One of Sydney’s most distinctive and well-loved cocktail bars is preparing to call last drinks, with the Double Deuce Lounge set to close its doors at its Bridge Street location later this year.

Tucked beneath the heritage façades of the northern CBD, the basement bar has long been a favourite among the city’s nightlife lovers and is known for its retro ’70s interiors, cabanossi-and-cheese bar snacks and a golden, dimly lit glow.

Now, after years of serving up award-winning cocktails and good times, the team behind the bar say it’s time for a change with the decision driven by a dramatic post-pandemic decline in office worker foot traffic.

Co-owner Sebastian Soto revealed that Fridays – once the busiest day of the week for CBD bars – have never bounced back after COVID19, leaving venues struggling to survive in a city that’s simply not as busy as it used to be.

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‘Friday afternoons, I’m scratching my head,’ Sebastian told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Once buzzing with after-work drinks and city suits spilling into the streets, the area around Bridge Street has become noticeably quieter as hybrid work and four-day office weeks become the new normal.

The award-winning venue, which was crowned Bar of the Year in the 2025 Good Food Guide, joins a growing list of high-profile establishments exiting the northern CBD.

In just the past few weeks, chefs’ hatted restaurant Allta has relocated to Surry Hills, while Kitchen by Mike, a long-standing fixture on nearby Bent Street, has permanently shut its doors.

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‘People say Thursday is the new Friday, but it’s not (at that level),’ Sebastian also told the publication, adding that Friday trade had dropped by as much as a third.

‘That lost revenue would have covered the wage of an additional staff member, electricity bills or part of the rent.

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Despite the challenges, the team isn’t walking away from hospitality altogether. Sebastian and his business partners, Dardan Shervashidze and Charlie Lehmann, also behind the beloved Ramblin’ Rascal Tavern, are already planning a new chapter for Double Deuce.

The group is currently negotiating a new CBD site, where they plan to relaunch the concept in a smaller, flexible space with lower overheads.

‘We’ll probably close (in) late December. It’s time.’

Since opening, Double Deuce Lounge carved out a loyal following for its tongue-in-cheek take on classic cocktail culture. Named after the dive bar in the 1989 Patrick Swayze film Road House, it became a place where top-tier bartenders served expertly mixed drinks.

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Its mix of disco lighting, ’70s kitsch and playful aesthetic was as fun as its menu, earning it cult status among Sydney’s bar scene and a slew of industry awards.

But even award-winning status hasn’t been enough to weather the storm of the city’s post-COVID19 transformation.

Many CBD hospitality operators have struggled to fill seats during the week as corporate workers continue to spend part of their week at home, leaving only a few peak nights to cover skyrocketing rent, staffing and energy costs.

When chef Mike McEnearney opened Kitchen by Mike on Bent Street in 2019, he had been lured by the promise of consistent weekday crowds.

But he too has decided to move on, telling the Herald: ‘The city has changed over the past few years and, as always, we’re moving with the times.’

With Double Deuce’s Bridge Street lease due to expire by the end of the year, Sebastian is now hoping for one last hurrah before the final round is poured with the pre-Christmas rush expected to bring some much-needed energy (and cash flow) back through the door.

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He admitted he’ll miss the electric anticipation of Friday nights, the kind of buzz that made running a bar worth it.

‘On Friday, I used to get a bit nervous,’ he recalled, describing how the bar once packed out early.

‘The city’s different now, but people will always want somewhere that feels good, where the music’s right and the drinks are great.’

As the neon lights of Bridge Street dim on yet another Sydney institution, Double Deuce Lounge’s departure marks than the end of an era – it’s a sign of a CBD still grappling with its post-pandemic identity.

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But if its next incarnation is anything like the original, fans can rest assured their spirit will live on, just in a new postcode.