Melbourne's Best Themed Bars for When You Want to Escape the Real World
Pretend you're somewhere else for a while.
Sometimes life gets tough. Sometimes your bus never arrives, your laptop breaks, you spill coffee down your fresh white shirt and the government announces it's changing leadership again. Sometimes it gets to a point where you need to (temporarily) escape to a different world — one that's filled with booze, preferably.
Luckily, Melbourne has these in droves. You can drink beer from a horn in a Viking-themed bar, sip some polyjuice potion under a giant mushroom or head underground for martinis and baked cheese in the Prohibition era. Perfect for when you need to pretend you're somewhere else for a while.
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BarStoryville
185 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Where sipping insect-garnished cocktails from a magical toadstool bar is just a regular night out.
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BarB. Lucky & Sons
Level 3, Melbourne Central, 211 La Trobe Street, Melbourne
An adults-only arcade bar offering vintage games, prizes and alcoholic bubble tea until 3am.
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RestaurantMjolner
106 Hardware Street, Melbourne
Melbourne's Thor-inspired bar and restaurant riffs on the feasting halls of Valhalla.
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BarThe Everleigh
Upstairs, 150-156 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
Experience the hedonistic pleasures of the 1920s in Fitzroy's hidden cocktail den.
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BarThe Store Room - CLOSED
2-12 Saint Kilda Road, St Kilda
A modern speakeasy that's tough to locate, but well worth the effort
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BarBosozoku - CLOSED
34A Bray Street, South Yarra
A Japanese biker gang-themed joint with Mario Kart battles, karaoke rooms and a dry ice spa.
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BarEast China Trading Company
Hardware Lane, Melbourne
A dumpling, cocktail and 200-strong rum bar tucked down a CBD laneway.
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BarMadame Brussels - CLOSED
Level 3, 59-63 Bourke Street, Melbourne
With AstroTurf, tennis whites and jugs of Pimms, Madame B has classic summer style.
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BarDouble Happiness
21 Liverpool Street, Melbourne
Bubble cup tea cocktails under the watchful eyes of Chairman Mao.
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BarPawn & Co.
177 Greville Street, Prahran
Get your drink mixed by a church organ and sit in an old tram carriage at the bar where everything is for sale.
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BarLeonard's House of Love
3 Wilson Street, South Yarra
Drink tinnies, down burgers, dance and play pool in Leonard's lounge room-like bar.
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BarPixel Alley - CLOSED
95 Smith Street, Fitzroy
Fitzroy's retro arcade bar with Donkey Kong-themed cocktails, American tinnies and all the Street Fighter II you can play.
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BarThe Croft Institute - CLOSED
21 Croft Alley, Melbourne
A bar science nerds and spirit lovers alike can get behind.
