Discover a New York styled speakeasy on Hunter Street
There are bars you walk straight into, and then there’s Coal & Cedar.
Tucked away on Hunter Street, Newcastle’s long-running speakeasy has never been particularly interested in making itself easy to find. Dark and sophisticated, it's cocktail hour!
There’s no big sign out the front. No obvious doorbell. Instead, you’ll need to know the secret code, send a text and wait for someone to let you into the rabbit hole.
Once inside, the outside world can wait.
Coal & Cedar has been serving cocktails and whisky from its Hunter Street hideaway since 2014, when Ethan Ortlipp and Ryan Hawthorne made the move from Sydney to establish their own bar.
Making a name for themselves in Sydney with such small bars as Sticky Bar, in Surry Hills, and The Corridor, in Newtown, Ethan and Ryan the guys behind this gem have now established themselves in Newcastle and have well and truly unleashed their style and sophistication.
The New York styled speakeasy with turn of the century influences, dark timber, exposed brick and low lighting, vintage chandeliers, eccentric photographs, and taxidermy on the walls, all result in a space that feels deliberately removed from the rest of the city, as Ethan explains.
“Once you find us and knock on the door, you’ll tumble down the rabbit hole into a different world – and when you get there, you’ll want to keep it to yourself.”
There’s even a no-phone-calls policy once you’re inside, encouraging visitors to forget about whatever is happening outside and settle into the experience.
The interiors might set the mood, but it’s the team behind the bar that brings the experience together. Whether you order from the menu, ask for an old favourite or hand over the reins and let them create something new, you’re in very capable hands.
Cocktail and Whisky masterclasses
With room for fewer than 60 guests, it’s intimate by design, with a 14-metre timber bar providing a front-row seat to the bartenders at work.
And while you could simply pull up a stool and let the bartenders do the hard work, Coal & Cedar also gives you the chance to get behind the bar yourself.
Its cocktail and whisky masterclasses offer a hands-on introduction to the art of shaking, stirring and, importantly, drinking your own creations. Find out more here.
Whether you're visiting for a masterclass, or getting social with friends, Coal & Cedar is a Newcastle institution, just ring the bell and discover for yourself.
