'Pretty wild': The best venues to celebrate the Melbourne Cup in Sydney

As sparking weather brings Sydney back to life, here are a few venues to kick of the social season and watch Australia's biggest race.

Publicans and restaurateurs are betting on sparkling spring weather to usher Sydneysiders into their venues on Melbourne Cup Day this Tuesday for what they hope will be the strongest kick-off to the social season in three years.

"I think this year's going to be pretty wild," said chief executive of hospitality group The Point, Brett Robinson, adding that many of his venues including The Dolphin Hotel in Surry Hills and the CBD's Shell House had sold out.

Lockdown lifted in time for the Melbourne Cup last year, although festivities were somewhat subdued. Crowds at Randwick Racecourse, the only place in Sydney that has live races on Cup Day, were restricted to 17,000, less than half of its 50,000 capacity.

"Even last year, when we were able to open and operate in some fashion, people were hesitant about congregating in groups," he said. "But I think now everyone's a lot more comfortable."

Although a lack of skilled staff is making a return to form "extremely difficult", Robinson said the industry was seeing a "huge uptake" in punter demand as we head into the summer months.

Here are some venues where you can debut your fascinator.

Botswana Butchery

The 25 Martin Place precinct will morph into a Cup Day festival venue on Tuesday, with a giant screen broadcasting the race, live music and roaming entertainers. Overlook the action from Botswana Butchery, which is serving dry-aged bistecca T-bone steak and slow-roasted lamb shoulder at a long table lunch. At the rooftop party upstairs, press a bell a white gloved hand will appear through a hole in the wall, offering a glass of cold champagne.

Lunch $180 (food and glass of champagne), botswanabutchery.com.au

The Jackson

Set sail into a (hopefully) sparkling harbour aboard The Jackson, a $15 million vessel screening the race on all three levels. Classic Cup Day canapes will be followed by a four-course lunch offering roast pork belly with spiced coriander crackling and tamarind caramel and seared kingfish with greens drizzled in a warm ginger dressing.

Lunch $195 (food and four-hour drink package), thejackson.com.au

The Coogee Bay Hotel

A shared picnic-style lunch is on offer at the beachside hotel with oysters, duck parfait, scotch fillet with chimichurri and whole roast pumpkin. Parts of the garden and the sports bar will stay open for walk-ins for punters keen on a more casual cup day.

Lunch $180 (food and three-hour drink package), coogeebayhotel.com.au

Cirrus

There's options aplenty in Barangaroo, from a $50 burger, sides and sparkling package at Ume Burger to a $240 bottomless beverage package with upmarket roaming canapés on the top level of Barangaroo House. Waterfront seafood restaurant Cirrus's Cup Day menu features scallop and kingfish fish fingers with miso mayonnaise, barbecued hapuka with prawn XO butter and wagyu rump steak.

Lunch $180 (food and glass of champagne), bentleyrestaurantgroup.com.au/cirrus

Manly Greenhouse

Cup Day always has a floral flair and this waterfront bar has an on-theme botanical flair. The venue has a $160 set menu lunch with chargrilled john dory and wagyu flank on offer, including wine pairings. If you're up for more of a party, the upstairs rooftop bar is open to the public.

Lunch $160 (food and wine pairing), manlygreenhouse.com.au

SoCal

Splice a classic Australian day out with a Californian vibe and swap the standard champagne on arrival for a margarita at SoCal, which serves Latin American-style street food. They're dishing out kingfish aguachile, oxtail croquettes and Denver steak with habanero mango salsa in their Cup Day shared banquet (including said margarita).

Lunch $109 (food and margarita), socalsydney.com.au