The 35 Best Bars in Melbourne's CBD
If you find yourself in the Melbourne CBD and in need of a few bevs, drop by any of these exceptional bars.
The 35 Best Bars in Melbourne's CBD
If you find yourself in the Melbourne CBD and in need of a few bevs, drop by any of these exceptional bars.
Most of us have our own favourite neighbourhood drinking den, but it's easy to get lost when searching for the best bars in Melbourne's CBD. It can be unfamiliar territory for those of us who don't head into the city centre regularly. And even if you do work in the area, you're unlikely to have explored all the bars hidden down laneways, in basements or on rooftops.
To help you find the best bar in Melbourne's CBD, we've compiled this list that includes all kinds of boozers. Whether you're after experimental cocktails in hotel bars or laidback bevs in unpretentious surroundings, we've got you sorted right here.
Recommended reads:
The Best Bars in Melbourne
The Best Wine Bars in Melbourne
The Best Pubs in Melbourne
The Best Rooftop Bars in Melbourne
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35
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.
A considered pouring list plays to both the curious and the more conservative. Here, you’ll feel just as comfortable sipping a chardonnay from Mornington as you will a dank low-intervention number. Technique-driven but not pretentiously so, the food at Embla is as great as you’d expect from the former Town Mouse team; the menu proves a winning blend of comforting flavours and chef flair. All of this combines to make one of the very best bars in the Melbourne CBD.
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34
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.
Level one is home to the pizzeria, where you’ll feast on puffy woodfired pizzas accompanied by a banging wine list focusing on Italian tipples. Up a set of stairs, you’ll find the warm RSL-style space featuring nostalgic memorabilia, a free-to-play pool table and a fridge full of dry-aged meats showing off the owners’ penchant for quality charcuterie. And then there’s the rooftop. Find one of Melbourne CBD’s best bars up here, where you can enjoy a few gems from the venue’s expert curation of local spirits and classic cocktails.
Image: Julia Sansone
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33
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. We’re talking red neon signs, black leather booths, a pool table and a jukebox chock full of old-school rock ‘n’ roll — with a 3am closing time Thursday through Saturday, no less.
Refreshment options include a solid slew of both local and US craft beers, with a tidy tap rotation serving up plenty of hits from the likes of Hop Nation, Grifter, Philter and Stomping Ground. A strong selection of whisky, mezcal and tequila is primed for rocking nights out, while the cocktail lineup showcases the full range of Everleigh Bottling Co batched sips.
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32
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. Either come for drinks and snacks at the bar or go all out with a bunch of mates, ordering from the long menu of contemporary Thai dishes.
It’s home to some of the best Thai food in Melbourne, but the cocktails are just as delicious. The bar team is known for constantly creating new concoctions that can’t be missed.
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31
Aussie hospo mainstay Maurice Terzini (Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, RE and Jackson on George) teamed up with Joe Jones to open this sleek new bar in Melbourne’s CBD at the end of 2023. The duo took over the underground space at Queens and Collins — where Reine & La Rue recently opened to huge acclaim — and are serving up some pretty damn good cocktails.
Each of Jones’ creations is next-level, but we have been enamoured by his martinis ever since Purple Pit opened. We frequently head straight here for a dirty gin variety when in the CBD. It’s got to be Melbourne’s best. But there is a lot more to Purple Pit than its martinis. Here, an extensive selection of Euro-centric cocktails and aperitivo-style bites are served in a lavish brutalist space where post-punk tunes roar late into the night.
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30
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 open-mic karaoke nights.
The latter means it can get a little rowdy on the second floor, where the stage gets swarmed by hen’s parties and the like. But there are five floors of fun at this CBD bar and restaurant, so you’ll likely find a corner that works just right for the vibe you’re seeking.
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29
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 in the T&G Building, Dessous is one of the city’s finest hideaway wine bars.
Dessous is a warm and moody assembly of deep greens, plush velvet and dark timber — a comfy, subterranean escape you’ll be in no rush to leave. The food menu consists of a few light bites and sharing plates, while the drinks menu is truly stacked. Get around the mighty big international wine list, or opt for some stellar signature cocktails.
Image: Jana Langhorst
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28
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. It’s a laidback drinking den hidden up a flight of stairs towards the top end of the street and is easy to miss if you’re not paying attention.
It feels like an old-school European bar, decked out with a mishmash of mid-century furniture that could probably do with a little love. But this Melbourne CBD bar isn’t trying to be glam. Its crew greets regulars with genuine care and serves up decent cocktails, beers and wines. If you’re after a chill spot to drink in the city centre, this is it.
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27
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.
Find classic European small bites like raclettes and steak tartare, alongside bigger mouthfuls like the very good burger. But it’s the drinks list that makes Bar Ampere stand out. The cocktail and spirits menu is vast, so we suggest you get one of the expert staff to recommend your first drink. Tell them your tastes, and they’ll bring you one of their own creations. As you sip on cocktail number one read through the rest of the drinking options and choose your next poison.
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26
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, Golden Gay Time milk punch or perhaps something from the bumper lineup of champagne as you kick back to exclusive DJ residencies and HER’s 3000-strong collection of hard-to-find vinyl.
The space itself is lined with American walnut panels, dotted with small holes to give the feel that you’re inside a giant speaker box. You even enter the venue through a sound-locked room that’s pretty easy to miss — these guys take acoustic fidelity very seriously.
Image: Parker Blain
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25
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.
Having played host to everyone from Lady Gaga to the Arctic Monkeys and King Gizzard, Cherry Bar has long held a special place in the hearts of those in Melbourne who love to rock out and amassed an army of die-hard fans over its lifetime. And even with the move, it is still one of the best bars in the Melbourne CBD.
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24
We sadly bade farewell to Ferdydurke in 2024, one of our favourite bars in Melbourne’s CBD. Since opening in 2012, it stood out among the sleek and highly polished bars of the city, deciding instead to embrace its rougher edges and provide an unpretentious space for both chill hangs and live music-fuelled parties. But even though it’s now gone, the Office of Public Works group (Section 8, The Beast and formerly Ferdydurke) has teamed up with some of the hospo legends who originally helped set up Ferdydurke to create its replacement: Aster.
Thankfully, not too much has changed. The loft’s exposed brickwork and beams remain, as does the roaring fireplace and outdoor terrace. What you will notice though, is that it all feels a little more grown-up, from the contemporary wine list and refined snacks to the team replacing live gigs with DJs.
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23
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?
The outstanding cocktails. They’re unlike just about any other in the city. The expert bartenders use the site’s own lab to create new and exciting ingredients while constantly trying out new and innovative flavour combos. If you can nab a seat within its gorgeous confines, be sure to try a few different creations. We find picking just one to be an impossible feat.
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22
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.
At Bar Margaux, the fun kicks on till midnight weekdays and 3am Fridays and Saturdays (a rarity with venues of this sort in the CBD), with a substantial supper menu of classic French fare on offer right through to close. So, if your late-night munchies tend to sway closer to caviar than kebabs, this is the place to go. Order some champagne or cocktails and pair it all with some oysters, steak frites and cote de boeuf. It’s for those feeling fancy after midnight.
Image: Gareth Sobey
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21
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. But on the corner is Kirk’s, where no one stands outside with a menu board — which is precisely why you should walk in.
Glancing at the peeling paint exterior takes you back in time a little. Upon entering, you’re almost transcended to a Florentine wine bar. The space is sprinkled with small, round tables, really only big enough to seat two. Nab some truly great wines and pair them with some cheeky charcuterie board before hitting up a Melbourne CBD restaurant for dinner.
Ray Reyes via Visit Victoria
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20
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 through wraparound windows and a retractable roof.
You’ll also find a menu of innovative cocktails. It’s a considered lineup with a penchant for storytelling and history, filled with many clever reworkings of the classics. A true delight.
Image: Nicole Cleary
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19
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, with banquette seating and huge folding windows overlooking Little Bourke Street.
The kitchen offering is a celebration of simplicity — unfussy, but cleverly executed and more affordable than you might expect. The Thai eats are just as good as those served downstairs. And cocktails are next-level Thai-inspired creations that change on the regular.
Image: Cole Bennetts
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18
This rooftop bar will be your go-to spot to chill out for after-work drinks thanks to its all-weather retractable roof, Spanish-inspired menu and extensive cocktail list. The space is complete with a central copper bar, lots of high tables and a projector screening 70s Spanish flicks onto the building opposite.
The reimagined drinks list shows a range of tap cocktails, including a classic sangria. Meanwhile, the food situation leans to the snacky side, featuring a tapas menu of old favourites and new creations, and a covetable selection of Spanish cheeses.
Image: Fiona Hamilton
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17
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 Melbourne CBD bar you go to for a glass of great chablis, cheese and a serving of fried artichokes — or even some fine caviar and champagne.
Choose from the by-the-glass wine list — which changes regularly — or simply buy a bottle from the on-premise bottle shop and settle in at an outdoor table overlooking the Spring Street suits. It’s a classic setting for year-round romance whether you’re seeking sanctuary from winter inside or a splash of sun on a street-side seat.
Image: Tess Kelly
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16
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. You’ll have to take the lift upstairs, wander around House of Correction and then scale some stairs at the back of the building before you find this small bar with ace city views.
Up here, signature cocktails are the main focus but you can also opt for some local beers and seltzers if you want to make it more of a chill day or night out drinking. Make sure you pair your bevs with the dumplings, bao and deep-fried chicken ribs.
Image: Visit Victoria
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15
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.
Both sides of the venue — the live music bar Stageside and restaurant The Carriage — are open Tuesday to Saturday, from 5pm all the way through to 5am. Stageside has a range of events, including live music, comedy, cabaret and DJs to keep you entertained. The other side is where you’ll find contemporary Thai eats and cocktails served to folks hiding away in small booths made to look like train carriages. It’s a no-brainer for late-night drinks and eats in the CBD.
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14
When the two-storey container bar Whitehart first popped up in a CBD car park in 2017, it wasn’t immediately obvious that it would become one of the best Melbourne bars for dancing. But with resident DJs and regular collaborations with local producers and party makers, Whitehart has welcomed many sweaty revellers enjoying the welcome breeze provided by the bar’s openair format.
In between songs, feast on food from +39 Pizzeria and enjoy the street art and projections around the joint. For a refresh, there’s an ever-changing selection of weird and wonderful local craft beers, killer cocktails and Aussie wines, including a fair few skin-contact varieties.
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13
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. Open from midday, it is the ideal place to spend a lazy afternoon shaded by an umbrella and fanned by a sky-high breeze.
In the evening, rooftop is the pinnacle of elevated recreation: drinks, dancing, views, burgers, deckchairs and cinema. Its popularity is not without merit. Its reputation, however, can often mean overcrowding. Be sure to get there a little early to avoid disappointment.
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12
Champagne, cognac and caviar. This is what Melburnians can expect from this brilliant Melbourne CBD cocktail bar. The bar is brainchild of the Speakeasy Group, the owners of cocktail classic Eau de Vie, Viking luxe bar Mjølner and whisky-serving Boilermaker House.
Like its Sydney counterpart, the venue is inspired by Dashiell Hammett’s novel The Thin Man and its fictional crime-solving team Nick and Nora Charles. If you’re not familiar with the book, expect a roaring 30s vibe befitting a most glamorous party. The sprawling venue boasts five distinct spaces (a main bar, salon, champagne parlour and a VIP lounge), three balconies, green marble, gold and dark wood finishes and a whopping 400 bottles of champagne on display.
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11
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. Upon closer inspection, it is a combination of the three all-important aspects of any great venue: food, wine and service. It also helps that it feels like a tiny slice of Spain right here in Melbourne.
The wine list is heavily focused on European offerings; Spain, France and Italy are the main contenders here. And the food? Start the evening with salted cod croquettes before moving onto a heavenly seafood paella or the rich slow-cooked veal that’s been doused in a thick walnut sauce. You can take your time at this beloved Melbourne CBD bar, ordering food and drinks as you go.
Image: Jo Gamvros
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10
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, helping it become one of the very best bars in Melbourne CBD.
Executive Chef Hugh Allen has developed a larger menu of snacks here, featuring Sydney rock oysters, Blackmore wagyu ribs and caviar service for the extra bougie folks out there. And Lui Bar’s manager Elisabetta Lupi has also curated a new cocktail list focusing on sustainability and native ingredients. Expect refined food and drinks and unbeatable views up at this Melbourne CBD bar.
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9
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. The Melbourne CBD rooftop bar gets packed with suits after work, and the late-night drinkers flock here until close.
Up at Siglo, it is all very European, from the old-school Parisian-style chairs and tables topped with white linen to the food and drinks menu. During hot afternoons, the rooftop is full of spritz drinkers, and as the sun sets over Parliament House, the vermouth-sipping, red wine-swirling Melburnians take over.
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8
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. Here, you’ll find a 1920s-themed speakeasy bar that’s home to all manners of luxury goodies.
Signature cocktails are a must when visiting, while we never visit without getting one of its big charcuterie boards and a few dozen oysters. Into your whisky? You’re well and truly in luck. Head to the whisky room hidden behind a bookcase to sample whisky flights paired with regularly changing eats. Despite all the theatrics, quality is never overlooked here. It manages to be both fun and refined.
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7
Most Melbourne rooftop bars aim to conquer the summer, rolling back the awnings to serve spritzes and pét-nats in the blistering sunshine. Sadly, these bars tend to empty out once winter trickles in and the days get shorter. But Santana, the rooftop bar from Abjar Kasho (Bouvardia), really comes into its own once the sun goes down. Yes, it will be booming on hot days, but the Latin-influenced bar seems best suited to Melbourne’s cooler and darker months.
At night, the Santana neon signs illuminate the whole bar in hazy red light, while plumes of smoke from fine cigars float out into the cityscape. There’s a sultry mood here that we are all for.
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6
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.
Rich, luxurious and flush with cushioned surfaces and secretive enclaves, it almost begs for a sneaky pash on a dim corner lounge. Even better, escape with your date to the hidden, fairy-light-lit den that links the venue to Bar Ampere next door.
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5
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. Giving the bar its deep red glow, the sign is imperative not just to its recognisability, but also to the moodiness of the den-like venue.
It seems to enjoy its status as the dark horse — sitting underneath the bright and bustling Chin Chin, it’s become an unassuming mainstay within the Chris Lucas empire. If you want to avoid the perpetual post-5pm queue snaking out of the main entry, duck around to Higsons Lane and descend into the darkness directly for delicious food, a more chill atmosphere and heaps of great drinks.
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4
Wander down Tattersalls Lane for a quintessential Melbourne experience at car park bar Section 8. Slinging drinks from the converted container bar since 2006, the team here knows how to throw a party.
Beats and vibes are provided by a rotating cast of emerging Melbourne hip hop groups, DJs and producers, so pull up a milk crate, crack a tinny and get ready to get down. And if you’re after more sophisticated sips, you only need to head upstairs to the team’s own Aster bar, which was formerly the famed Ferdydurke’s.
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3
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.
The focus here is memorable, produce-driven cocktails and oysters sourced from the country’s best-growing regions. Libations show respect for individual ingredients and a penchant for creativity, while an oft-changing wine list has been carefully chosen to represent only that which is ‘fun’ and ‘delicious’.
Image: Jana Langhorst
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2
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. The intimate front bar is decked out with lots of elegant old-world charm and vintage furnishings.
Pull up a velvet pew in front of the open fireplace while you get acquainted with the crafty cocktail list. To eat, you’ll find a range of pizzas and Euro-leaning snacks to pair perfectly with whatever’s in your glass.
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If you hit up a Melbourne restaurant and find ten wines offered by the glass, you’re doing alright. If you get 20, you’re in for a real treat. But Circl Wine House in Melbourne’s CBD is doing what few hospo venues can by offering a whopping 150 drops by the glass and 1500 by the bottle. This is hugely important to the owners, who created this Melbourne wine bar to help foster a new culture around vino — one built around accessibility, inclusivity and discovery.
Wine is most certainly the star of the show at Circl, but food is far from neglected. Executive Chef Elias Salomonsson (ex-Scott Pickett Group and Vue Group) has created a Euro-centric menu of small and large dishes that are strongly influenced by his Scandinavian background.
Top image: Bar Ampere
