Scary Canary

I love this place! Despite its reputation as a dodgy backpacker haven, it actually has decent food and drinks. The atmosphere (before dark) is laid back, casual, and has food specials through out week nights. Happy hour is only 4−6pm, a bit earlier than I’d like. But all the more reason to stock up before 6!
Pizza, wedges, nachos, salt and pepper squid (?) are all delicious. A bit of a minus is rowdy early-​20-​somethings yelling and frolicking around bare foot.

Don’t go there if you want to have a good night.
Me and my friend got thrown out because we seemed to drunk after 2 beer.
Easily the worst spot for a great night in Sydney.

This is my go to place for Friday lunch when I feel like something greasy. This is because they have on their menu a Southern Fried Chicken Burger! And it’s reasonably priced at $ 14. The one interesting thing to note is that there is a staff just after the entrance who will find you a table after you have ordered your meal. That could be because the place is quite popular and gets quite busy. As such I would recommend to get there early, otherwise it might be a while before your meal gets served.

Happy hours, 4 – 6 pm.
Today they have special promo, $ 7 pizza, and a schooner for $ 2.
They do have also rump special, it will cost you $ 10.
Off course drink you pay separate.
Summer bright lager will cost you $ 7 a bottle. Yup bit expensive though.
Any how, this place is always packed, with back packer from next door.

Literally worst bar in Sydney… these people do not know how to run a business and they should be ashamed of their service and drinks. I have been to many bars and clubs in Sydney and I’m not that picky. This place was just horrible overall, the vibes were negative and bitter. Advice: GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER CAROL.

So its my second visit here as its close to my accommodation and it’s not bad here. During happy hour it’s cheap as he’ll and the daily special is great too. 9 bucks for a Neal and a pint is a good deal.
Well it’s not the best food around but it’s a good value for money hete. Staff was nice and the athmosphera is good so it’s worth a visit.

I arrived around 5:15pm, in time for happy hour. A couple of the bartenders were quite friendly (Kara and Benny). Lots of young backpackers crowding the place for their free food. Decent local beer selection and they let me taste whatever I wanted.
The manager of the place seemed much more interested in his cell phone and flirting with young ladies rather than taking care of the rest of the customers. If you’re broke, this is a good place to make friends.

I’m picking up that this place gets skeazy into the late night/​early hours of the morning, but in terms of kicking the night off, a place to sit and chat or just happy hour drinks it’s not too bad.
Being underneath a backpackers you are likely to meet some interesting chaps, so if that’s the type of night you want– sure, stick around! Also Darling Harbour is pretty close by so on your way from Town Hall station its not a bad pit stop =)

I spent one night at the scary canary but I wasn’t afraid :-)
I should maybe because the staff wasn’t smiling at all, the 10 dollars blue drink was served in a weird plastic glass, and late in the night, girls were dancing naked on the podium and under the water to win some prices !!!
BUT, I spend a nice time beacause I was with my friends. The DJ put all the hit, so I dance all the night. I met some nice people from all over the world because the bar is connected to a youth hostel next door.
If you smoke, you should stop :-) The area outside is the worth I’v never seen.
Anyway, it’s a good place to have fun with friends and meet people ready to party all the night.

Put this one on the list if a messy night is on the agenda. But be warned, there are always heaps of overly keen foreigners occupying the dance floor, and they won’t be on their best behaviour. Scary Canary is not the prettiest place to look at, and neither is it the cleanest — bodies press up against each other demanding floor space that just isn’t there, alcohol spills down the back of your legs (at least you hope and pray it is), couples mash up against each other, and there’s so much grinding going on that it’s bound to be the main heat source.
Be wary of sleazy pick up lines, cheap drinks made from cheap vodka, and plastic buckets that you are actually meant to sip from. These buckets, much like the ones you used to use down at the beach when you were five, cost$ 10 each (on Fridays). I’ve never dared to try one myself, but people say there’s always a first for everything.

We were sitting in a back table at Scary Canary at around 9pm on a Saturday when a total stranger sat down at our table. His name was Peter, he was from Serbia, and he was slightly concerned. As we would find out, after a few minutes of bemused small talk, he had entered the bar through a side door and was avoided security, who had elected not to let him in for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they knew his propensity to interrupt conversations. Our table couldn’t be seen by the front door and it made a perfect hideout for Peter, who was staying at the Base X backpacker hostel next door. As he explained to us, the hostel actually goes over and around Scary Canary, like an arm over a shoulder. This close relationship with the hostel accounts for the large backpacker contingent at the bar.
Keeping in lockstep with the crowd, the bar has a wide range of deals and special offers. They also host special events such as neon night (where everything and everyone is decked out in neon) and a wet t-​shirt contest. After one visit, the security staff were saying «welcome back» as they checked out IDs, which typifies the friendly vibe of Scary Canary. The bare brick columns gives the bar a casual feel and adds a little personality to an otherwise shadowy room. The glowing yellow lighting installation creates a convenient corridor separating the bathrooms and backlights a small dancing platform. The biggest problem with this bar is location — if it was a few blocks south, in Chinatown, or west, in Darling Harbour, I think people would be singing its praises. However, it is currently one block behind George Street and is dwarfed by the bigger attractions either on that street or on the harbour front.
As for Peter, he spent an extended period of time telling us how much better Serbia was than Sydney and the comparative qualities of the girls in Belgrade when contrasted to the girls in Sydney. While he bragged to us, we asked him to demonstrate his remarkable powers of pick-​up and selected a table for him to approach. After many assurances, he shortly vanished thereafter and we could no longer see him on the premises.