Loa Darlinghurst

Loa Darlinghurst, where the night builds from cocktails to the dance floor

Hidden beneath Amé on Oxford Street, Loa Darlinghurst is ESCA Hospitality Group’s late-night music room for cocktails, live sets and a dance floor that fills as the night goes on. Low red ceilings, timber seating and chrome accents keep it intimate, while a custom Martin Audio sound system makes sure the music comes first.

Oxford Street has a long history of late nights, and Loa picks up that thread without playing dress up. It is a 100-capacity room designed by Matt Darwon, with a DJ booth at its heart and a lineup that shifts through the week. Wednesday and Thursday belong to live acts moving through neo soul, R&B and eclectic grooves. From Friday to Sunday, resident DJs and special guests take over and connect the dots between disco and house.

The drinks match the mood. Beverage director Jerom Morris, who has worked at Gwen by Curtis Stone and Accomplice Bar in Los Angeles, gives familiar cocktails a fresh twist. There is even a Gimlet poured from a soft serve machine. Food comes from executive chef Erik Ortolani, who also leads the kitchen at Itō, Jōji and Amé, and it draws on the same Japanese and Peruvian flavours as the restaurant upstairs in a relaxed, late-night format.