The Russell Street wine bar is instantly inviting with a chic yet warm European charm. The cosy confines mark it as perfect date night material, while stools lining the bar and an open kitchen lend themselves perfectly to sophisticated solo dining.

Hidden two flights above Section 8 on Tattersalls Lane, Ferydurke is the more laidback — though still loose — version of its sister venue. The small Melbourne bar offers regular live music and DJ sets, an impressive cocktail list and relaxed party vibes.

Wild child Heartbreaker is an easy addition to this list of the best bars in the Melbourne CBD. It’s an American-style dive bar through and through, oozing cool-kid attitude and good times. 

Located above a bubble tea shop in the Denyers building, Goldilocks Bar is just the right level of hidden. There’s only a small sign on Swanston Street showing you it’s there, but it doesn’t explain how to actually find the rooftop bar. 

Cookie is a flamboyant CBD bar and restaurant vibrating with chatter and laughter and serves up classic Thai dishes and innovative cocktails late into the night. 

Centre Place, just down the road from Degraves Street, is best known for its small cafes and takeaway lunch spots. But it’s also home to one of the best Melbourne CBD bars, Hell’s Kitchen. 

Bar Ampere is serving up back-alley Parisian bar vibes in all the best ways. Head down Russell Place in Melbourne’s CBD any night of the week to find this small but mighty late-night drinking and dining spot filled with those in the know.

For lovers of sound and great cocktails, the most exciting offering of the four-storey mega-venue HER (from the Arbory and Arbory Afloat team) is Music Room. Up at this hidden Melbourne CBD bar, you’ll find yourself sipping mandarin Cosmopolitans.

Situated opposite Parliament and alongside the theatre strip, City Wine Shop is not the place to venture for a beer and happy hour special. On the contrary, this is the CBD bar you go to for a glass of great chablis and a serving of fried artichokes.

After having called AC/DC Lane home for twenty years, in 2019, legendary rock haunt Cherry Bar was forced to close up shop, but grit and determination saw the iconic venue live on at Little Collins Street.

Byrdi is internationally recognised as being one of the best bars in Melbourne — it even ranked in The World’s 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2021 and 2023. But what makes this small 40-seat Melbourne CBD bar so damn special?

Kirk’s Wine Bar is almost unfortunately placed. Everyday city-goers and tourists waltz down Hardware Lane, hassled by waiters trying to lure people into their restaurants. 

Everyone loves a hero. Some people even hold out for one. And this bar and restaurant is a true Melbourne hero, pumping out Asian-fusion eats, part vibes and cocktails for days. It’s also got a sun-soaked rooftop and hosts regular karaoke nights.

Fable takes the concept of sky-high sips to a whole new level — at a lofty 14 storeys high, it’s one of Melbourne’s tallest rooftop bars. The plush, Mediterranean-inspired space rocks an elegant fitout, along with wild panoramic views.

Once a horse stable, the lofty Melbourne CBD bar located above Longrain is downright impressive. A central bar cuts the sprawling room neatly in two — a 30-seat dining area by the open kitchen and a sun-drenched lounge situation in front.

This rooftop bar will be your go-to spot to chill out for after-work drinks thanks to its retractable roof, Spanish-inspired menu and extensive cocktail list. The space is complete with a central copper bar and a projector screening 70s Spanish flicks.

Melbourne added to its ever-growing collection of basement drinking dens with the arrival of The Mulberry Group’s Dessous. Gracing the Flinders Lane space beneath sibling Hazel, Dessous is one of the city’s finest hideaway bars.

The multi-level CBD space, once home to Cheek and Peaches, was reborn post-pandemic as Dom’s Social Club — a casual three-storey haunt championing classic drinks, top-notch charcuterie and handmade pizza.

The centrepiece of Melbourne’s alcohol-stocked skyline, Rooftop Bar retains its position as the city’s most popular — despite the seven flights of stairs needed to scale before you reach it. 

The team behind The Everleigh and Heartbreaker — two drinking haunts that also make our list of the best bars in Melbourne — has also created this chic but not stuffy French underground bar and restaurant.

The Toff in Town is a two-part venue offering a bit of something for everyone. Located on the second floor of the CBD’s Curtin House, The Toff is a well-known staple in the life of a midweek partier.

Champagne, cognac and caviar. This is what Melburnians can expect from this brilliant CBD cocktail bar. The bar is brainchild of the Speakeasy Group, the owners of cocktail classic Eau de Vie and Viking luxe bar Mjølner.

With people queuing for a table at 7pm on a Wednesday night, you can tell there’s got to be something damn good about Melbourne’s Bar Lourinha. 

The sky-high fine-diner Vue De Monde reopened following an extensive renovation in November 2023, levelling up its luxury offerings in the Rialto Tower. Bar Lui, its sister venue located next door, also got an impressive makeover.

Siglo is an old favourite among many a Melbourne city worker. It was once somewhat of a hidden gem, located up a narrow set of stairs on Spring Street — but these days the word is well and truly out. 

If you’re after a cool hidden bar to sip the evening away, head down Malthouse Lane next to a hotel car park, slip through the large wooden door and enter a new world. 

Renowned for its outstanding martinis, late-night snacks and popularity with both insomniacs and Melbourne’s hospitality crowd, it’s a great location to bag a bartender after a long shift.

Lonely for you only might be a sad sentiment for those leaving alone at the end of the night, but, for the most part, the highly photographed neon sign at GoGo is as iconic as the bunny upstairs. 

Pearl Diver Cocktails & Oysters is a sparkling Melbourne CBD bar from The Speakeasy Group’s (Eau de Vie, Nick & Nora’s, Mjolner) Alex Boon and Pez Collier.

CBD cocktail bar Trinket might be best known for its hidden basement den, located through the back of a secret wardrobe. But on a grim Melbourne night, you’ll also find plenty to love at street level.