DRINK > McRae Bar, Capella Sydney (16/20)

Sydney has no shortage of hotel bars, but few of them are named after the man who drew the building they sit in. McRae Bar, tucked into the north corner of the lobby at Capella Sydney, takes its name from George McRae, the Edinburgh-born architect behind the Queen Victoria Building and the grand sandstone Department of Education building that now houses the hotel. It bills itself as a modern rendition of a Victorian-era drinking den, and it plays the part beautifully: small, dark, a little theatrical, and very much a room for those who like their cocktails served with a story.

AMBIENCE >

This is an intimate space, around 44 seats, set on the ground floor overlooking the corner of Bent and Loftus Streets. Velour seating, chequerboard stone floors and polished glass tables set the tone, while glass cabinets of curios and objets d’art, curated by Melbourne stylist Simone Haag, give the room the feel of a gentleman collector’s study rather than a hotel lounge.

Two artworks do the heavy lifting. Above the bar hangs a suspended floral centrepiece from Don de L’amour’s Sydney studio, soft and romantic against all that dark polish. Sweeping across the blackened mirrors of the entry wall is GAAGAL, a hand-painted mural by Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung artist Otis Hope Carey; the title translates as “ocean”, and its green, black and white linework traces currents and tides across the glass. It is a striking counterpoint to the Edwardian sandstone outside, and one of the best pieces in the hotel’s considerable collection.

The crowd is a mix of hotel guests, CBD dealmakers and Sydneysiders who treat it as their neighbourhood bar. The dress code is smart, and there are no bookings: McRae is strictly walk-in, so arrive early on a Friday or be prepared to wait.

SNACK >

McRae is a bar, not a restaurant, but the bar food (served 4pm to 9.30pm) is well pitched for an evening of grazing. Start with house-spiced nuts with smoked paprika ($10) or marinated olives with fennel seed and orange ($12), then move on to Sydney rock oysters with mignonette ($7 each) and the mini lobster roll with crisp lettuce and yuzu mayo ($18 each).

The prawn toast with sriracha, basil and lime mayo and sesame seeds ($13 each) and a wagyu beef skewer with green mango, chilli and pineapple sauce ($14 each) are made for one hand while the other holds a coupe. A Waldorf salad bite of baby gem, walnut, apple and celery ($9 each) keeps things light.

For something more substantial there is a charcuterie plate of kurobuta capocollo and wagyu bresaola with pickles and flatbread ($38), a cheese plate of Tasmanian brie, vintage cheddar and Tuscan pecorino ($39), and a 250g Darling Downs wagyu sirloin with lemon and parsley butter ($60). And because this is Capella, there is caviar: 10g of Capella Oscietra with blinis ($75).

DRINK >

The bar was conceived around the “First Golden Age of the Cocktail”, the century from the mid-1800s when so many of the drinks we still order were born, and the current list, Arcana & Alchemy, takes that idea somewhere quite unexpected. Launched in December 2025 and devised by assistant bar manager Eleonora Biella and her team with design studio Miroma Project Factory, it replaces the menu with a deck of tarot cards. Each card pairs a Major Arcana archetype with one of George McRae’s Sydney buildings, and guests are invited to draw a card rather than choose a drink. A QR code on each card reveals the cocktail and the building behind it. It could easily be a gimmick; instead it is a clever, genuinely fun way to learn some Sydney architectural history between sips. A conventional menu is available for those who would rather not leave things to fate.

The Magician is the McRae Negroni, a tribute to the hotel building itself: Tanqueray gin, raspberry-infused Campari, oloroso and PX sherry and chocolate bitters ($29). The Empress is the V75, a riff on the French 75 for the Queen Victoria Building, with Hendrick’s, St-Germain, Taittinger and lemon sorbet ($30). The Fool, for St James Station, is Spice Lane, built on Nodo tequila with clementine, ginger, lime, agave and Sichuan pepper ($29), while The Lovers brings Love Birds, a bright mix of Tanqueray No. 10, Campari, Aperol, pineapple, lemon and hibiscus finished with a rose mist ($28). Whisky drinkers should draw the Wheel of Fortune, the Memento Old Fashioned of Johnnie Walker Black, Sazerac rye, Laird’s applejack, spiced apple, smoke and bitters ($29).

For those who want the serious end of the bar, The Classic Collection offers a Glenfiddich 15 Manhattan-style N. 15 ($44), a Vesper-style N. 47 of Monkey 47, Belvedere 10 and Lillet Blanc ($49), and a Don Julio 1942 Paloma-style N. 42 ($79). Every classic is available on request, and the mocktail list is far more than an afterthought, with alcohol-free versions of several signatures at $18.

The wine list is not to be ignored with a sparkling ice presentation that sits at the far end of the bar with a range of fine sparkling and white wines. The range of red wines is also very solid by the glass.

CONCLUSION >

McRae Bar is that rare hotel bar that feels like a destination in its own right. The room is beautiful, the art is significant, the snacks are smart and the cocktails are as much about story as they are about spirit. It has already been recognised as Bar of the Year (Deluxe–Luxury Hotels) at the 2025 Accommodation Australia NSW Awards and Best Hotel Bar at the 2025 AHA National Awards. Go early, go curious, and let the cards decide.

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Image Credit | ALMANAK & Capella Sydney

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