The Best Cocktail Bars in Melbourne
Whether you want to drink a martini with spaghetti at 2am or pair a whisky concoction with a piece of peach pie, you can have your cocktail any which way in this city.
Some nights you want a pot of beer that doesn't taste too bad and a bowl of chips that will do as dinner. But other nights you want a locally distilled spirit washed with something fancy like butter served with house-made bitters, just-cut ice and something that has been (or still is) on fire. For those times, these are the bars you want to head to — from a Brunswick East bar pairing pie and peach cocktails to a CBD lair doing all the classics until 3am.
You might need more dollars in your bank account, but, really, if you're going out for piña coladas, there is no room to be anything less than frivolous.
Image: Arlechin by Letícia Almeida.
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RestaurantReine & La Rue
380 Collins Street, Melbourne
The NOMAD team has taken French fine-dining to the next level in Melbourne.
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RestaurantChiki Chan & Hiki Bar
6 Centreway, Mordialloc
Chiki Chan is serving up playful Asian-fusion fare in Mordialloc — plus plenty of creative cocktails in its adjoining Hiki Bar.
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BarFlour Child Richmond
432 Church Street, Richmond
You’ve had sourdough pizza, US-style slices and dirty Aussie pizzas, but have you tried pinsa romana?
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BarMorena Melbourne
71 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
Alejandro Saravia is totally in his element with Morena Melbourne, masterfully executing his own take on contemporary Latin American fine-dining.
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BarAster Cocktail & Wine
31 Tattersalls Lane, Melbourne
Aster is Ferdydurke's replacement, swapping out live music for more grown-up date-night vibes.
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BarThe Bon Vivant's Companion
150 Main Street, Mornington
This Mornington bar offers up a bit of old-world luxury — even if you can't find its secret whisky bar.
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BarLola Belle
233 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Strange bedfellows rum and champagne come together at this Brunswick Street bar.
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BarCode Black Coffee Flinders Lane
189 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Code Black's Morning Bar is home to a stacked lineup of coffee-infused cocktails — both boozy and non-alcoholic.
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BarPurple Pit
380 Collins Street, Melbourne
Drop by Purple Pit for the best dirty gin martini in town.
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BarCaretaker's Cottage
139-141 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
This Melbourne bar is home to some of the world's best cocktails.
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BarHotel Nacional
23-25 Hardware Lane, Melbourne
Hotel Nacional is Hardware Lane's five-storey, totally gluten-free Mexican restaurant and bar.
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BarChampagne Problems
238 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
If you loved drinking and dancing at Evie’s Disco Diner but now feel a little too old for it, consider a trip to its older sibling in the CBD.
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BarDutch Rules Distilling Co.
586 Whitehorse Road, Mitcham
The gins here hero spices that originate from Sri Lanka, Malaysia and other spice islands.
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BarFleet Rooftop Bar
1 Queen Street, Melbourne
The Flinders Street rooftop bar boasts an encyclopaedic drinks menu stacked with over 70 rums, 50 gins, and a selection of vintage and hard-to-find spirits.
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BarMill Place Merchants
2 Mill Place, Melbourne
If you're feeling mysterious, dark and moody, this speakeasy bar might be the perfect place to brood. That's if you can find it.
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BarMisfits Bar
30 Chambers Street, Footscray
A trio of misfits have set up a sleek bar in Footscray, which champions local artists and community groups.
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BarBianchetto
26-28 Cotham Road, Kew
Joe Vargetto is blending old-school Italian sensibilities with contemporary cool at this trendy Kew spot.
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BarCastlerose
67 Palmerston Crescent, South Melbourne
Treat yourself to some old-world luxury — sipping on fine champagne and biting into confit duck cigars at the bar.
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BarMirror Mirror Rooftop Lounge
209 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne
Is Mirror Mirror rooftop bar the fairest of them all? Only time will tell.
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BarMaggie's Snacks and Liquor
100 Lygon Street, Brunswick East
This isn't your average drinking den, with the crew pumping out some wildly creative eats and drinks for locals.
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RestaurantLa Madonna
103 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
It's a proper hidden gem in the city, rising well above most hotel restaurants and bars you tend to find in Melbourne.
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BarThe Osborne Rooftop & Bar
119 Commercial Road, South Yarra
Choose between its intimate cocktail lounge, on-site restaurant, classic pub or rooftop with views of the South Yarra skyline.
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RestaurantMING Dining
299 Queen Street, Melbourne
Head to the Melbourne fine-diner to feast your way through refined dishes that marry contemporary Australian cuisine with Chinese-Canto influences.
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BarEvies Disco Diner
232 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
Karaoke, bingo, bottomless brunch- that's just the beginning.
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BarBossley Bar & Restaurant
186 Exhibition Street, Melbourne
Head to this CBD spot for pre-theatre dining or after-work drinks with the office crew.
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PubCentral Club Hotel
240 - 248 Victoria Street, North Melbourne
Find the recently renovated pub right across the road from the Queen Vic Market.
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RestaurantLongrain Melbourne
44 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne
Dine on modern Thai dishes within an impeccably restored horse stable.
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RestaurantMasti
354-356 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Prepare for a a light-hearted and laidback approach to Indian dining.
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PubCaptain Baxter
10-18 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda
Drink cocktails while taking in the sweeping beachfront views.
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BarRichmond Club Hotel
100 Swan Street, Richmond
Classic pub fare meets contemporary cuisine in the heart of Richmond.
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BarAbove Board
306 Smith Street, Collingwood
Nab one of just 12 seats at this hidden, minimalist cocktail haunt — and prepare for some world-class drinking.
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BarStrato Melbourne
202 Normanby Road, Southbank
Hit this 40th-floor beauty to sip crafty cocktails and snack on foie gras macarons among the clouds.
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BarArbory Afloat 2022 - CLOSED
Flinders Walk, Melbourne
Melbourne's seasonal floating bar is back with a new holiday-worthy look and an offering inspired by the Balearic Islands.
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BarNaught Cocktail Bar
32 Peel Street, Eltham
This cocktail den by award-winning distillery Naught will entice you out of the city with its elegant sense of drama and menu of crafty gin sips.
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BarBarlow at The Continental Sorrento
1 Ocean Beach Road, Sorrento
This luxe speakeasy pairs a sumptuous live entertainment program with clever cocktails and late-night snacks by Scott Pickett.
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BarYarra Falls
381 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
A 25-seat boozer guided by locality, steered by the seasons and named after the Yarra River's one-time waterfall.
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BarYarra Botanica
Southbank Promenade, Southbank
The Yarra River's permanent two-storey pontoon bar and eatery is celebrating local produce, native ingredients and an all-Victorian drinks offering.
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BarHER Rooftop
270 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Venture up to HER's garden party-inspired rooftop for punchy Thai snacks and summery cocktails, paired with sweeping city views.
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BarMusic Room
270 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Melbourne's first dedicated 'listening bar' boasts a 3000-strong vinyl collection and DJ Jnett in the role of Music Director.
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BarThe Distiller Melbourne - CLOSED
530 High Street, Northcote
This cocktail bar and distillery is the new home of booze brands Grainshaker and Ned, pouring classic sips with a twist.
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BarBrunswick Aces
124 Weston Street, Brunswick East
Australia's first booze-free bar and bottle shop boasts a moody, industrial-meets-baroque space in Brunswick East.
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BarPearl Diver Cocktails and Oysters
56 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne
Creatively-charged cocktails and primo Aussie oysters headline the offering at this glam CBD watering hole.
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BarFable Melbourne
168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Melbourne's highest rooftop bar is slinging clever cocktails and Mediterranean bites 14 storeys above Lonsdale Street.
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BarArbory Afloat 2021 - CLOSED
Flinders Walk, Melbourne
The floating bar's latest incarnation is inspired by Turkey's Turquoise Coast, serving up Mediterranean bites and a hefty lineup of cocktails.
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RestaurantSociety
80 Collins Street, Melbourne
This dramatic venue from Chris Lucas features two restaurants and a glam cocktail lounge.
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BarOm Nom Kitchen
187 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
The old dessert destination is now a luxe wine and cocktail bar with top-notch drinking snacks to match.
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BarFour Pillars Gin Distillery
2A Lilydale Road, Healesville
An experimental distillery, a gin shop and stunning bar by the Four Pillars crew.
