Papa Gede's Bar

Stumbled on this super cool voodoo inspired bar by mistake - great cocktails and a very funky vibe. Perfect for date night or any city night out. Shame that the food menu is so limited - only negative.

Papa Gede’s Bar is a hidden gem! The happy hour deals are amazing—great drinks at really reasonable prices. The atmosphere is perfect for unwinding after work, with a cozy yet lively vibe. The guy at the counter was super cool, and I had a great chat with him, which made the experience even better. Whether you’re looking for a casual drink or a place to hang out with friends, this spot is definitely worth checking out. Can’t wait to go back!

Love the ambiance. More of a one to one bar for me than a group bar. But you can find great cocktails.

Great atmosphere, exceptional service and outstanding cocktails! All staff are extremely personable and outgoing, visited a couple times now and each time had been as great as the last. High recommend!!

Had the best time at this beautiful cocktail bar. Everything was made to an incredible standard. Izzy, Nick, and Riley did such a good job at recommending drinks. Highly recommend this place to anyone!

Haven’t tried the food here but since I love this place so much, I’ll give it a five star anyway. Haha. It is a lovely place; chatty and very friendly bartenders. The drinks are just good in taste and aesthetically pleasing. It has always maintained its standards throughout the years and I enjoy bringing my friends and family to Papa Gede when they hit the town. It never disappoints.

great team, great drinks. Really fun menu, and the hospitality is great (the team all has good chat, ask them about their favourite movies & music!). Solid snack selection to go with their delicious drinks. A hidden bar down a cobblestone lane worth taking the detour for

Very exciting menus for drink with different absinthe and other cocktails. Loved the naming for each drink and also have a big burger easily serve 3-4 people at very fair price. Nice staff and great atmosphere.

Love love love Papa Gede's! It's rare to find a five star with so many reviews but the attention to detail, cool concepts, ambiance, and bartenders really make this a great experience. The front page drinks are all based on memes, and the descriptions are really funny. I first ordered The Zombie which is one of their most popular drinks if not the most popular, they said. It came in the coolest class with an extra shot in a lime that was on fire. Like, how cool! It had a really unique and different flavor - I liked it but got sick of the absinthe flavor, that's my taste though. For my second drink I ordered The Saint and I LOVED that drink. It tasted so refreshing and healthy and overall delicious. The cucumber flavor really made it nice. On top of that, the bartenders were so great. They were chatty with us without being overbearing and made great recommendations. Definitely a great spot to check out.

Extremely fun lively bar with cocktails that will knock your socks off good. The zombie was really good but I think the one with milk was the most interesting. Was clear but tasted very milky.

Absinthe Salon was permanantly closed so we came to this bar instead. My first absinthe experience ever!!! Our server was very knowledgeable about the liquor and told us everything we needed to know. We tried Pernod (France) and Demoiselles Matilda (Australia) - the former tastes like ouzo with 60% abv and the latter is slightly lighter with more herbal aroma. They also serves all sorts of drinks with absinthe. Will def come back to try their cocktails!

Such a cool little voodoo bar hidden in town! Superbly creative menu and fun, casual vibe to make you feel weirdly at home...I enjoyed my first proper absinthe cocktail here! They are an absinthe bar first and foremost- which is super cool and matches their unusual vibe. Thanks to Oliver for the great service last night and fun hangs!

I don't even know how to begin this review. My partner and I often order wine at casual restaurants whenever we go out to dinner, but we'd never been to a bar before and we'd been meaning to try cocktails (even just different varieties of spirits) for some time now. So naturally when we decided to go to our very first bar, we were both thrilled and a bit nervous! We were welcomed and served so wonderfully, immediately upon entering! Our servers could probably tell that we were a bit unsure on what we were doing. They were incredibly patient and thorough in explaining what certain drinks were, as well as how to consume them properly! I mainly wanted to try out absinthe for the first time as well, so we ordered a cocktail each (a 'Divine Intervention' and 'The Zombie') and ended up stealing sips from each other because both were absolutely gorgeous! We took a train into the city instead of driving, so we decided to try some more gems from the menu and decided on the 'Boston Butterfly' absinthe served in the 'traditional way', which was basically a litre (or so) of water that's drip-controlled onto a sugar cube and into a glass of pure absinthe, diluted to the drinker's preference (I chose to drink my half while it was quite strong, but my partner decided to dilute his with plenty of water to make it go down a bit easier). Once we finished that, we went on to order our final drink of the night which was the 'Rick Roller'. And again, we were blown away by just how fantastic the drink tasted. Never in my life would I have thought to combine rum with espresso and coconut milk! It was lovely! Superb drinks, atmosphere, and especially service! Everyone was so friendly and you could just tell that they put every ounce of their heart and soul into what they do. We will absolutely return soon!

I had 2 grams of sauce in my food when I only asked for 1! I am never coming here again or I might die of oversaucing! Also the food is ridiculously highly priced, I ordered a peanut soaked chicken, without peanuts because I'm allergic and they charged me $60 extra! How ridiculous.

fun drinks with a very cute menu and helpful staff. Pretty pricey but great presentation and tasty drinks. I got a delicious berry cocktail (might be called buried alive?) and my friend got absinthe

Top notch. I had a pear & cucumber vodka concoction... It. Was. Amazing. And crazily enough, set me back to being sober and not tipsy. A restart button drink indeed, yet with booze. Who knew?! Many drinks made with natural ingredients (fresh fruit and/or vegetables) and alcohol. My type of spot. Yasss. Cutesy spot. Bar & cocktail space setup mixed together, if that makes sense. But tiny. A-ok.

This bar is delightful! We came here for a comedy show, which was a very cheap ticket but an amazing show. I thoroughly enjoyed all the comedians who performed. The cocktail menu is just wonderful. I only tried 2 different types (but had quite a few). The presentation was beautiful and the taste amazing. When I come back to Sydney, I'll definitely be coming back here to try more!

Amazing cocktails! Small bar but great if you wanna meet people, Hilarious bartenders, couldn't have asked for better service! Amazing little bar, will be going back again

Great little spot in the Sydney CBD, although with poor signage it would be easy to miss. Craft cocktails, leaning mostly on Rum and Whiskey concoctions, they have great, friendly, efficient service, comfortable atmosphere that is limited in size, but nice. Tried the Zombie - a signature drink of theirs, and it was well-made with a pretty powerful punch. Also sampled the Three Selection Platter with Cheeses, Salami, Wagyu Beef, Crackers, and a terrific tomato paste. Would definitely come back again.

The best small bar in Sydney, easy to miss go through the first arch after Inski. Lovely staff, they make you feel right at home and you can't beat table service. All the cocktails tried were strong and delicious. The platters are good for something to nibble on, making it the perfect pre-dinner spot.

You know you're in the right place when the first thing on the menu is Absinthe, and the last is Zombie. Upon entering Papa Gedes I was greeted by Jovial Josh the purveyor of this joint - who put me in the finest of moods. He summarily introduced me to his cohort Islay Ian, a man born of rolling green hills and smoky peat. Once we were acquainted o'er a three sheets or three we kicked it up a notch with Kilchoman and Gunpowder making an appearance. My poison tonight was rum, and I was left in no doubt that I'd made the perfect choice when the Mai Tai slid in my direction. There's clearly a kitsch voodoo vibe about this place, with skulls meets tarot meets Caribbean rum. As my eyes gazed over his polynesian potion my host gestured for me to imbibe the contents. I took one sip and whilst my mind reeled and my eyes swam Ian began to spin a tale that on a cloudy night in September, as the full moon emerges from shadow, Baron Samedi's apparition appears in the bar and drinks a skull full of Zombie while his eyes burn with malevolent glee! My second slurp had me slurring my words like a swashbucklin' buccaner on a corsair full of scurvy scallywags. It was then that I realised this was my kinda place and the experience was made just that lil bit richer by my gorgeous companion, herself imbibing one of the magical concoctions they serve here. But the really dangerous part about this place? It's one alleyway closer to work than SILY, making it a very tempting proposition almost every night of the week.

Papa Gedes gonna done gone get that voooo dooo all up in your cocktail. Every cobble-laned back alley from Wynyard down to the QVB has a small bar in it these days. Melbourne must be getting worried. Right, so what do I like about this place? Where to start. The church pews, the creepy kitsch voodoo stylings, the hostess' French plait, the mustachioed barman taking the time to chat with us while we sat at the bar, the bottle of fernet branca they keep in the freezer for bartender shots, the colossal cocktail menu, that most of the cocktails are just $16, The Zombie cocktail served in a giant ceramic tiki glass with a hollowed out lime filled with Appleton Estate that is set on fire and poured into your drink which is so string it comes with a warning that you ignore at your own peril and get the wrong bus home. Bury me here and bring me corpse reviver #2s for all of eternity.

Bless me Father for I have sinned, I'm sitting in a voodoo themed bar decorated as an old church making Catholicism jokes with my new favourite group of Yelpsters. Papa Gedes was the final and my favourite stop on the Yelp Wynyard Bar Tour and by this stage the irreverence had hit Larry David proportions. Two things I discovered at Papa Gedes: I can't see in the dark and Scottish accents sound nonsensical in a loud setting. Makes ordering drinks difficult when you can't read the menu or converse in a coherent fashion but somehow I managed. My choice of drink that night was a Divine Intervention (absinthe based) and a Jungle Bird (not really sure what was in it, I just really like parsley.) Both were good. Cocktails at Papa G's are the Sydney standard $15-20 but they are very creatively made and named so I feel like they're worth the price. Not that I'd know, being so unused to table service at a bar and not paying up-front I walked straight out without paying simultaneously breaking the 7th actual Commandment and the First Yelp Event Commandment, thou shalt not skip out on the tab. Thanks Dan P. for settling my debts. For my penance I will do 10 Divine Interventions and one Zombie.

This bar just opened this week (8/11/13) and already feels like they have been there forever. The bar and seating area is well laid out, comfy chairs and sofas and an extensive menu featuring many cocktails, a decent wine list and select bottle beers as well as a selection of absinthes The staff, Josh, Lara and Mick are all warm, engaging, friendly and extremely knowledgeable of their menu and are ready to offer the perfect elixir for your night. The decor is warm and gently lit everywhere by soft lighting and plenty of candles. Taking inspiration from New Orleans, Haiti and anywhere else with a rich history of voodoo and witch doctors. The music was an eclectic mix of funk, soul and tribal but never overbearing on your conversations with your friends. An awesome new addition to Sydney's nightlife. Check it out and let's make sure Papa Gedes is here to stay.

Three words: peanut butter pretzels. These things are amazing. The cocktails aren't half bad either. A very large mixture of cocktails and if there isn't something that tickles your fancy, tell them what you like and they will make you something else.

Brand spanking new bar! Only opened 1st week of November 2013! This bar was previously a garage and now it's a new small bar to add to the Sydney scene! Papa Gede's has a voodoo/ New Orleans vibe, with spacious seating at the bar or on the Victorian style lounges or the wooden stools Cocktails range between $16-$20 and they offer free snacks such as popcorn, burger rings and shapes! Great hospitality from the owners and always on hand to top up out drinks and snacks :)

I decided to Google bars around me when staying in downtown Sydney, this was my choice that night. A great one. I was not looking for a meal, mind you, but just a local spot for a couple bevs. The owner, a tall and wonderfully nice lady, added the perfect conversation to the bevs. She knew Sydney well and took the time to help me learn about not only her place, but Sydney in general. Good bevs, great company, and time well spent!!

I checked out this place due to the good Yelp reviews (rock on Yelp!!) and it lived up to the 4.5 star rating. The place is only very small, in true small bar fashion, with a mix of tables and lounges for those that, well, want to lounge. They had a great cocktail menu and a handful of boutique beers and wines. After a quick cleansing beer I moved on to try some of the cocktails. Cocktails can be often hit or miss and either tasteless or a combination of flavours that just don't work, but the Tombstone Blues, despite its contrasting ingredients, was outstanding and I would highly recommend it. Next was the Voodoo Brew, which if you are an espresso martini fan, is for you. We snacked on the Peanut Butter Pretzals, recommended by another Yelper, and if you like peanut butter on toast, then you would like these, but all I could think as I was struggling to digest them, were the immortal words of Jerry Seinfeld, "These pretzels are making me thirsty". Which is a nice segue to the next part of my review - the comedy show. This was a complete surprise, and is apparently a regular Tuesday event at Papa Gedes. The show started at 730 and was the bargain price of 10 bucks. There was an hilarious MC (tip: sit at the back if you don't want to be engaged with by the MC) and then about 4 different comedians with a 15 minute gig. It has been about 97 years since I last attended a comedy show, as it normally isn't my "thing", but this was unexpected and highly enjoyable. Papa Gedes - check it out for the speakeasy ambience and their cocktails and mix it up by going on Tuesday for a few laughs.

They weren't wrong about the try before you die menu on their blackboard behind the bar. I tried most of them and nearly died! But man, was it worth it. The New York sours were sensational. It's a little bit hidden in the CBD but it's definitely worth looking for. If you can't find something on the cocktail list that takes your fancy, then hang up your drinking boots in SHAME! Did I mention the New York sours? Decor is really nice but it's a small place so if there's a large group of you there might be some hot seating as the night goes on. But if you're sitting, why not enjoy that sit down with a New York sour? I'll be the first to admit when I hear a place only does craft beers, you'll hear my eyes rolling but it has to be said the ones here were very nice and believe me I tried them all, I also tried the New York sour. All the staff are noticeably good humored starting with a warm welcome from the door man. For a cocktail place I don't remember waiting too long. I don't compliment/frequent many cocktail places so for me, that's probably the biggest compliment I could pay them. These gun slingers behind the bar move fast yo! It's not cheap but what you are getting is top notch booze and ambiance. I recommend this place. If you ever see a guy on the ground near it with a foamy build up around his mouth, gurgling the word New York sours, it's me. Come say hi!

Great cocktails, great vibe and some of the best service I have had in Sydney. Very friendly staff and they give good recommendations for cocktails based on your tastes. Highly recommend!

I was in for a beer or two after work. Really friendly bartenders, tried their old fashioned as well - aged for several weeks. Enjoyed it.

Absolutely brilliant bar - lovely people behind the bar, a relaxed and chatty lot on the other side, fantastic imaginative cocktails, a funny and endearing Caribbean Voodoo Hoodoo Zombie vibe, brilliant music and peanut butter pretzels (wish I had also tried the lime and chilly scratchings). Doesn't get much better than that. Real shame that due to a stupid law they have to kick people out by midnight, so don't leave it too late to get there. This is now going to be a fixed item on my itinerary for any Sydney trip!

Another one of the long list of great small bars in Sydney Any night even Monday's come here for great music, Vibes And cool drinks Especially the 2nd Monday specials Ask for bartender Laura and say David sent you

I was able to find the bar without any issues! Drinks were amazing an atmosphere was top notch. Good music and good crowd.

Really cool bar, creative menu with nice bar staff. The reason the three stars is that the drinks are weak. For $19 a drink they should put 1.5 shots in or something or make them much smaller so they are stronger. The aged old fashioned was excellent with walnuts in the aging process, interesting flavors.

Exceptional. And so enjoyable. Just had one cocktail here, an absinthe based cocktail called Divine Intervention, it was fantastic... The best cocktail I've had in Sydney and one of the best cocktails I've had anywhere. It's apparent how passionate the bartenders are about what they do... The cocktail list is so inventive and they make many of their own syrups. I hope to find the time to come back here, and would absolutely recommend this place to anyone who likes quality cocktails and kind bartenders.

There is some serious Mexican day of the dead ambience going on here...as soon as you walk in you've been transported to another city where kick arse hidden bars are the norm and Scottish bartenders come up to your table to confer with you. We went literally as they opened and were immediately embraced by the intimate but not over the top feel of this bar. Welcomed and friendly the bar staff were and helpful with assisting my partner discover the cocktail that suited his taste buds. It really has the perfect atmosphere for relaxation, cocktails and enjoyment. After chatting with the main bartender, he even gave some recommendations for similar bars nearby and tips on how to find them. You can't go wrong here unless you're a bogan or something. The cocktails are eclectic, I wish we had more time to try more, but definitely go for The Zombie if you like em strong. Recommended!

Small hip bar, great friendly staff making "mixology" type concoctions. The Zombies were very popular. Blow the flame out & save the alcohol. Music selections were VERY good. I heard a New Orleans version of the Specials "Ghost Town." Recommend.

Easily the best bar in Sydney. We went right after an awesome hail storm last week!! The bar has the most incredible bartenders who are also the owners of the bar. We couldn't have asked for a more awesome night talking to them!!! Drinks were phenomenal and the free pretzels were literally the best. It's pretty rare that you get to talk to such incredible people that own/tend a bar and were so happy we did. If ya'll are reading this thanks!!!!! - Mark + Dina (The Russians)

OK... so here I am, at the end of a Yelp small bar crawl. I'm sitting in a voodoo themed cocktail bar. Now, to say that I'm not really a cocktail kind of guy is something of an understatement. Mixed drinks are just not my scene. I don't even mix my whisky with water. But here I am, having a great time. Now part of that is clearly due to the company. Part is clearly due to the peanut butter pretzels (seriously... so good). Part is due to their good selection of bottled beers for those of us who aren't into the cocktail thing. But mostly is because Papa Gedes is just such a damn fun place to be. Its small, intimate, lively without being overly noisy. Tha decor is great, the whole vibe of the place is great. The cocktails (for those that like them) are well mixed and very well presented. The bar staff know their stuff and will make a cocktail to order if nothing on the menu appeals. There's table service! No having to queue up at the busy bar to get a drink. My wife is a serious cocktail fan so as soon as we can get a night off from the kids we will be coming back here.

This is the best bar in Sydney. Not joking. Get the absynthe! How it should be served, original style. Staff is super friendly and the drinks are the best we have had, anywhere, Not joking. The decor, amazing. Seriously, you MUST come here. Best bar in Sydney!!!

A cool little bar, with super-friendly staff and really good cocktails. Lara asked us our names when we sat down and made a point of remembering them, which added a lovely personal touch. The seating is a little uncomfortable, but that is my only criticism.

Five stars from that many reviews? I was totally sus. But it was awesome. The cocktails were superb and the staff were great. This place is just damn good.

Amazing cocktails, great music & relaxing atmosphere. The people who work there are so lovely & happy to help out with anything. A new Sydney gem. Can't wait to go back.

Security at front door was friendly and polite. Loved the choice of beer, they even had an IPA , chilled place

My local and one of the best. Friendliest staff in Sydney. Order the Devine intervention every time!

Very friendly staff, chilled out, cozy, feels like I just live next door kinda bar. Delicious cocktails. Great place to go to even if you're by yourself. Bartenders are very friendly and will talk to you like you've known each other for a while even if you just met them. Fun times. I will keep coming back :-)

Sad to say, Sydney bars are not always noted for their friendliness. Papa Gedes is the exception that proves the rule however, with friendly welcoming staff and an everyone welcome attitude - no door bitches here thank you. Loved the vibe and the mixed clientele, and the drink menu was fun and a definite lure for repeat visits.

I love the drinks menu. Everything was written in a way that you wanna order them all. I tried the Divine Internetion and it was soo good!

I still dream of the first time coming to this place .. months later and it's as vivid to me now as it was back then. This one particular night certainly holds a special place in my life as it was one of the BEST nights that I had in quite some time previous to that. It seemed as though everything just aligned perfectly. The bar is found down a teeny alleyway, smack bang in the middle of offices - its the most bizarre and obscure place for a bar but as far as I'm concerned, the only place for Papa Gedes. You can see directly into the bar from the street, its dimly lit and you can hear just enough noise to make you take that one step further in, which of course leads to another step, and before you know it, you're drawn in to this bar, drawn towards the sound, the energy it emits ... am I in Sydney? Is this 2014? I feel like Ive fallen through a portal into some other world. I walk in and immediately spot him .. the guy that truly made this night for me !!! We were seated at the bar (oh and IMHO, best seats in the house). I was floored at how well this bar is decked out.. it's so beyond anything I've ever come across - its skulls and animal heads and candles and photos ... its dark with just the right level of noise. The lads behind the bar, Josh and was it Nick? Sorry Nick if it was you buddy, but these 2 were all over it!! Whenever my companion and I were thinking of topping up on the good stuff, boom, Josh would appear .. it was like he could pick up on some vibe !! My first choice of poison for the night was the classic Bramble - its Gin, its lemon, its Creme de Mure *drool* - yeah goodonya Josh, how ya gonna top this one? Well, he did, and my second choice was left totally up to him - he had 2 instructions from me - make it gin, and hit me up with sour !! This guy delivered in all the right ways !! This place certainly has some voodoo sh*t going on ... you could spend hours in here and not know where the time has gone, until your stomach starts to scream out cause you've been on liquids for the past 5hrs - yet again, Josh was right there in front of us when we asked about the bar food - we ordered the peanut butter pretzels and some nuts. OH MY DEAR LORD .. those pretzels were incredible (we may have ordered a 2nd helping of them)!! Would I be back? Ahh thats a yes without a doubt. Have I been back? Ahhh yes I have and had a great night yet again ... but there's nothing quite as special as your first.

Found this place by accident, after enjoying the guac at SILY. Since it seems that following noise up alleys and into dim spaces is all the rage in the CBD, with Stitch and Baxter also in the neighborhood, I took a chance on Papa's and got lucky. The staff was quick to introduce themselves, snag me a seat, and make me an Old Fashioned. I went with Whiskey, but I did see them making them with Kraken later in the evening - may have to try one of those later, once I've completely succumbed to Diabetes. The kitschy voodoo theme was well done, and the selection of mismatched Tiki mugs for the Zombies was great. The Rick James came in golden goblets perfect for the pimpin' crowd, the fiery finish on the Zombies was cool, and the cross atop the Gambling Priest was the kind of little touch that really makes a cocktail den like this shine. For the attention they give every cocktail, the pace was still quick and the crowd was as friendly as the staff. As a lone traveler I was made to feel welcome, chatted up, and left feeling just as included as if I'd been in a local bar back in the States. Perhaps the ghost of Papa Gedes really does keep an eye on the place.

What a find in a small lane off Kent Street. Very nice small bar with great atmosphere. They can make a lot of unusual cocktails including ones which are infused with absinthe. Great menu with bar snacks and a fantastic selection of unique cocktails. Service - the sevice was outstanding!

Little voodoo bar down a lane way with fabulous service. The cocktails are great, drink a Rick James or two and be delighted by frothy love in a silver goblet. A great place for a quick after work bevvie or a long session. They say they are working on the snacks but no dramas, we had a cheese board with a French blue that was to die for. What more could you need?!

I checked out this bar while up in Sydney for work. I loved it. I want a bar to be somewhere I can catch up with friends, feel comfortable, but also enjoy some interesting drinks and a stimulating atmosphere. Papa Gede's ticked all the boxes. The atmosphere works because it all fits together: groovy voodoo decor, wonderful drinks, knowledgeable and suave staff. The location is perfect for such a sneaky brewhouse. Service was excellent and attentive and fast. What more could you want?

Awesome setting, nice staff and really good cocktails, both original and classic. I had the zombie which tastes great despite the warning that it will rise the dead, it's served on fire and in an awesome Aztec mug, really adds to the fun of going to this place. My girlfriend had a fruity cocktail which also tasted fantastic.

Great little cocktail bar that has been opened by some of the people that used to work at Grandmas Bar just up the road. They've brought that warm welcome on arrival vibe with them and set up a really nice space to meet with friends. Great atmosphere.