The Best Wine Bars in Bondi Beach

Bondi's wine scene has quietly grown up. For years it was schooners at the pub or a cocktail with a view, but these days we've got proper little neighbourhood rooms, lo-fi natural lists and cafe-to-wine-bar hybrids where you drink where you ate breakfast. Here's the short version, then the detail: for natural wine, go to The Shop & Wine Bar or Neighbourhood; for a glass at sunset head to the sand at Beach Bar at Promenade or the glamour of Icebergs; for cafe-by-day, wine-by-night it's Chapter One; and for a lazy aperitivo, Ciao Bella.

I've organised this the way we actually decide where to go — by what kind of night it is, not alphabetically. Everything below is open and trading as of this update; I've left the closed places out on purpose.

For a glass at sunset (with a view)

Nothing beats a cold glass with the sand in front of you and the light going gold over the water. Beach Bar at Promenade sits right on the beachfront strip and is my default for a casual sundowner — it's the drinks side of the larger Promenade Bondi Beach complex, so you can graze while you drink and roll straight from beach to bar stool. It's relaxed rather than fancy, which is exactly what you want with sandy feet.

If you want to dress it up, Icebergs is the postcard: perched above the ocean pool at the south end, glossy Italian glamour, and a wine list to match the setting. It's a special-occasion spot and priced like one, so I save it for birthdays and out-of-town guests I want to show off to — but there's nowhere in Bondi that says "look at where we live" quite like a glass on that terrace.

For the natural-wine geeks

If you want skin-contact, low-intervention and small family growers, Bondi delivers. The Shop & Wine Bar on Curlewis Street is the old faithful — a genuine Bondi original that runs as a day cafe and morphs into a twilight wine bar, with a list leaning firmly into natural, lo-fi and biodynamic bottles from small Australian makers. It's a snug, low-key room; go with one or two people, order a few of their famous sandwiches or snacks, and let the staff steer you to something weird and good.

Neighbourhood is the other one to know — a cosy, brick-and-timber corner room a short walk back from the beach that leans into an interesting, well-chosen wine list alongside its cocktails and easy plates. It handles a small group better than most of the tiny rooms, so it's my pick when there are four or five of us who all want something different in the glass.

Cafe by day, wine by night

This is Bondi's signature move, and Chapter One Café & Wine Room does it beautifully. Down the southern end of Campbell Parade, it's been a neighbourhood favourite since 2011 — flat whites and brunch bowls in the morning, then an intimate little wine room after dark with a curated pour list. It's low-lit and unhurried in the evening, which makes it a sleeper date spot as much as a wine bar. The Shop (above) plays the same day-to-night trick if Chapter One is full.

For an aperitivo or a group

Sometimes you don't want a serious wine list — you want a spritz, some snacks and a bit of noise. Ciao Bella does an Italian aperitivo run on weekend afternoons (they've done Friday and Saturday aperitivo sessions with a DJ), which is a lovely way to ease into an evening with a group. Think spritzes and glass pours over shared plates rather than a natural-wine deep dive — perfect for birthdays and pre-dinner crowds who want the buzz without the ceremony.

How to pick, at a glance

• Natural wine: The Shop & Wine Bar, Neighbourhood
• A view / sunset: Beach Bar at Promenade, Icebergs
• Date night: Chapter One, Icebergs — see more in our date-night guide
• A group: Neighbourhood, Ciao Bella
• Cafe-by-day-wine-by-night: Chapter One, The Shop

Two honest caveats. First, opening hours and aperitivo sessions shift with the season here — always check the venue's own page or socials before you set out, especially in winter. Second, Bondi turns over fast: a couple of past wine spots (Bondi Hall, Chloe's) have closed, so if you've seen an old "best of" list, cross-check before you walk there. Everything on this page is current.