For a good time, go somewhere else. You'll thank me later. Bar staff 4/5, door girl 3/5, over zealous security 0/5. read more

Asian Beer Cafe - I pray you do not go here. Save your money, save your time, and find anywhere else. - Bars Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Their happy hour pizza deal was alright. I liked the tandoori chicken once but the spicy meats one was gross.. it was shreds of bologna.. lol their happy hour drinks is not that great a deal. read more

Asian Beer Cafe - Bars Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

See all

Our first pit-stop in our Melbourne bar hopping adventures takes us to Asian Beer Cafe, where the only real thing its got going for it are its extremely cheap drinks and appetizers. A pitcher of draft beer here costs less than A$10, which is insane considering how pricey drinking can be in Australia. They also offer some cheap appetizers which we ordered including egg rolls, fries, and wings. Food was tasty with the beer, but nothing mind blowing. The whole feel of the place makes me question whether it's appropriating Asian culture. It's loud, dingy, and constantly filled with patrons... oh wait, that sounds like the perfect mix of Asia! If you're feeling cheap and need a place for some pre-drinks before the big meal, then Asian Beer Cafe is the place for you. read more

Asian Beer Cafe - Beer! - Bars Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

See all

There are two things that I have noticed about this bar: 1) It gets really, really crowded on Friday nights, and 2) It has really, really cheap beer. In fact a jug of Sumo will only set you back $10.00. Mind you, it isn't as if Sumo is the best beer the the world - far from it - which is probably why it is so cheap. It is also probably why you get so many people swarming this place because the beer is so cheap. Anyway, I did really like this place - it has a heaps cool theme, and the Manga pictures over the walls add quite a bit of character. However it certainly isn't one of those places that I frequent all that often, namely because of the huge crowds and the fact that it can be almost impossible to find a seat. Okay, the cheap beer is enticing, but since it really isn't all that great, I can probably pass on it. read more

See all

I'm giving Asian Beer Cafe four stars for its dining experience, not so much its bar experience. Really, I'm giving it four stars for its awesome vegan menu. Not too many drinking establishments have a full menu that's 100% vegan and actually delicious. So far I've had the vegan veggie burger (a quinoa, lentil, and veggie patty with beetroot chutney, lettuce, and tomato), which was DELICIOUS, and the vegan shoestring fries (the menu has a disclaimer that it shares the fryer with non-vegan items, just FYI). Look, I'm not ashamed to say that I've been to Asian Beer Cafe many a night for drinks, especially with backpacker friends. (OK, I'm a little ashamed.) And for the $1 champagne on Thursday ladies' nights -- God help us all. (OK, I'm ashamed.) When my friends said they were planning to have a night out at Asian Beer Cafe, I always viewed it with a sense of resignation -- it was never really my first choice of bars, given the loud music, sticky floors, self-important bouncers, pouty bartenders, and insane crowds, especially on the balcony. Not to mention the decor, which is cheesy in a Disney-World-Asian-opium-den sort of way. (As one of my Chinese friends said, "I can't drink here with this decor and all the incense smoke in the air. It reminds me too much of my grandmother's house. I feel like she's watching me get wasted.") Yeahhhh. So, given the somewhat sub-par experiences drinking here, I really didn't expect this place to have decent food. Let alone decent vegan food. Let alone DELICIOUS vegan food. Let alone an entire menu of delicious vegan food. So it's definitely getting a thumbs-up from me. And it's all very reasonably priced, too. I'll have to head back and try the other vegan options on the menu. But if you're looking for a nice vegan burger at lunchtime or early dinner before this place gets crowded with after-work drinkers, definitely head here! You won't be disappointed. The balcony is especially nice on a sunny day -- it's a large balcony with plenty of seating and it has a great view of the State Library of Victoria. And maybe I'll see you there sometime for $1 champagne ladies night. (Gulp.) read more

It's a shame that you have to endure venues like this in Melbourne for alcohol to cost as much as it does in the rest of the world. That's not to say Asian Beer Cafe is a bad venue really, but it's not somewhere your discerning Melburnian is going to rave about. To its credit, it did make me feel about twenty years younger, with the scrupulous gaze of the security guard (on a Monday night), cocktails ON TAP, and wine that tasted like wine flavouring. Bottom line, it's cheap in both cost, quality and style, but if you're in Melbourne Central and waiting for a movie, you're not going to do too badly here. I'd imagine it's hellish on a Fri/Sat night, though. read more

Asian Beer Cafe - Bars Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

What you see is what you get at the Asian Beer...cheap eats & cheap booze. It is an unusual form a queue ordering system at the bar but it works well. After reading a review on Yelp I opted to try the vegan burger which was really tasty & came with a small serve of fries, which I didn't realise & ended up ordering more fries on the side so I ended up with a mountain of fries!!! I was dining with a large group & we all ordered individually, the food was served fairly quickly after ordering but the clearing of the dishes was very slow. I moved my plate to another table & it was still there when I left 45 minutes later. I asked my fellow diners what they thought of their meals & most agreed that for the price they couldn't complain. After all you can't even get a pizza in the supermarket for $5!!! read more

Asian Beer Cafe - Vegan Burger - Bars Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

It's great for cheap drinks and belly-filling food. There's plenty of seating, and lots of eye candy, albeit really young clientele (they're pretty serious on the door checks to keep out under-agers!). Happy Hour is very happy indeed, and super generous. $8 jugs for the house beer, 2-4-1 cocktails and $5 pizzas, etc. Two weird things of note: 1) You have to queue in lines at the bar. 2) They do bag checks and confiscate water bottles. :( A cheap and cheerful pre-night spot. Give it a crack. read more

Uni hangout on steroids. Great for cheap drinks, cheap eats and loads of people. The bartender looked kinda afraid and I had to talk him through my order but i think it was his first night. The sort of place when you don't care for sophistication, and can cater for large groups. Don't expect your meals to come out until you've gotten through at least 3 drinks however. This kind of establishment definitely has its place in society however I think maybe I'm 10 years too old to embrace it. Sigh. read more

Asian Beer Cafe - Side room delights - Bars Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

I have been here plenty of times since moving to Melbourne 2 years ago. This is the kind of place where you can have a really good time if you are with the right people. 2 for 1 cocktails are dangerous, 2 long islands for $14. This is a great place to start the night. Finally the $5 pizza's are actually really good, I recommend the roast pumpkin and the BBQ chicken. Have fun! read more

I've been going to abc bar since i was 18. Always an amazing night,first night out of lockdown doing the $49 bottomless cocktails and after my 10th drink I begin to realise there is no to little alcohol in the drink. For the years of fun to turn to this and send out jugs of soft drink I am disgusted, without fixing I will never return. read more

When I think about the Asian Beer Cafe, the first thing that springs to mind is that it is a cool place to meet up for after work drinks. They always have some sort of deal on.. Student discount, happy hour, $14 espresso martinis everyday etc. I don't mind it, it has a nice selection of drinks, it's conveniently located in Melbourne Central, there's plenty of seating space and the balcony offers a nice view of the State Library and Swanston Street although you'll likely struggle if you can't stand cigarettes. They serve food as well and, yes, they do also have deals on those. Definitely worth checking out. read more

the drinks and atmosphere were very good. shame the pork dumplings gave me severe food poisoning :(

Especially popular with students and backpackers, this place can get real hectic. That's because their prices don't burn a hole through your wallet, and on Thursdays the bubbly is free for ladies between 5-7pm! I've dropped by on the occasional Thurs or Fri after work to catch up with mates, the balcony is awesome in summer (if you can find a spot), the $5 pizzas are great and probably a better option than some of the fast food oulets in Melb Central, and they have the cheapest (selected) cocktail specials at $7 a pop during happy hour. Late nights here are not my scene but after work when it's still laid back is totally fine! read more

This place does super cheap drinks in a pumping student atmosphere. If that's not your thing then you're best to look elsewhere. Come here on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night and you'll find the joint packed with those young folk. The cocktails are often half price, and beer can be as cheap as $8 a jug so it's no wonder they show up. It may be often hard to find a seat, and the wait at the bar can be a little tedious, but the atmosphere is jovial. ABC closes at 1am at the latest, which means that it begins to get pretty quiet come midnight. Most come to have drinks before moving onto the clubs. I tried the mojito on tap and it was pretty good; I was surprised. The $5 are also popular and taste decent (considering the price.) ABC is the perfect joint for cheap drinks, meeting new people and enjoying the Melbourne view (it looks out over the State Library.) Only avoid it if you're looking for something quiet where you don't have to line up for drinks. read more

Nice tasty food that's really affordable. Good portion too. We had the chicken buffalo burger with blue cheese. Will definitely order it again The outdoor area is nice but the tables smells of old beer. RMIT students LIVE here!!! read more

BAD STANDARDS AVOID This place has a balcony with great views of the city (but not as amazing as Blue Diamond) but even if you go to the toilet you have to queue up for 5--10 minutes just to rejoin your friends. How long is the wait? While waiting I've found this place on yelp, checked in, written and proof read this review (and I'm a slow typer) and there are still people in front of me. A great bar destroyed by one lousy standard. read more

If you're looking for a popular uni bar in the centre of melbourne cbd...well here it is. $8 jugs of sumo, who knows what that is. Thursdays free champagne for ladies between 5-7pm and then $1 after. It provides inside and outside seating looking over melbournes state library. The theme of the venue is well Asian, which would make sense. They have sailor moon and dragon ball z playing on the tvs through out your dining experience. The food is well priced as they do $10 steak and chips and $5 pizzas all day. Definitely worth heading in for a look. read more

Bar food. Don't hold your hopes high. Why you ask i came here then? ITS CHEAP!!! I had the four cheeses pizza for 5$. Oh they serve food after 12pm. The base was tortilla bread lmao i was caught by surprise tbh I didn't see that coming. Presentation is great! Staff is okay, some of them are above average. If you're not used to alcohol scent don't come in because even the table smells like a jug of beer. Um ya all pizzas are for 5$, and they regularly have offers so go ahead and check their website for today's offers. read more

It is a bar catered to students. IF you like cheap beer and cheap pizza and are not looking for quality then it is a place to go to. Food is okay, small quantities. It is always busy, noisy and loud. Service sucks, you're lucky if your table isn't full with empty glasses and cigarettes on a Friday/Saturday night. Their staff are not well trained & seem to be dazed half the time especially the bussies. There a particular manager that is snobby and pretentious: never smiles & has no sense of customer service. He treats you like a lower class citizen. The deco is good though, i like the theme except for the bathrooms. They are often dirty, smelly and never have any toilet paper or soap. Security is a little tight but I think that is good. Just don't act or dress like a dickhead and you're fine. read more

Probably one of my favourite bars. Perfect if you want cheap drinks with a bunch of friends. Kind of like a choose your own adventure! You can sit, talk and chill or you can hit the dance floor!! read more

I've always admired the Asian Beer Cafe, a great venue that caters to its demographic exceptional well. The venue itself is designed really well, and reminds me of a bar that I visited on several occasions whilst living in Singapore. The jewel in the crown is the sprawling balcony that over looks Swanston Street and Melbourne library. This is the epicentre of the venue, and the crowd naturally gravitate to it. I've visited ABC on several occasions for drinks but never had the opportunity to sit down for a meal. So today I had the opportunity to change this. I needed a place that was quick and uncomplicated and somewhere to conduct a business meeting. We arrived at 1pm and approached the bar to look over the menu. ABC had a great lunch special for $15, which was a selection of dishes with either a beer or wine. The first disappointment was they had run out of steaks, so I opted for the bbq chicken burger with French fries. My business colleague ordered the beef ribs. We both ordered beers, paid and made our way to the balcony. It wasn't long before my burger and fries arrived. First impression was ok, then I took my first bite, it was like warm, which was a pity because the chicken actually had some great flavours and was cooked well. The fries - cold. I'm confident that if it came out hot it would have been a better dish. The clock was ticking and there was no sign of the beef ribs, so after 30mins we gently reminded the staff behind the bar. It wasn't long after that the ribs arrived. When the girl who served the ribs came out we asked for cutlery, now this is where they fall, without even stopping to look back she said yep I'll get them for you, in a tone that came across - annoyed. She then returned and literally tossed them on the table and walked away. The ribs themselves a bit fatty and tasted strange. The ribs tasted like they had been last weeks leftovers, reheated and served. Not very pleasant. So overall not impressed with the food, but if it's drinks and a view your after Asian Beer Cafe is not a bad place to go. read more

I can't speak for the food but the drink specials here are fantastic. Daily happy hour specials along with $20 jugs on tap! Great selection of drinks and outdoor seating with a good view. Another plus is the convenient location and fun clientele. I will be back! read more

Décor is surprisingly very well done, crowd is actually not all Asian, cocktail & jug specials are cool, view on the balcony is pretty sweet. However, the trees do block a bit of the view of the State Library. Younger, uni-aged crowd. Perplexed that I got in with thongs Saturday night, and when I returned the very next day on Sunday night they wouldn't let me in for wearing the same pair of thongs. My outfit Sunday night was cuter & more dressed up than Saturday night, too. Weird & dumb. read more

In winter finding a bar with warm outdoor heating can be hard. Extreme outdoor heating here, which is great to enjoy the fantastic view of the library. The decor is templesque, with statues and lanterns lighting the way in. ABC's 2-for-1 cocktails are a favourite for my friends, Wed, Thu, Fri & Sat between 4 and 8pm. The $5 pizzas (while not mind-blowing) are a great snack all week if you're on a budget, as are the 3-for-$12 tapas. If you're a young professional or a student this is a must-try. The only downside is during busy periods you may not find a place to sit or experience major delays in the line for drinks. read more