprawling waterfront beer hall pouring their crisp Crisp Lager and Hazy Pale on tap, wood-fired pizzas, long share tables and live music spilling out onto the harbour boardwalk most weekends. Arrive on the ferry, walk ten metres, you're there.
Visit websiteThe grand corner pub with an upstairs terrace looking straight down the Corso to the beach. Cocktails sharpened up since the 2022 reno.
Visit websiteOpen-air deck on the harbour side, ferries pulling in and out under your feet. Sunday afternoons are an institution.
Visit websiteOn the West Esplanade with a waterside terrace looking back across the cove to the Wharf. Oysters, spritzes and a sunset that turns the cliffs pink — the best sundowner spot in Manly.
Visit websiteSmall-producer Australian wines and a chalkboard menu of seasonal small plates. Quiet midweek, buzzing on Fridays.
Visit websiteTucked off Whistler Street. Low light, natural wines, charcuterie until late, and the best burger in Manly as a side hustle.
Visit websiteDistillery tasting bar pouring gin, vodka and aquavit made with native botanicals foraged from the headland. By-the-glass list rotates and the cocktails go deep.
Visit websiteRight on the beachfront. A long wine list leaning into Australian growers, oysters and cicchetti to share. Book a window table if you're chasing the sunset.
Visit websiteLocal bands four nights a week. Sticky carpet, cold schooners, the real Manly. Free entry to the front bar most Thursdays.
Visit websiteAcoustic sessions and singer-songwriters in the back bar. Tuesday open mics if you're feeling brave.
Visit websiteUpstairs at the Hotel Steyne with a balcony over the beach. DJs, live bands and the closest thing Manly has to a late-night room.
Visit websiteClassic corner pub on the Corso with live bands almost every night. Cover bands on weekends, looser in the beer garden midweek.
Visit websiteBrand new Irish-NYC basement bar in the cellar of 40 The Corso. Stouts, cocktails and live music most nights — acoustic sessions early evening, full bands from 10pm. Walk-in only for now.
Visit websiteManly's hometown brewery on the Wharf since 2008. Try the Pacific Ale at the source. They brew it metres from where you drink it.
Visit websiteDistillery tasting bar pouring gin, vodka and aquavit made with native botanicals foraged from the headland. Saturday afternoon tasting flights.
Visit websiteA short Uber north. The warehouse taproom from one of Sydney's best independents. Worth the trip if you take beer seriously.
Visit websiteA bit further north in Brookvale but close enough to count. Bright airy taproom, their own house yeast, excellent lagers and a food menu that genuinely holds its own.
Visit websiteFrom the locals
Sunset Aperol on the Manly Wharf deck while the ferry pulled in. Pure Sydney summer. We stayed for three more.
Donny's was a proper find. Quiet, dim, the natural wine list goes deep, and the cheeseburger ruined every other burger this trip.
Saw a five-piece blues band at the Ivanhoe on a wet Thursday. Twelve dollar schooners. Best night of the trip.
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