As the adage goes – work hard, play hard, Sydney! A stroll down to Darling Harbour is a great way to stretch the legs, build some team spirit or just celebrate the end of the working week. We’ve picked our top three ways to get out of the office at Cockle Bay Wharf, all the while making more happy memories in this iconic waterfront city.

Café Del Mar Sydney
The team at Café Del Mar understand time is money and so they created an Express Lunch experience for Sydney’s hard-working professionals. You can choose from a delicious menu designed to be prepared and brought to table in under an hour. With one, two and three course packages available, you can tailor your lunch to suit your calendar. We love a long lunch, so the three-course option is our pick – but you can view the full menu here and choose for yourself.

To start, we’ve chosen the calamari, flash fried with harissa, lime, coriander and served with saffron aioli. For the main course we’re enjoying the char-grilled chicken breast topped with chilli, accompanied by baby potatoes, red cabbage slaw and chicken jus. To satisfy our sweet tooth, dessert will be the cheesecake with raspberry cremeux, biscuit crumb and a mixed berry compote. Throughout the meal we’ll be sipping on a fine glass of Mumm Petit Cordon Champagne, an included touch of luxury in all meal packages.

One Course - $25, 15 minutes from time of ordering
Two Courses - $35, 25 minutes from time of ordering
Three Courses - $45, 40 minutes from time of ordering

Blackbird Cafe
If you’re looking for a fun way to bring your colleagues together, Blackbird Cafe’s expert staff have pizza and cocktail masterclasses that are the perfect team building exercises. When your group visits the iconic Cockle Bay Wharf balcony, you’ll be shown how to recreate your favourite menu items from home or the office.

Throughout the cocktail making class, Blackbird Cafe's resident mixologist will walk you through two of their traditional drinks. You’ll finish up with fantastic recipes, great laughs and newfound shaking, mixing and muddling skills. For $95 per person, you and your work mates will enjoy a glass of sparkling on arrival, finger food to share, your two cocktail masterpieces and a main meal from Blackbird Cafe's delicious menu.

The pizza masterclass will turn your team into a collection of pizza enthusiasts – if you weren’t already! This two-hour class includes sparkling wine and a selection of nibbles on arrival, a breakdown on authentic preparation and cooking techniques and the delicious pizzas you and your colleagues have created. For $75 a head, this experience is one of our favourite ways to enjoy the beautiful views of Darling Harbour.

Adria Bar Restaurant
Enjoy knock-off drinks on the Promenade at Adria Bar Restaurant, with happy hour from 3:00pm – 6:00pm every weekday. This iconic waterfront venue has $5 tap beers and wine, $6 frozen cocktails, and $10 signature cocktail specials. As Sydney begins to enjoy warmer weather, these deals are best enjoyed under the sun after a hard day of work.

We recommend settling in for the day and taking in Darling Harbour’s vibrant night life with a delicious meal as a Nick’s Group restaurant, Adria has some of the top seafood dishes available in Sydney. We love the chargrilled king prawns, served with a lemon & dill beurre blanc.

For more ideas and updates on all things Cockle Bay Wharf, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram or check out What’s On along the Promenade.