At first I thought this was just a bar however it is actually, as the name suggests, the back room…read moreof a craft beer bottle shop (though I will review that separately as it is a different sort of business. Anyway, as a bar it is pretty cool, and also quite conveniently located, which is why I have found myself back here a few times after my first visit. Anyway, this is the proper definition of a craft beer bar, especially since they have a huge number of beers available, though not at cheap prices. Another thing that stands out is that they don't just sell beer, they sell art as well, though they aren't cheap (but then again when it comes to art you aren't paying ridiculous prices, namely into the hundreds of dollars). Anywaym it is a pretty cool bar, and while the beers are a little pricey, they are also pretty good.

This is the best bar in Melbourne. Amazing selection of beer in tap, that rotates all the time…read more Plus you can buy packaged beer from Carwyn to enjoy in the bar. Mind blowing assortment of spirits (try the moonshine, go on). Plus you can order food from Moor's Head and Kustom Burger. Actually, don't go here. I don't want it to be crowded.

By far my favorite place that I've found in Melbourne, possibly in Aus! I can't speak highly enough…read moreof every aspect of this bar. Intimate setting, yet quite comfortable. Always an excellent music selection, with footy on the tv if that's what you're lookin for. The staff is WONDERFUL. so personable, quite willing to give their recommendations if you ask (and you should- they haven't steered me wrong yet!). The nachos, add beef, are easily the best nachos I've ever had- loaded with toppings, seasoned chips, absolutely delicious. Quite a diverse menu, with plenty of options depending on your hunger level. Great wine and beer selection, and a solid cocktail list too!

Food is awesome - Baked mushrooms - I could just have a plate of them on their own…read more The staff are easy to chat with and service was well timed.

Want to get your drink or dance on in Ivanhoe after hours?…read more The Rue Bar is the only bar open late in the Ivanhoe area and it's surrounds. The Rue Bar is part of the Ivanhoe Hotel complex but in the wee hours of a Friday night, when my visit took place, it turns into its own entity. By day it looks like a respectable sports bar, tradies enjoy after work drinks and nibbles before heading home and groups gathering around the bar. The Ivanhoe Hotel itself is a great place for a meal (but that deserves its own review) But when the restaurants of the area close, the Rue Bar turns into a beacon for locals in varying degrees of inebriation. After dinner at a near by restaurant a group of friends and I decided to continue the party at the Rue Bar, it was 11.30pm. As the only group of girls we were pretty much pounced on by every paralytic man in the place, most of who couldn't comprehend the meaning of "No." The bar staff were friendly but the techno music was hard to dance too and the bar just wasn't the atmosphere we were after, so we moved on. The Rue Bar wasn't the fun experience we were led to believe it would be, but maybe we just weren't drunk enough!

How has this place not had heaps of reviews? Been here many times for celebrations and St Patricks…read moreday / night drinks. ( drink ups) great cosy and quaint place and has a nice range of wines in the bottle shop to take home as well.

The headline read "Tantalized by Trumpy" -Brought to you by…read morea drinking Yelper. If you walk by on High Street, you can easily miss it as you stroll by. But pay quick attention, there's a neon sign, and a creepy dark entrance. You look and there's nothing to tell you what's on the other side. You proceed with caution as you go up the ramp, open the heavy door and enter into Trumpy. Once you settle down, the world is again at ease. Arm yourself with their thick bible of drinks. You'll be pouring over choices as the bartenders gear you one way or the other. Sip on a Pococktail by Nick Darling. The description reads "charming and brutal, effective and mesmerizing, sweet and hard, all at once." This is followed by The Millionaire, and then some other yet-to-be-named delicious drinks. The bartenders get the gist of what you like, and they will look after you as if you are a regular. Set in dim lighting, the staff is bright and all knowing drink wise. They bring character, and the record player brings personality that all but make up Trumpy. The only thing missing, is you.

Destined to be one of my fave locals. Even though it was packed to the brim with bearded hipsters…read moreon the night of my visit. Nice selection of beers, wines & spirits. Great service. Tasty food designed for sharing.

Who doesn't love pairing Boggle with cocktails and imported beer? Kelvin Bar in Northcote is one…read morebloody cool place. The room is dim, the drinks are many and the orange scooter parked out front is the best indicator that the door will be open. The crowd here is very cool. No douche bags tend to frequent it and this is a massive plus. While monopoly and scrabble aren't the average patrons idea of a wicked night out, they have me exceptionally satisfied. Besides, incorporating bets and shots into these games is one way to encourage even the most unenthusiastic friend into an extreme word finding Boggle-off. The vibe in here is the reason I keep coming back and the comfy chairs, great service and good company do nothing to change my mind. Awesome place.

Its name might say 'Working man's club' but Kelvin Bar - or Kelvin's as the locals have it - is…read moremore like Mad Men, but with Boggle in lieu of secretaries and a soundtrack of Fat Freddy's Drop instead of Roy Orbison. A heady and seemingly irresistible combination to the retro obsessed, the unathletic but competitive, and, erm, New Zealand music fans. I.e. me. If, like me, the only reason you hunger after an iPhone is for the endless possibilities of the Scrabble app, you'll love Kelvins. The décor is faithfully early seventies, the wine list refreshingly organic, and the cocktails pretty damn good. But what really makes this place special is the veritable smorgasbord of board games on offer. Not only is gaming of the board variety accepted at Kelvins, it's positively encouraged. And with Kelvin's offering games numbering Yahtzee, Monopoly, Guess Who and more, you can easily while away the hours over a bottle of organic wine and a tryst with a board game in this unassuming and under-celebrated but really quite awesome Westgarth haunt.

As I was wandering around Northcote one afternoon I discovered this lovely place so I decided to…read morecheck it out. Well, it turns out that this bar pretty much meets all the expectations that you would want from an inner-city bar, especially one located to the north of Melbourne. The place is just so relaxing and chilled, and of course having some pretty awesome art on the walls, especially some rather unique ones, certainly adds a lot of spice to it. Oh, and not surprisingly they have some great beers to chose from, and the service is also top notch as well.

Maybe I was unlucky but I drank a Yarra river wine (a red wine) that was available by the glass and…read morethe thing was barely drinkable. I do believe that the bottle had been opened for too long and that the wine had oxidized. This was confirmed by my friend who tasted the wine and came to the same sad conclusion. PS: the beer fridge looks good.

My wishes have come true at Vino Central. It is a bar & bottle shop combined! Buy a bottle of wine…read more& just pay an extra $1 per glass! Nice inside with polished pine floors & walls lined with wine & fridges filled with beer. Though we came in at the tail end of someone's 30th birthday, they made sure we had a table & were comfortable. The ONLY downside was the single bathroom up the rickety stairs.

This is one of those accidental discoveries that I discovered as I was walking down Plenty Road one…read moreafternoon after work. Having not seen it before, and pretty much picking it out as one of those trendy innercity bars (not that Preston could be considered inner city, but it is on the south side of Bell Street, so as far as I'm concerned that pretty much classifies it as inner city) I decided to check it out. I have to say that as soon as I stepped into the warehouse (it looks like it used to me a mechanic of some sort) I was immediately impressed. This is definitely the type of bar that I could spend a lot of time sitting with friends or just reading a good book. What's even better is that you can order food from the burger joint next door and they have no issue with you eating it here. Definitely on my must visit again sometime soon list.

What do you mean you're going to let me bring in my OWN food, play all your board games and sit on…read moreyour comfy lounges while serving me drinks? Are we in some kind of alternative hospitality universe here, or what!? The Raccoon Club is incredible: a warehouse styled building in the middle of seemingly nowhere (but conveniently located right in front of a tram stop) this is the kind of place that more neighbourhoods need. A huge space, great tunes, welcoming publicans, board games, a pool table, the option to call the local thai/pizza/indian and have them deliver it right to your couch or oversized bar stool...you're going to want to silently high-five the world when you first come here, and that's before you even think about having a drink. Is that a giant list of locally crafted beers and ciders I spy? Why yes, I think it is. And hang on a second, what's with the incredibly well stocked back bar? 15 types of Gin? Weird stuff I've never heard of? Good god, can I bring my tent and pitch it in the corner for a few weeks?