Overview
If there's one thing a city can't have too many of, it's rooftop bars. Especially rooftop bars designed by the guys behind Arbory and Arbory Afloat, with plates of barbecue Thai food and epic views of Melbourne's CBD.
Welcome to HER Rooftop, Melbourne's newest sky-high hospo joint. This is the top floor of the hotly anticipated HER – a four-storey mega-venue from the Arbory guys, which has been in development since December 2020 and officially opened this month.
Parker Blain
There's an all-day French diner on the ground floor. A dedicated 'listening bar' on Level 2. A sizzling Thai BBQ canteen above that. And finally HER Rooftop, a cocktail bar-slash garden terrace designed by Melbourne-born, Sydney-based Tamsin Johnson.
HER Rooftop looks like an old-world European garden party that's been plonked down on a Melbourne rooftop. There are wrought-iron tables and chairs, a geometric Italian marble floor, lush green planter boxes everywhere and colour-packed wall tiles. Even the bar at the back is speccy, with a custom zinc coating, brass detailing and three arched rose-tinted mirrors (so you can check yourself out while waiting for your handmade digestif).
"The sun-washed hues embody the mood of HER; a scene that might define the mood of our guests with an evocative sense of romance and light-heartedness, like players on a stage," says Johnson.
You can squeeze 120 guests up here, and there's plenty for them to drink. HER Rooftop will be open till 1:00am every night, slinging a carefully curated mix of cocktails and spirits. The focus seems to be on boutique tequila and gins, which is a recipe for a big night right there, but you can also order burnt pineapple margaritas, pink grapefruit Palomas, or a mix of Euro aperitifs.
Parker Blain
To soak up the booze, you've got Thai barbecue from BKK downstairs. Expect hulking fried chicken sandwiches with Som Tum and sweet chilli, a selection of laab (the vegan laab with crispy eggplant is our personal fave), and southern rice salad.
"HER Rooftop could be a gorgeous terrace in Europe, miles away, yet it's in the heart of Melbourne. We want to transport guests, in our playful European-inspired interiors, whether it be over a cocktail, lunch or sunset session," says Matt Thomas, HER's General Manager.
HER and HER Rooftop are open for business. You can find them at 270 Lonsdale Street in Melbourne, inside the old Federation Building. HER Rooftop is open from 11:30am to 1:00am, seven days a week.