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3 Best Sports Bars in Sydney (2026)

Independently ranked by our review of ratings, reviews and reputation · How we chose

Thorne Savarin
By Thorne Savarin, Culinary Explorer · ✓ Data verified July 2026 · 6 min read

Game night in Sydney comes down to a handful of names, and between them these sports bars have racked up nearly 11,000 Google reviews. The Baxter Inn sits well clear of the pack on rating at 4.7, but it is not the room built for match day. Whether you want a screen at every angle or a proper pint pulled slow, the pick depends on what you are actually there to watch.

Short answer: The Baxter Inn leads on rating (4.7 stars, 3,963 reviews) though it is better known as a whisky den than a match-day room. For a dedicated screen-and-beer setup, The Sporting Globe x 4 Pines at King Street Wharf is the purpose-built sports bar on this list, and P.J.O'Brien's brings Irish-pub live music alongside the sport. Expect no cover charge at any here; drinks run from roughly AUD 10 to 20.
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Sydney's sports-watching spots, compared

# Business Rating Reviews Best for
1 The Baxter Inn 4.7 ★ 3,963 Whisky and cocktails, not the game View ›
2 P.J.O'Brien's 4.2 ★ 3,270 Irish pub with live sport and music View ›
3 The Sporting Globe x 4 Pines - King Street Wharf 4.1 ★ 3,665 Dedicated sports-bar setup View ›
3 Best Sports Bars in Sydney (2026)

Where to watch the game

The Baxter Inn logo
#1 Overall🕑 Open 7 days

The Baxter Inn

4.73,963 Google reviews

The Baxter Inn is an underground whisky and cocktail bar in the Sydney CBD, built into an old fabric storehouse with low light and a long wall of whisky bottles. It is a walk-in-only venue, no bookings, and the staff know the stock behind the bar well enough to talk you through it. It borrowed its look from a sports bar minus the sport, which is a fair description: this is a drinking den first, not a place with screens on every wall.

What people praise

  • Deep, well-curated whisky and cocktail list
  • Staff who know the bottles and take time with recommendations
  • Free pretzels, a small but well-loved touch
  • Atmospheric, speakeasy-style room

Worth knowing

  • No bookings, walk-in only, and it gets loud and crowded
  • Only three booths, so seating is limited
  • Drinks lean pricier than a standard pub
Reputation scorecardrank in Sydney
Rating4.7 / 5
Review volume3,963 · 98th
Confidencevery high
Recency2 months ago
Info completenesssite · phone · hours
Rating breakdown79% 5-star
✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The highest rating on this list by some margin, but it earns that on cocktails and whisky, not sport-watching. Go here for the drink, not the score.

Website+61283022317 Directions

152/156 Clarence St, Sydney NSW 2000

P.J.O'Brien's logo
#2🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

P.J.O'Brien's

4.23,270 Google reviews

P.J.O'Brien's is an Irish pub in the Sydney CBD serving lunch and dinner alongside Guinness and whiskies, with live music running most of the week. It has an events calendar built around occasions like St Patrick's Day and Melbourne Cup Day, plus sport shown on screens through the main floor. The upstairs seating handles overflow when the ground floor fills up.

What people praise

  • Live music most nights alongside the sport on screen
  • Fresh food with generous portions, fish and chips a common order
  • Attentive staff even when the room is crowded
  • Good weekend atmosphere for groups

Worth knowing

  • Gets busy fast on weekends, book ahead if you want a table
  • A kitchen mistake around food safety was raised in one review
Reputation scorecardrank in Sydney
Rating4.2 / 5
Review volume3,270 · 88th
Confidencehigh
Recency3 weeks ago
Info completenesssite · phone · hours
Rating breakdown53% 5-star
✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: A reliable middle ground: proper pub food, live music, and sport on the screens, all in one CBD room. Worth booking if you want a table rather than standing room.

Website+61292901811 Directions

57 King St, Sydney NSW 2000

The Sporting Globe x 4 Pines - King Street Wharf logo
#3🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

The Sporting Globe x 4 Pines - King Street Wharf

4.13,665 Google reviews

The Sporting Globe x 4 Pines at King Street Wharf is a bar and grill built specifically around watching live sport, with TVs positioned across the venue and a menu of modern Australian and pub classics. It runs an Eat, Drink, Sport format with waterfront outdoor seating on the Promenade. Bookings are available through the venue for match-day tables.

What people praise

  • TVs positioned throughout, purpose-built for watching sport
  • Waterfront location with outdoor terrace seating
  • Handles big events like Champions League finals and major boxing cards
  • Solid drink deals during marquee matches

Worth knowing

  • Reviewers flag slow bar service and table clearing on busy nights
  • Food and drink pricing runs higher than the other picks here
  • Music volume sometimes competes with the match audio
Reputation scorecardrank in Sydney
Rating4.1 / 5
Review volume3,665 · 93rd
Confidencehigh
Recency5 weeks ago
Info completenesssite · phone · hours
Rating breakdown52% 5-star
✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: This is the room built for the job: screens everywhere and a genuine sports-bar layout on the water. Get there early on a big match night, service strains once it fills up.

Website Book now+61240063281 Directions

King Street Wharf, 22 The Promenade, Sydney NSW 2000

4

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Watch: 3 Best Sports Bars in Sydney (2026)

How we score

Every number on this page comes from public Google data, not opinion or payment. Rating is the venue’s live Google star average. Review volume shows how many customers have rated them, measured against the other sports bars and pubs on this page. Confidence weighs the rating by that volume, so a score built on thousands of reviews carries more weight than one from a handful. Recency reflects how recently people are still leaving reviews. No business can pay to change these numbers.

How much does a night at a Sydney sports bar cost? (2026)

Pricing at these venues follows standard Sydney pub and bar rates, and varies mainly by what you order and how busy the room is on match day.

Watching sport around Sydney

These sit in and around the Sydney CBD, from the underground bars off Clarence Street to the King Street Wharf waterfront and King Street’s Irish pub strip. Searching for a sports bar near me on match day? Each listing here shows a live phone number and directions so you can check hours and screen availability before you head out.

What to check before heading to a sports bar in Sydney

  • Do they take bookings, or is it walk-in only on match day?
  • Which screen or room is showing your specific game?
  • Is there a cover charge or minimum spend for big matches?
  • What time does the kitchen close relative to kickoff?
  • Is outdoor or waterfront seating available, and is it heated in winter?

Frequently asked questions

How did you choose these sports bars?

We started from bars and pubs in Sydney with a public Google presence, then ranked by rating, review volume, consistency, and recency. See How we score above.

Are these rankings paid?

No. Rankings come from the public Google data in the scorecard. A business can pay to be a Featured Partner, which adds a badge and top placement, but that never changes another business’s score or position on the underlying data.

How often is this updated?

The data carries a verified date (July 2026 on this page). We refresh listings periodically so ratings and review counts stay current.

Which of these is the best for actually watching a game?

The Sporting Globe x 4 Pines is built specifically for it, with TVs positioned throughout the venue. P.J.O’Brien’s also shows sport alongside live music.

Do I need to book ahead for a big match?

The Baxter Inn is walk-in only, but P.J.O’Brien’s and The Sporting Globe both take bookings and it is worth reserving a table for major fixtures.

The bottom line

If you actually want to watch the game, head to The Sporting Globe on King Street Wharf, it is the one built for that. If you’d rather nurse a whisky with the match on in the background, The Baxter Inn’s rating speaks for itself. Either way, book ahead for anything big.

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