Maybe you need a drink after finishing your novel, poem, short story, blog, article, or whatever. Or maybe it's Friday and you want to catch up with friends for a drink. Or maybe you're like me and enjoy writing and drinking in bars.
Well, do I have a list of bars in Melbourne for you!
And no, you don't have to be a writer to go to these bars. These are just some of the bars around Melbourne that are a little less known than the big in your face bars.
Some you will need to venture down alley ways, others you'll find in big courtyards and many you'll find on rooftops.
BAR LIST:
(Friday) Happy hour
Bond Bar, 24 Bond Street, Melbourne
5-7pm $4 Coronas
Up One Bar & Restaurant
222 Russell St
City 3000 VIC
5-7pm $5 stubbies
Charlie's Bar
Basement 71 Hardware Lane
Melbourne
2 for 1 cocktails
Fri $3 - $4 drinks
Check in on Facebook for free Drink
Horse Bazaar
397 Little Lonsdale Street, city 9670 2329
5-7pm $3 pots
Blue Moon Bar
380 Russell Street Melbourne
Various through week
5pm onwards $4 SOL on Friday
$6 pints
3 Degrees
No 1 QV Sq Cnr Swanston & Lonsdale Sts
Melbourne
Wednesday 5pm $5 Pints
Amber Lounge
388 Lonsdale St, Melbourne
5.30-8.30pm $3- $5 drinks
Free drink upon entry!
$5 Coronas
Outer City Happy hour
Banf
Fitzroy St
3-6pm $2 pots
Wonderland Bar
37 Chapel St Windsor
4-8pm $3-$4 drinks
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More Bars here and there in alley ways
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24Moons
AC/DC Lane (Behind Cherry)
Cocktail bar
Also tap beer
Caffe Duomo
The Block Arcade
282 Collins St
Melbourne 3000 VIC
Phone: (03) 9650 5041
Elegant and effortlessly classy, this cafe and bar is set close to the Block Place Arcade dome. Drink your way through the lengthy wine list, which offers 20 by the glass.
So Bar
270 Russell St
Melbourne 3000 VIC
Phone: (03) 9663 1060
A cafe by day and an Afro/Brazilian bar by night, this intimate space is popular and funky at heart. Come after dark for the cocktails.
The Block Arcade
282 Collins St
Melbourne 3000 VIC
Elegant and effortlessly classy, this cafe and bar is set close to the Block Place Arcade dome. Drink your way through the lengthy wine list, which offers 20 by the glass.
Spleen Central
41 Bourke St,
Melbourne,
VIC, 3000
Just over a decade ago, Melbourne's laneway renaissance began in earnest. The city drank in deep as a torrent of bars surged into life. Riding the crest of a licensing wave, entrepreneurs opened smart Italian enotecas, cool minimalist bars and fin-de-siecle salons. Impeccable taste and extraordinary budgets transformed the stuff of the city.
Nobody remembered to tell Spleen. Here, it's as though a few flatmates extended their lounge room into the CBD and invited some mates around.
This comfortable, late night dive is not so much decorated as inundated. Plastic furnishings recall the seventies. A wooden bar recalls mid-century Tiki. The fixtures, accessories and tchotchkes recall too many design eras to enumerate. This happy jumble doesn't make a definitive style statement. Unless, of course, the proprietors of this cheery place were going for a Things I Borrowed from Nanna's Shed aesthetic.
Despite its interior chaos, Spleen offers a strange kind of calm. Of course, on weekends when the place stays open until 5am, calm turns to the wobbly bustle you'd expect from any late opener.
The newest evolutionary form of Melbourne's boho tradition, Spleen is of a mishmash species all its own.
Red Silks
Floor 1
200 Bourke St
Melbourne 3000 VIC
Phone: (03) 9663 9922
Tucked away upstairs next to the Chinese-language cinema is this little gem that has one of the best beer drinking balconies you'll find in Melbourne. Grab a bargain-priced local or imported beer and head out on this long terrace with views both down towards Swanston Street and up to the top end of town. There are plenty of heaters so this spot is popular throughout the year regardless of the weather.
Red Silks has an Asian-pop soundtrack set against the background hum of a multicultural melting pot. The house cocktails include smash hits of the '70s and '80s, so slide back into the past and enjoy a kir, kamikaze, cosmo or Long Island iced tea. That's if you can pass up an Asahi, Bintang or Tsing Tao at only $6 a pop.
The all-Australian wine list is small but has some very well-priced wines by the glass.
The excellent pan-Asian fare on offer partners up beautifully with the view and a beer or two. Try the salt and pepper chicken wings, satays, deep-fried calamari or gyoza.
Misty
3-5 Hosier Lane
Relaxed and funky
Honky Tonks
Duckboard Place (alley way - white picket fence)
Wine & cocktail bar
Cherry
103 Flinders Lane
Relaxed wine bar
Pheonix Bar
82 Flinders St
Basic bar with bar menu
Nothing flash.
Champagne Lounge
41 Little Collins
Relaxed, maybe cheaper
Lusre Lounge
252 Flinders Lane
Cocktail bar
Oppulant
Night Cat
279 Flinders Lane
Busy
Randy Dragon
313 Flinders Lane
relaxed
Ding Dong Lounge
18 Market Lane
Band venue
La La Land
1/391 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Cnr Little Lonsdale & Hardware
Fireplace
Snakepit
95 Queen St, Basement.
Cheap happy hour wine.
Double O
Sniders Lane, Basement.
Two rooms, one more relaxed.
Scubar
Cnr Queen Lonsdale
Club from 10pm
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RoofTop Bars:
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Tuscan Bar - Rooftop bar - large
03 9662 2589
CBD
79-85 Bourke St
Melbourne, VIC 3000
The Tuscan Bar, on two levels-
For retro elegance step into the art deco opulence of the Grande Room - a cocktail bar where you can enjoy Italian banquets, late night supper, work drinks or group celebrations.
Tuscan bar specialises in hosting “after parties” for groups after all Melbourne’s major events.
The heated rooftop bar is one of Melbourne’s largest and is perfect for an afternoon drink or late night socialising under the stars.
Campari + Rooftop bar
23-25 Hardware Lane Melbs
Brilliant
Humming Bird + Rooftop
246 Russell St Melbs
Very Nice for drinks
Siglo + rooftop bar
161 Spring St Melbs - Level 2
Waterside Hotel + rooftop bar
508 Flinders St Melbs
The Match Bar + rooftop bar
249 Little Lonsdale St Melbs
Food and drinks
Nice
Madame Brussels (Level 3, 59 Bourke Street). + rooftop bar
This one’s a bit strange. Named after one of Melbourne’s original brothel owners, MB’s is all English lawn tennis and fruity punch. Fake grass, little pathways, trellising and a hedged bar create a fun, foppish atmosphere. There’s a fabulous, large outdoor terrace, just perfect for summer (and if it’s cold, the staff will give you a blanket).
The Emerald Peacock rooftop bar
233 Lonsdale St Melbs
Upmarket and trendy bar easily twice the size of its older cousin, the Red Hummingbird. The door staff keep patrons on the well-dressed side, and it all makes sense once inside, as seen by the fairly lavish fittings. A dedicated area for small meals and snacks is not often seen in a bar, so consider this as a possible dinner and drinks venue.
The Order
Level 2, 401 Swanston Street, city 9663 6707 + rooftop bar
Another place joining the rooftop bar fraternity — once a rare option for Melbourne drinkers — is The Order. Housed within a cavernous space in the top fl oor of an old building opposite RMIT, The Order is a tempting spread of comfy brown couches and intimate booths. On the roof level is a small open terrace, hemmed around by the decorative work on the building's upper walls. By night, this is a great place to take in the stars and sip a beer.
Rooftop Bar plus cinema
(Cookie on lower level)
Level 2, 252 Swanston Street, city 9663 7660
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Belgium Beer Cafe
557 St Kilda Rd (corner of Moubray St), Melbourne
A massive playground for drinkers to. It aint cheap though so get ready to down some $7 Stella Artois and eat $8 sausages.
But this can be forgiven when you see the mass of land dedicated to: sitting in the sun drinking, talking, maybe writing (if you're me) and enjoing the constant murmer of people talking and laughing with the odd 'taxi' called out from time to time when a glass drops and breaks.
Murmur (17 Warburton Lane).
Down a little street, around the corner into a nondescript dead-end lane, past the boxing gym and up a flight of wooden stairs. It’s a classic ‘hidden’ Melbourne bar, where just finding it is part of the experience. But once inside the mid-sized room, it’s time to relax amid the wrought-iron, floorboards and comfy couches. An impressive stock of imported beers sits alongside a neat stable of local brews. Music is cool and vibey – and not too loud – with DJs on some nights. Bar snacks are available and the martinis are a treat.
MOO (basement, rear of 318 Little Bourke St).
Once the postal service’s Mail Order Office (hence the name), MOO is a treat. Slightly overpriced lunches and dinners can be ignored in favour of the scrumptious tapas and unique cocktails in this intimate basement venue. Order an Escobar at the bar and watch the guys slavishly work over your drink, then nab a spot in one of the booths or on a Chesterfield and enjoy a quiet chat with friends. Forgot to pay last time I was there, and they chased us down the street. Fair enough.
Cookie
Level 1, 252 Swanston Street, city 9663 7660
This modern beer hall is no shoebox-sized alleyway hideyhole; it sprawls above several shops along the international student end of Swanston Street. It serves up a dizzying array of beers, many on tap, while happy punters mill between the ornate plaster-and-mirror pillars, or grab a table on a balcony and watch the passing crowds. Beyond the beer, there's good Thai food in the restaurant section, and an intimate back bar suitable for rendezvous a deux.
Town Hall Hotel
33 Errol Street, North Melbourne 9328 1983
There's not a whiff of cutting-edge architectural design about this classic pub — not a stick from Ikea, for that matter. It's the real deal: once frequented by the hardworking manual labourers, it's now packed with mellow young things, dressed down, relaxed and not giving a damn. Squeeze into the compact front bar, decked out with old vinyl album covers, and grab a beer, or head through to the goodvalue dining room.
Section 8
27 Tattersalls Lane, city 0408 971 044
The proprietors of Section 8 like their bars basic. It's almost not there at all, housed in a shipping container with wooden pallets for seating, and everyone exposed to the open air (though there is cover from rain). Intrepid explorers of Chinatown's laneways will be delighted to discover this drinking hole here — at last you can have an alcoholic drink that's actually cheaper than your entire meal at the Shanghai Dumpling House.
The Workshop
Level 1, 413 Elizabeth Street, city 9326 4365
If those bank ads are to be believed, the top end of Elizabeth Street features nightly in the dreams of middle-aged men, wanting to recapture their rebellious youth at its myriad motorcycle emporiums. Hey, you can dream, and even toast that imaginary Harley-Davidson in this upstairs bar in the former premises of a motorbike repair workshop. This rambling venue has a comfy, laid-back feel that encourages the punters to sit back and relax, swapping stories of city life and the boss' newest outrage.
Golden Monkey
Rear, 389 Lonsdale Street, city 9602 2055
In journalistic terms, three of something constitutes a trend, while four is a full-blown phenomenon. So chalk “phenomenon” up to the concept of Asian-themed bars, several of which adorn our alleyways. One of the best is Golden Monkey, in a basement location, fitted out with attractive timber furniture imported from Shanghai. The couches, chairs and lattice work create a wooden maze, within which you'll find nooks and crannies of varying sizes. The drinks list offers cocktails with an Eastern theme, and there's a good range of regional beers to go with the Asian snacks.
Robot
12 Bligh Place, city 9620 3646
If a bar could be a Japanese anime character, that bar would be Robot. The earliest Asian-themed drinking hole, it looks like it was transplanted directly from Tokyo to its laneway home. Inside, the split-level space has a red-hued contemporary feel, contrasting with decorative items like an old school map of Japan. Spot the toy robots above the bar, while choosing a variety of sake or a Japanese beer. Once you know the difference between Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you'll know you've arrived.
Paris Cat
6 Goldie Place, city 9642 4711
If you can't get to Paris in the 1920s, at least you can lob into Paris Cat and soak up some of that Jazz Age feel. This jazz club is situated in a cellar off an alleyway, and its old exposed brickwork works with the sleek furniture and bar to create bags of ambience. There's music most nights, with regular jazz gigs and spoken word sessions, attended by sophisticated folk sporting the odd beret. There's plenty of life in the joie de vivre here.
Loop
23 Meyers Place, city 9654 0500
There are not many places you can watch a movie while you're sipping a cocktail, but Loop is one of them. Fitted out with audiovisual equipment, this contemporary space is often used to premiere ambitious short films, or to stage a challenging experimental music night. The softly lit concrete-and-stool interior plays host to a sophisticated young crowd, and the bartenders know their stuff. Drop in and talk knowledgeably about the direction of 21st century film culture — or fake it over a martini.
Horse Bazaar
397 Little Lonsdale Street, city 9670 2329
This is not a place to buy and sell thoroughbreds. Rather, it's a cutting-edge space with a strangely undulating ceiling of pressed aluminium blocks, a perspex bar, low-slung seating and a plant-strewn nook that looks out on sedate Little Lonsdale Street. It's also a digital art showcase, featuring prominent visual creations, which wrap around the back walls, flickering quietly and catching your eye. Horse Bazaar also throws music into the mix, with regular nights featuring the likes of gypsy music or African sounds.
The Croft Institute
21-25 Croft Alley.
+61 3 9671 4399.
Socialising in a science laboratory-cum-hospital setting may not seem to be most people’s idea of a good time, but the Croft Institute’s enduring success suggests otherwise. “A not-so-serious play on the pseudo-scientific consumer institutes used to advertise not-so-scientific consumer products,” promises the Croft Institute website. And from the beakers and science paraphernalia in the main room to the barred windows and surgical steel fittings, the theme is consistent. The men’s rooms are titled Department of Male Hygiene, while a third floor features a gymnasium theme complete with racquets and trophies.
Lily Blacks
3/12-18 Meyers Place.
+61 3 9654 6499.
A sophisticated, 1920s-inspired bar, the refined Lily Blacks features a creative cocktail menu with such varied ingredients as lemon myrtle liqueur, lingonberry syrup and muddled marigold flowers; and names such as Lily’s Lemonade, The 96 Tram and the Seventeen Dollar Milkshake. An equally sophisticated bar menu offers quince paste and chicken, whisky and rosemary pate. Art deco fittings, flickering candles and potted palms make this a fabulous place for making whoopee.
Manchuria
1/7-9 Waratah Place.
+61 3 9663 1997.
Manchuria, for the geographically naïve, is at the north-eastern tip of China, bordering Mongolia, Siberia and North Korea. One suspects the bar Manchuria may not be terribly authentic. Historically, Manchuria was noted for its opium, shamans and geopolitics – not cocktails and sumptuous sofas. But after a couple of drinks in this Chinatown bar, authenticity just doesn’t matter. Cocktail highlights include the Manchuria Teapot Blaze for four – a blend of rum, cognac and malt served in a teapot.
New Gold Mountain
Level 1/21 Liverpool Street.
+61 3 9650 8859.
If ever there was an award for Melbourne’s most obscure bar, New Gold Mountain would surely be a favourite. Above another classic Melbourne bar, Double Happiness, and tucked down a tiny laneway, the narrow entrance and rickety stairwell seem unlikely to lead to anything more than a down-at-heel apartment. But once inside, swirls of colour, frills, fringes, cut-out screens and vivid wallpaper enliven the tiny space. A collection of obscure vodkas from Mongolia and Kazakhstan continues the esoteric theme.
The Toff (Cookie is below)
Level 2, Curtin House, 252 Swanston Street.
+61 3 9639 8770.
While not strictly a laneway bar, the glamorous Toff is a great find in historic Curtin House – once Communist Party headquarters and an adult cinema (not at the same time). On entry, there’s a show venue to the right and Toff’s Carriage bar to the left, featuring private booths styled as train compartments, each complete with sliding doors and service bell. Beyond, is an old-fashioned brass bar with a drinks menu the length of a novella.
Blue Diamond Club
Level 15, 123 Queen St Melbourne
Jazz music
Black Cat
252 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy Tel. 9419 6230
An institution in Brunswick Street is this small place to drink, dance and socialise. The single room has a DJ (on weekends) at the front and the bar at the back, with hoardes of revellers in between.
Always Busy
It's small dimensions make it easy for the Black Cat to fill up, but there's more to it than that - people just plain love it!
Beer Garden
The outdoor street area beside the Black Cat is popular, and has lots of palm trees and other greenery to make you feel at home.
Night Cat
141 Johnston St, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia
Ph: (03) 94170090
Fax: (03) 94162669
Gin Palace: 190 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
Eurotrash
18 Corrs Lane, Melbourne
Trader Bar 71 Collins St Melb *CLOSED* New bar opened but not sure how it's going.
With a single green light down Strachan Lane showing the way in, its easy to miss Trader Bar. Dont be fooled by the stark exterior and seemingly straight name, the inside of Trader resembles Wall Street dragged underground into a world of art-deco elegance.
Clocks synced to London, New York, Tokyo and Trader time zones ensure you will never miss a deal, while a stock ticker flashes famous quotes like Humphrey Bogarts I should never have switched from Whiskey to Martini. Breaking with the masculine overtones, a Lovers Room decked out Persian style with shag couches and carpet-lined walls, is ideal for bouts of canoodling.
With a name like Trader Bar, you have to be wondering : what do they trade in? Alcohol, of course! The heart of the bar is a system of LCD screens displaying the current market price of domestic and foreign beers, cocktails and whiskeys. Every six minutes, the system is updated and prices go up or down, reflecting the fluctuations in demand for drinks. To make a killing you will need a keen sense of timing and ruthlessness in your ability to elbow your way to the bar. Stock Tip: On weekdays, fewer players and less trading activity makes Traders one of the cheapest bars in the city.
Like they say - What goes up must come down. Twice a night every weekend, the bubble bursts sending all drink prices crashing. Invest in $4 beers, $5 spirits and $11 cocktails. Fight off your Monday Blues with Black Tuesday when the bar experiences an all night long market crash with drink prices at an all time low. Sweetest deal yet, eh?
Canary Club
6 Melbourne Place Melb
The hip, seductive Spanish cousin of Melbourne’s Hairy Canary Bar, the Canary Club is a restaurant/bar with a DJ on the weekends. Decor is Gaudi on the outside, mosaic tiles, groovy light fittings and dark wood on the inside, creating a slick yet cosy feel. Food is classic tapas, best enjoyed lolling back on the day beds upstairs. Drinks are also Spanish – on the lengthy drinks list is a strong selection of sherries as well as Spanish beer and sangria. Tuesday night is flamenco night; ladies can get a mini makeover on Monday evenings; Fridays and Saturdays feature the sounds of resident DJ Mark Mackay.
Chi Lounge. Level 1-3, 195 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne
asian, china town, koeoke.
The Emerald Peacock
233 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000
The Emerald Peacock is the latest addition to Melbourne's rooftop bar scene. Launched by the team responsible for the award-winning Red Hummingbird, it continues their obsession with all things bird and cocktail related. Make your way up the stairwell and you'll quickly discover the peacock motif isn't just a marketing exercise - it forms the basis of the interior design. A large Peacock mural greats you near the entrance and the main lounge features elaborate peacock-themed wallpaper. This is all complimented with plush ottomans (in blue velvet, no less), ornate poufs, private booths and lounge chairs that will swallow you whole. It's showy and knows it - just like the bird it derives its name from.
While the lounge area invokes decadent, old-world charm, the rooftop bar is where you'll be spending the early portion of your afternoon. Overlooking Lonsdale Street, it's less formal than downstairs, featuring plenty of untreated wood benches, cosy lounges and a relaxed vibe. Naturally, there's a whole separate bar upstairs and the staff are happy to pour you imported beers - or construct some seriously impressive cocktails.
Combing classics with their own in-house specialities, the cocktail menu is as expansive as you could hope for. The Hemmingway Daiquiri is one of the best in town and the quality in the rest of the list follows suit. With friendly bar staff and a casually fashionable Melbourne crowd, Emerald Peacock is definitely worth a visit.
Mikolai, March 2009
La Di Da
577 Little Bourke St, Melbourne
Incorporating several different spaces, La Di Da provides a cross-section of drinking options. Although it's located down the business end of town, it's one of the more laidback venues in the area. Drop in on a Friday night and you'll find a mix of call centre workers, bank clerks and men who think pointy white shoes are appropriate with business suits.
The main room is divided into three sections with a small chesterfield lounge in the corner, a casual dining space and a raised area for private functions. The decor is a mix of oriental-themed chandeliers, ornate red columns, kitsch paintings and draped curtains. While it may not win any design awards (there's stiff competition in Melbourne), it's functional enough and maintains the venue's casual atmosphere. If the crowded main bar is too much, there's also an outside smoking lounge and a downstairs bar that's unnervingly ?pumping' at 7pm on a Friday.
Drinks tend to favour beers and premixed spirits, but there is a small cocktail menu available. While the five cocktails on offer are definitely skewed towards female patrons, the names are a bit disconcerting - naming a strawberry based cocktail The Fist is either strange or a reference to something Bruce Lee. Still, if you're looking for a quick drink after work, a casual meal and a no-fuss venue, then La Di Da is more than competent. Those serious about their cocktails and spirits may want to keep walking, however.
Penny Blue
2 Driver La, Melbourne
Although it looks like a typical Melbourne cocktail bar, Penny Blue is all about beer. Imported, micro-brewed, limited edition, boutique; if it involves hops, yeast and barley, they stock it. With over seven pages worth of beers on the drinks menu, they really do have one of the city's best selections.
Drop in on a weeknight and there's ample room to sprawl out on the oversized couches with a ?frosty cold one', while lounge music gets pipped through the speakers. It's certainly not set up like your typical beer venue and the decor is a real mish-mash of (upmarket) styles and influences. A giant love-seat seems to be the centrepiece, but it's surrounded by wrap-around couches, snakeskin armchairs and the (seemingly obligatory) wire frame chandelier. Bottles of vintage liquor are tucked away in the corners and one whole wall is adorned with the in-house wine selections.
While the beer selection accounts for about 70% of sales, there's quite an extensive wine list and enough cocktails to see you through. That said, it's the extensive beer selection and the upmarket decor that really make this place stand out. If you want boutique beers in a boutique environment, Penny Blue ticks all the right boxes.
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Meals!!!
Flinders Lane Area:
Rosati Italian
95 Flinders Lane
Terra Rosa Bar
87 Flinders Lane
Meals
Cumulus Inc
45 Flinders Lane
New. Cheaper meals.
Drinks
Eleven37
11 Exhibition St
Cheaper Meals
Ondergrounds Bar
27 Russel St, Basement
Tapas & cocktails
Fri $10 jugs
The Italian Restaurant Bar
2 Malthouse Lane
Expensive!
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Duke of Kent Hotel
The Duke of Kent
293 La Trobe Street, Melbourne Tel. 9670 0128 www.dofk.com.au
Although not far from the hustle and bustle of the CBD and Melbourne Central, this traditional Aussie pub remains largely unaffected. There's a front bar, sports bar, beer garden, bottle shop and function room. Also a kitchen and dining area which boast cheap counter meals. A few old regulars hang out in the front and sports bars, but workers in the city who crave a traditional counter meal experience midweek, trundle in for the pub fare also. End of week will often see a live band to entertain.
Beer Garden
With separate entrance, seating for 160 people, outdoor heating and a retractable roof, the Duke not only has one of the few CBD beer gardens - it's on the roof. The area is sometimes used for private and corporate functions, and you can dine there at the end of the working week.
Sarti
6 Russell Place.
+61 3 9639 7822.
To describe a bar as “adult contemporary” can risk conjuring up images of Michael Bolton and 1980s soft rock. But Sarti, once a tailor’s workshop, is a sleek restaurant and bar with modern Italian flair and a distinctively grown-up feel. Drinks include grappa and a range of Italian digestivos. Polished service, white linens and a terrace complete the experience.
Gypsy Bar 334 Brunswick St, Fitzroy
Ah, Gypsy Bar. So many potentially fruitful afternoons and evenings can be so enjoyably hosed away here. Through the daytime an endless succession of Campari and grapefruit juice make the hours pass unnoticed. On a warm night, the front windows are thrown open to the breeze and the essence of Brunswick Street wanders in - the purr of taxis, the slurring of scrambled alcoholics and the wafting smell of mystery meat in a roll. It's lovely having the freedom of propping oneself up on the front counter to watch the night go by. Or if you prefer, you can be comfortably encsonsed in a booth seat, or propped up on the white marble bar, rambling to the staff. Gypsy has some of the best service around - they're certainly slick, but they still manage to be courteous and friendly, unlike some of the too-cool-for-school establishments within a hundred-metre radius.
Gypsy has a great range of obscure liqueurs and a cocktail list with some impressive signatures. Try a Gypsy Sling (gin, aperol, Malibu, lychee liqueur, cranberry, pineapple and pink grapefruit) or a Purple Peacock (Absolute Kurant, creme de cacao, Frangelico, cranberry, honey, berries, garnished with crushed nuts and chocolate). You can also get very decent food from their compact kitchen, the menu cutely divided into Beginning, Middle, End and Always. Breakfast lasts until 4pm, and lunch and dinner have a strong Mediterranean inclination, with chorizos, risottos, saganaki and more. Everything is prepared fresh on the premises.
With its cosy confines, good food, good drink and good staff, there's little to dislike. Settling into Gypsy around noon is by far the best way to kill an errant afternoon, and to at least put a hell of a scare into the evening that follows.
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Well, do I have a list of bars in Melbourne for you!
And no, you don't have to be a writer to go to these bars. These are just some of the bars around Melbourne that are a little less known than the big in your face bars.
Some you will need to venture down alley ways, others you'll find in big courtyards and many you'll find on rooftops.
BAR LIST:
(Friday) Happy hour
Bond Bar, 24 Bond Street, Melbourne
5-7pm $4 Coronas
Up One Bar & Restaurant
222 Russell St
City 3000 VIC
5-7pm $5 stubbies
Charlie's Bar
Basement 71 Hardware Lane
Melbourne
2 for 1 cocktails
Fri $3 - $4 drinks
Check in on Facebook for free Drink
Horse Bazaar
397 Little Lonsdale Street, city 9670 2329
5-7pm $3 pots
Blue Moon Bar
380 Russell Street Melbourne
Various through week
5pm onwards $4 SOL on Friday
$6 pints
3 Degrees
No 1 QV Sq Cnr Swanston & Lonsdale Sts
Melbourne
Wednesday 5pm $5 Pints
Amber Lounge
388 Lonsdale St, Melbourne
5.30-8.30pm $3- $5 drinks
Free drink upon entry!
$5 Coronas
Outer City Happy hour
Banf
Fitzroy St
3-6pm $2 pots
Wonderland Bar
37 Chapel St Windsor
4-8pm $3-$4 drinks
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More Bars here and there in alley ways
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24Moons
AC/DC Lane (Behind Cherry)
Cocktail bar
Also tap beer
Caffe Duomo
The Block Arcade
282 Collins St
Melbourne 3000 VIC
Phone: (03) 9650 5041
Elegant and effortlessly classy, this cafe and bar is set close to the Block Place Arcade dome. Drink your way through the lengthy wine list, which offers 20 by the glass.
So Bar
270 Russell St
Melbourne 3000 VIC
Phone: (03) 9663 1060
A cafe by day and an Afro/Brazilian bar by night, this intimate space is popular and funky at heart. Come after dark for the cocktails.
The Block Arcade
282 Collins St
Melbourne 3000 VIC
Elegant and effortlessly classy, this cafe and bar is set close to the Block Place Arcade dome. Drink your way through the lengthy wine list, which offers 20 by the glass.
Spleen Central
41 Bourke St,
Melbourne,
VIC, 3000
Just over a decade ago, Melbourne's laneway renaissance began in earnest. The city drank in deep as a torrent of bars surged into life. Riding the crest of a licensing wave, entrepreneurs opened smart Italian enotecas, cool minimalist bars and fin-de-siecle salons. Impeccable taste and extraordinary budgets transformed the stuff of the city.
Nobody remembered to tell Spleen. Here, it's as though a few flatmates extended their lounge room into the CBD and invited some mates around.
This comfortable, late night dive is not so much decorated as inundated. Plastic furnishings recall the seventies. A wooden bar recalls mid-century Tiki. The fixtures, accessories and tchotchkes recall too many design eras to enumerate. This happy jumble doesn't make a definitive style statement. Unless, of course, the proprietors of this cheery place were going for a Things I Borrowed from Nanna's Shed aesthetic.
Despite its interior chaos, Spleen offers a strange kind of calm. Of course, on weekends when the place stays open until 5am, calm turns to the wobbly bustle you'd expect from any late opener.
The newest evolutionary form of Melbourne's boho tradition, Spleen is of a mishmash species all its own.
Red Silks
Floor 1
200 Bourke St
Melbourne 3000 VIC
Phone: (03) 9663 9922
Tucked away upstairs next to the Chinese-language cinema is this little gem that has one of the best beer drinking balconies you'll find in Melbourne. Grab a bargain-priced local or imported beer and head out on this long terrace with views both down towards Swanston Street and up to the top end of town. There are plenty of heaters so this spot is popular throughout the year regardless of the weather.
Red Silks has an Asian-pop soundtrack set against the background hum of a multicultural melting pot. The house cocktails include smash hits of the '70s and '80s, so slide back into the past and enjoy a kir, kamikaze, cosmo or Long Island iced tea. That's if you can pass up an Asahi, Bintang or Tsing Tao at only $6 a pop.
The all-Australian wine list is small but has some very well-priced wines by the glass.
The excellent pan-Asian fare on offer partners up beautifully with the view and a beer or two. Try the salt and pepper chicken wings, satays, deep-fried calamari or gyoza.
Misty
3-5 Hosier Lane
Relaxed and funky
Honky Tonks
Duckboard Place (alley way - white picket fence)
Wine & cocktail bar
Cherry
103 Flinders Lane
Relaxed wine bar
Pheonix Bar
82 Flinders St
Basic bar with bar menu
Nothing flash.
Champagne Lounge
41 Little Collins
Relaxed, maybe cheaper
Lusre Lounge
252 Flinders Lane
Cocktail bar
Oppulant
Night Cat
279 Flinders Lane
Busy
Randy Dragon
313 Flinders Lane
relaxed
Ding Dong Lounge
18 Market Lane
Band venue
La La Land
1/391 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Cnr Little Lonsdale & Hardware
Fireplace
Snakepit
95 Queen St, Basement.
Cheap happy hour wine.
Double O
Sniders Lane, Basement.
Two rooms, one more relaxed.
Scubar
Cnr Queen Lonsdale
Club from 10pm
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RoofTop Bars:
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Tuscan Bar - Rooftop bar - large
03 9662 2589
CBD
79-85 Bourke St
Melbourne, VIC 3000
The Tuscan Bar, on two levels-
For retro elegance step into the art deco opulence of the Grande Room - a cocktail bar where you can enjoy Italian banquets, late night supper, work drinks or group celebrations.
Tuscan bar specialises in hosting “after parties” for groups after all Melbourne’s major events.
The heated rooftop bar is one of Melbourne’s largest and is perfect for an afternoon drink or late night socialising under the stars.
Campari + Rooftop bar
23-25 Hardware Lane Melbs
Brilliant
Humming Bird + Rooftop
246 Russell St Melbs
Very Nice for drinks
Siglo + rooftop bar
161 Spring St Melbs - Level 2
Waterside Hotel + rooftop bar
508 Flinders St Melbs
The Match Bar + rooftop bar
249 Little Lonsdale St Melbs
Food and drinks
Nice
Madame Brussels (Level 3, 59 Bourke Street). + rooftop bar
This one’s a bit strange. Named after one of Melbourne’s original brothel owners, MB’s is all English lawn tennis and fruity punch. Fake grass, little pathways, trellising and a hedged bar create a fun, foppish atmosphere. There’s a fabulous, large outdoor terrace, just perfect for summer (and if it’s cold, the staff will give you a blanket).
The Emerald Peacock rooftop bar
233 Lonsdale St Melbs
Upmarket and trendy bar easily twice the size of its older cousin, the Red Hummingbird. The door staff keep patrons on the well-dressed side, and it all makes sense once inside, as seen by the fairly lavish fittings. A dedicated area for small meals and snacks is not often seen in a bar, so consider this as a possible dinner and drinks venue.
The Order
Level 2, 401 Swanston Street, city 9663 6707 + rooftop bar
Another place joining the rooftop bar fraternity — once a rare option for Melbourne drinkers — is The Order. Housed within a cavernous space in the top fl oor of an old building opposite RMIT, The Order is a tempting spread of comfy brown couches and intimate booths. On the roof level is a small open terrace, hemmed around by the decorative work on the building's upper walls. By night, this is a great place to take in the stars and sip a beer.
Rooftop Bar plus cinema
(Cookie on lower level)
Level 2, 252 Swanston Street, city 9663 7660
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Belgium Beer Cafe
557 St Kilda Rd (corner of Moubray St), Melbourne
A massive playground for drinkers to. It aint cheap though so get ready to down some $7 Stella Artois and eat $8 sausages.
But this can be forgiven when you see the mass of land dedicated to: sitting in the sun drinking, talking, maybe writing (if you're me) and enjoing the constant murmer of people talking and laughing with the odd 'taxi' called out from time to time when a glass drops and breaks.
Murmur (17 Warburton Lane).
Down a little street, around the corner into a nondescript dead-end lane, past the boxing gym and up a flight of wooden stairs. It’s a classic ‘hidden’ Melbourne bar, where just finding it is part of the experience. But once inside the mid-sized room, it’s time to relax amid the wrought-iron, floorboards and comfy couches. An impressive stock of imported beers sits alongside a neat stable of local brews. Music is cool and vibey – and not too loud – with DJs on some nights. Bar snacks are available and the martinis are a treat.
MOO (basement, rear of 318 Little Bourke St).
Once the postal service’s Mail Order Office (hence the name), MOO is a treat. Slightly overpriced lunches and dinners can be ignored in favour of the scrumptious tapas and unique cocktails in this intimate basement venue. Order an Escobar at the bar and watch the guys slavishly work over your drink, then nab a spot in one of the booths or on a Chesterfield and enjoy a quiet chat with friends. Forgot to pay last time I was there, and they chased us down the street. Fair enough.
Cookie
Level 1, 252 Swanston Street, city 9663 7660
This modern beer hall is no shoebox-sized alleyway hideyhole; it sprawls above several shops along the international student end of Swanston Street. It serves up a dizzying array of beers, many on tap, while happy punters mill between the ornate plaster-and-mirror pillars, or grab a table on a balcony and watch the passing crowds. Beyond the beer, there's good Thai food in the restaurant section, and an intimate back bar suitable for rendezvous a deux.
Town Hall Hotel
33 Errol Street, North Melbourne 9328 1983
There's not a whiff of cutting-edge architectural design about this classic pub — not a stick from Ikea, for that matter. It's the real deal: once frequented by the hardworking manual labourers, it's now packed with mellow young things, dressed down, relaxed and not giving a damn. Squeeze into the compact front bar, decked out with old vinyl album covers, and grab a beer, or head through to the goodvalue dining room.
Section 8
27 Tattersalls Lane, city 0408 971 044
The proprietors of Section 8 like their bars basic. It's almost not there at all, housed in a shipping container with wooden pallets for seating, and everyone exposed to the open air (though there is cover from rain). Intrepid explorers of Chinatown's laneways will be delighted to discover this drinking hole here — at last you can have an alcoholic drink that's actually cheaper than your entire meal at the Shanghai Dumpling House.
The Workshop
Level 1, 413 Elizabeth Street, city 9326 4365
If those bank ads are to be believed, the top end of Elizabeth Street features nightly in the dreams of middle-aged men, wanting to recapture their rebellious youth at its myriad motorcycle emporiums. Hey, you can dream, and even toast that imaginary Harley-Davidson in this upstairs bar in the former premises of a motorbike repair workshop. This rambling venue has a comfy, laid-back feel that encourages the punters to sit back and relax, swapping stories of city life and the boss' newest outrage.
Golden Monkey
Rear, 389 Lonsdale Street, city 9602 2055
In journalistic terms, three of something constitutes a trend, while four is a full-blown phenomenon. So chalk “phenomenon” up to the concept of Asian-themed bars, several of which adorn our alleyways. One of the best is Golden Monkey, in a basement location, fitted out with attractive timber furniture imported from Shanghai. The couches, chairs and lattice work create a wooden maze, within which you'll find nooks and crannies of varying sizes. The drinks list offers cocktails with an Eastern theme, and there's a good range of regional beers to go with the Asian snacks.
Robot
12 Bligh Place, city 9620 3646
If a bar could be a Japanese anime character, that bar would be Robot. The earliest Asian-themed drinking hole, it looks like it was transplanted directly from Tokyo to its laneway home. Inside, the split-level space has a red-hued contemporary feel, contrasting with decorative items like an old school map of Japan. Spot the toy robots above the bar, while choosing a variety of sake or a Japanese beer. Once you know the difference between Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you'll know you've arrived.
Paris Cat
6 Goldie Place, city 9642 4711
If you can't get to Paris in the 1920s, at least you can lob into Paris Cat and soak up some of that Jazz Age feel. This jazz club is situated in a cellar off an alleyway, and its old exposed brickwork works with the sleek furniture and bar to create bags of ambience. There's music most nights, with regular jazz gigs and spoken word sessions, attended by sophisticated folk sporting the odd beret. There's plenty of life in the joie de vivre here.
Loop
23 Meyers Place, city 9654 0500
There are not many places you can watch a movie while you're sipping a cocktail, but Loop is one of them. Fitted out with audiovisual equipment, this contemporary space is often used to premiere ambitious short films, or to stage a challenging experimental music night. The softly lit concrete-and-stool interior plays host to a sophisticated young crowd, and the bartenders know their stuff. Drop in and talk knowledgeably about the direction of 21st century film culture — or fake it over a martini.
Horse Bazaar
397 Little Lonsdale Street, city 9670 2329
This is not a place to buy and sell thoroughbreds. Rather, it's a cutting-edge space with a strangely undulating ceiling of pressed aluminium blocks, a perspex bar, low-slung seating and a plant-strewn nook that looks out on sedate Little Lonsdale Street. It's also a digital art showcase, featuring prominent visual creations, which wrap around the back walls, flickering quietly and catching your eye. Horse Bazaar also throws music into the mix, with regular nights featuring the likes of gypsy music or African sounds.
The Croft Institute
21-25 Croft Alley.
+61 3 9671 4399.
Socialising in a science laboratory-cum-hospital setting may not seem to be most people’s idea of a good time, but the Croft Institute’s enduring success suggests otherwise. “A not-so-serious play on the pseudo-scientific consumer institutes used to advertise not-so-scientific consumer products,” promises the Croft Institute website. And from the beakers and science paraphernalia in the main room to the barred windows and surgical steel fittings, the theme is consistent. The men’s rooms are titled Department of Male Hygiene, while a third floor features a gymnasium theme complete with racquets and trophies.
Lily Blacks
3/12-18 Meyers Place.
+61 3 9654 6499.
A sophisticated, 1920s-inspired bar, the refined Lily Blacks features a creative cocktail menu with such varied ingredients as lemon myrtle liqueur, lingonberry syrup and muddled marigold flowers; and names such as Lily’s Lemonade, The 96 Tram and the Seventeen Dollar Milkshake. An equally sophisticated bar menu offers quince paste and chicken, whisky and rosemary pate. Art deco fittings, flickering candles and potted palms make this a fabulous place for making whoopee.
Manchuria
1/7-9 Waratah Place.
+61 3 9663 1997.
Manchuria, for the geographically naïve, is at the north-eastern tip of China, bordering Mongolia, Siberia and North Korea. One suspects the bar Manchuria may not be terribly authentic. Historically, Manchuria was noted for its opium, shamans and geopolitics – not cocktails and sumptuous sofas. But after a couple of drinks in this Chinatown bar, authenticity just doesn’t matter. Cocktail highlights include the Manchuria Teapot Blaze for four – a blend of rum, cognac and malt served in a teapot.
New Gold Mountain
Level 1/21 Liverpool Street.
+61 3 9650 8859.
If ever there was an award for Melbourne’s most obscure bar, New Gold Mountain would surely be a favourite. Above another classic Melbourne bar, Double Happiness, and tucked down a tiny laneway, the narrow entrance and rickety stairwell seem unlikely to lead to anything more than a down-at-heel apartment. But once inside, swirls of colour, frills, fringes, cut-out screens and vivid wallpaper enliven the tiny space. A collection of obscure vodkas from Mongolia and Kazakhstan continues the esoteric theme.
The Toff (Cookie is below)
Level 2, Curtin House, 252 Swanston Street.
+61 3 9639 8770.
While not strictly a laneway bar, the glamorous Toff is a great find in historic Curtin House – once Communist Party headquarters and an adult cinema (not at the same time). On entry, there’s a show venue to the right and Toff’s Carriage bar to the left, featuring private booths styled as train compartments, each complete with sliding doors and service bell. Beyond, is an old-fashioned brass bar with a drinks menu the length of a novella.
Blue Diamond Club
Level 15, 123 Queen St Melbourne
Jazz music
Black Cat
252 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy Tel. 9419 6230
An institution in Brunswick Street is this small place to drink, dance and socialise. The single room has a DJ (on weekends) at the front and the bar at the back, with hoardes of revellers in between.
Always Busy
It's small dimensions make it easy for the Black Cat to fill up, but there's more to it than that - people just plain love it!
Beer Garden
The outdoor street area beside the Black Cat is popular, and has lots of palm trees and other greenery to make you feel at home.
Night Cat
141 Johnston St, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia
Ph: (03) 94170090
Fax: (03) 94162669
Gin Palace: 190 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
Eurotrash
18 Corrs Lane, Melbourne
Trader Bar 71 Collins St Melb *CLOSED* New bar opened but not sure how it's going.
With a single green light down Strachan Lane showing the way in, its easy to miss Trader Bar. Dont be fooled by the stark exterior and seemingly straight name, the inside of Trader resembles Wall Street dragged underground into a world of art-deco elegance.
Clocks synced to London, New York, Tokyo and Trader time zones ensure you will never miss a deal, while a stock ticker flashes famous quotes like Humphrey Bogarts I should never have switched from Whiskey to Martini. Breaking with the masculine overtones, a Lovers Room decked out Persian style with shag couches and carpet-lined walls, is ideal for bouts of canoodling.
With a name like Trader Bar, you have to be wondering : what do they trade in? Alcohol, of course! The heart of the bar is a system of LCD screens displaying the current market price of domestic and foreign beers, cocktails and whiskeys. Every six minutes, the system is updated and prices go up or down, reflecting the fluctuations in demand for drinks. To make a killing you will need a keen sense of timing and ruthlessness in your ability to elbow your way to the bar. Stock Tip: On weekdays, fewer players and less trading activity makes Traders one of the cheapest bars in the city.
Like they say - What goes up must come down. Twice a night every weekend, the bubble bursts sending all drink prices crashing. Invest in $4 beers, $5 spirits and $11 cocktails. Fight off your Monday Blues with Black Tuesday when the bar experiences an all night long market crash with drink prices at an all time low. Sweetest deal yet, eh?
Canary Club
6 Melbourne Place Melb
The hip, seductive Spanish cousin of Melbourne’s Hairy Canary Bar, the Canary Club is a restaurant/bar with a DJ on the weekends. Decor is Gaudi on the outside, mosaic tiles, groovy light fittings and dark wood on the inside, creating a slick yet cosy feel. Food is classic tapas, best enjoyed lolling back on the day beds upstairs. Drinks are also Spanish – on the lengthy drinks list is a strong selection of sherries as well as Spanish beer and sangria. Tuesday night is flamenco night; ladies can get a mini makeover on Monday evenings; Fridays and Saturdays feature the sounds of resident DJ Mark Mackay.
Chi Lounge. Level 1-3, 195 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne
asian, china town, koeoke.
The Emerald Peacock
233 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000
The Emerald Peacock is the latest addition to Melbourne's rooftop bar scene. Launched by the team responsible for the award-winning Red Hummingbird, it continues their obsession with all things bird and cocktail related. Make your way up the stairwell and you'll quickly discover the peacock motif isn't just a marketing exercise - it forms the basis of the interior design. A large Peacock mural greats you near the entrance and the main lounge features elaborate peacock-themed wallpaper. This is all complimented with plush ottomans (in blue velvet, no less), ornate poufs, private booths and lounge chairs that will swallow you whole. It's showy and knows it - just like the bird it derives its name from.
While the lounge area invokes decadent, old-world charm, the rooftop bar is where you'll be spending the early portion of your afternoon. Overlooking Lonsdale Street, it's less formal than downstairs, featuring plenty of untreated wood benches, cosy lounges and a relaxed vibe. Naturally, there's a whole separate bar upstairs and the staff are happy to pour you imported beers - or construct some seriously impressive cocktails.
Combing classics with their own in-house specialities, the cocktail menu is as expansive as you could hope for. The Hemmingway Daiquiri is one of the best in town and the quality in the rest of the list follows suit. With friendly bar staff and a casually fashionable Melbourne crowd, Emerald Peacock is definitely worth a visit.
Mikolai, March 2009
La Di Da
577 Little Bourke St, Melbourne
Incorporating several different spaces, La Di Da provides a cross-section of drinking options. Although it's located down the business end of town, it's one of the more laidback venues in the area. Drop in on a Friday night and you'll find a mix of call centre workers, bank clerks and men who think pointy white shoes are appropriate with business suits.
The main room is divided into three sections with a small chesterfield lounge in the corner, a casual dining space and a raised area for private functions. The decor is a mix of oriental-themed chandeliers, ornate red columns, kitsch paintings and draped curtains. While it may not win any design awards (there's stiff competition in Melbourne), it's functional enough and maintains the venue's casual atmosphere. If the crowded main bar is too much, there's also an outside smoking lounge and a downstairs bar that's unnervingly ?pumping' at 7pm on a Friday.
Drinks tend to favour beers and premixed spirits, but there is a small cocktail menu available. While the five cocktails on offer are definitely skewed towards female patrons, the names are a bit disconcerting - naming a strawberry based cocktail The Fist is either strange or a reference to something Bruce Lee. Still, if you're looking for a quick drink after work, a casual meal and a no-fuss venue, then La Di Da is more than competent. Those serious about their cocktails and spirits may want to keep walking, however.
Penny Blue
2 Driver La, Melbourne
Although it looks like a typical Melbourne cocktail bar, Penny Blue is all about beer. Imported, micro-brewed, limited edition, boutique; if it involves hops, yeast and barley, they stock it. With over seven pages worth of beers on the drinks menu, they really do have one of the city's best selections.
Drop in on a weeknight and there's ample room to sprawl out on the oversized couches with a ?frosty cold one', while lounge music gets pipped through the speakers. It's certainly not set up like your typical beer venue and the decor is a real mish-mash of (upmarket) styles and influences. A giant love-seat seems to be the centrepiece, but it's surrounded by wrap-around couches, snakeskin armchairs and the (seemingly obligatory) wire frame chandelier. Bottles of vintage liquor are tucked away in the corners and one whole wall is adorned with the in-house wine selections.
While the beer selection accounts for about 70% of sales, there's quite an extensive wine list and enough cocktails to see you through. That said, it's the extensive beer selection and the upmarket decor that really make this place stand out. If you want boutique beers in a boutique environment, Penny Blue ticks all the right boxes.
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Meals!!!
Flinders Lane Area:
Rosati Italian
95 Flinders Lane
Terra Rosa Bar
87 Flinders Lane
Meals
Cumulus Inc
45 Flinders Lane
New. Cheaper meals.
Drinks
Eleven37
11 Exhibition St
Cheaper Meals
Ondergrounds Bar
27 Russel St, Basement
Tapas & cocktails
Fri $10 jugs
The Italian Restaurant Bar
2 Malthouse Lane
Expensive!
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Duke of Kent Hotel
The Duke of Kent
293 La Trobe Street, Melbourne Tel. 9670 0128 www.dofk.com.au
Although not far from the hustle and bustle of the CBD and Melbourne Central, this traditional Aussie pub remains largely unaffected. There's a front bar, sports bar, beer garden, bottle shop and function room. Also a kitchen and dining area which boast cheap counter meals. A few old regulars hang out in the front and sports bars, but workers in the city who crave a traditional counter meal experience midweek, trundle in for the pub fare also. End of week will often see a live band to entertain.
Beer Garden
With separate entrance, seating for 160 people, outdoor heating and a retractable roof, the Duke not only has one of the few CBD beer gardens - it's on the roof. The area is sometimes used for private and corporate functions, and you can dine there at the end of the working week.
Sarti
6 Russell Place.
+61 3 9639 7822.
To describe a bar as “adult contemporary” can risk conjuring up images of Michael Bolton and 1980s soft rock. But Sarti, once a tailor’s workshop, is a sleek restaurant and bar with modern Italian flair and a distinctively grown-up feel. Drinks include grappa and a range of Italian digestivos. Polished service, white linens and a terrace complete the experience.
Gypsy Bar 334 Brunswick St, Fitzroy
Ah, Gypsy Bar. So many potentially fruitful afternoons and evenings can be so enjoyably hosed away here. Through the daytime an endless succession of Campari and grapefruit juice make the hours pass unnoticed. On a warm night, the front windows are thrown open to the breeze and the essence of Brunswick Street wanders in - the purr of taxis, the slurring of scrambled alcoholics and the wafting smell of mystery meat in a roll. It's lovely having the freedom of propping oneself up on the front counter to watch the night go by. Or if you prefer, you can be comfortably encsonsed in a booth seat, or propped up on the white marble bar, rambling to the staff. Gypsy has some of the best service around - they're certainly slick, but they still manage to be courteous and friendly, unlike some of the too-cool-for-school establishments within a hundred-metre radius.
Gypsy has a great range of obscure liqueurs and a cocktail list with some impressive signatures. Try a Gypsy Sling (gin, aperol, Malibu, lychee liqueur, cranberry, pineapple and pink grapefruit) or a Purple Peacock (Absolute Kurant, creme de cacao, Frangelico, cranberry, honey, berries, garnished with crushed nuts and chocolate). You can also get very decent food from their compact kitchen, the menu cutely divided into Beginning, Middle, End and Always. Breakfast lasts until 4pm, and lunch and dinner have a strong Mediterranean inclination, with chorizos, risottos, saganaki and more. Everything is prepared fresh on the premises.
With its cosy confines, good food, good drink and good staff, there's little to dislike. Settling into Gypsy around noon is by far the best way to kill an errant afternoon, and to at least put a hell of a scare into the evening that follows.
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