Guide · Bars
Laneway rooms with no signage, twenty-page wine lists, and the pub that was good in 1975 and still is.
Start with one drink. See where it goes.
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Melbourne's bar culture runs deep — the laneway bars with no signage, the rooftop with views of the city, the wine bar where the list goes twenty pages, the heritage pub that was good in 1975 and is still good now. These are the ones worth deliberately seeking out.
No signage. Heavy velvet curtain at the door. The cocktail list is one of the most serious in Melbourne.
Caledonian Lane off Little Collins Street. The bartenders actually know what they're doing with technique and ingredient. Order off-menu and tell them what you feel like. This is what a cocktail bar should be.
Local tipOrder the Whisky Mac Highball or ask what the bartender is excited about. Don't order a vodka soda.
226 Bourke Street — there is no sign. The Melbourne bar experience at its purest.
The entrance is through a door next to what looks like a car park entrance. Inside: one of Melbourne's great bar rooms — warm light, serious drinks, the feeling that you found something rather than that it found you.
Local tipTake a date and don't tell them where you're going. The discovery is part of it.
Wine bar with a serious wood oven kitchen. A room Melbourne is proud of.
The natural wine list is one of the best in Melbourne — genuinely interesting producers from Australia and Europe, priced honestly. Stand at the bar. Order something orange. Ask what came off the oven.
Local tipGo for the wine, stay for the food. The standing bar section is better than the tables.
The best natural wine list in Melbourne at a price point that doesn't require an occasion.
Swan Street, Richmond. The staff know the list and give recommendations without being insufferable. The food is good and simple. This is the neighbourhood wine bar Melbourne deserved.
Local tipAsk for a recommendation under $70 a bottle. They always have something exceptional.
Sticky floor, loud music, the smell of a thousand good gigs.
Johnston Street, Collingwood. The Tote is one of the most important small music venues in Australia — it has hosted every Melbourne band that mattered at some point. The front bar is open without a gig. The beer garden is underrated.
Local tipCheck what's on before you go. A good gig at The Tote is one of Melbourne's best nights out.
The beer garden on a Sunday afternoon is one of Melbourne's genuinely great experiences.
Old pub, enormous garden, dogs allowed, the kind of crowd that's been doing this for decades. The beer selection is good and the kitchen is honest.
Local tipSunday afternoon. Go early to get a table in the garden. Dogs welcome.
Basement of 111 Lonsdale Street. The room that makes an ordinary Wednesday feel like something.
French brasserie aesthetic, serious cocktails. The martinis are very good. The wine list is smaller than Embla's but well chosen.
Local tipDress slightly better than you think you need to. The room rewards it.
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