On Monday, August 5, the Bar Awards honoured the winner of Bar of the Year, championing the bar that has excelled in creating a unique and unforgettable drinking experience.

A huge congratulations to this year's winner: The Falcon.

The Falcon wouldn't be out of place as a stop on an American road trip, yet this Newcastle East bar feels fundamentally Novocastrian. The Falcon harmonises approachable, moreish cocktails, beers, and wines, with a menu of Southern-inspired dishes that turn first-timers into regulars.

Find out more about the Bar of the Year award below.

Bar of the Year

Since shaking off the lockout law shackles in 2022, Newcastle’s night time economy has transformed into an almost unrecognisable array of bars, hotels, and brewpubs.

Locals and visitors have embraced the change wholeheartedly, encouraging the well-established to invest and expand, and newcomers to take the leap.

Bar of the Year champions the bar that stands out from the pack. The service by the staff is unmatched, the drinks are faultless, and the atmosphere has drinkers (and bartenders) returning time and time again.

This year's finalists were:

- Bartholomew's
- The Blind Monk
- Coal & Cedar
- The Falcon
- The Koutetsu

And here's the full list of nominees:

- Bar Romeo
- Bartholomew’s
- Battlesticks Bar
- Bernie's Bar
- The Blind Monk
- Blue Kahunas
- The Bogey Hole on Darby
- Calamari Kitchen and Bar
- Casa Nova Honeysuckle
- Castle Del Mar
- Charlies Rooftop
- Coal & Cedar
- The Edwards
- The Falcon
- Good Folk Brewing
- The Grain Store
- Granddad's Bar
- The Koutetsu
- The Lost Souls
- Mad Poet
- Meantime on Beaumont St
- Method Brewing
- Modus Merewether
- Moneypenny
- Ms Mary
- Peregrin
- Romberg's
- Rooftop at QT
- Shout Brewing Co
- The Rogue Scholar
- The Underground
- Thynk Cafe + Bar
- Uptowns Bar
- Vecina

* This award is open to bars who are located within the Newcastle LGA.

Thank you to our category sponsor The Farmer's Wife Distillery for their support.