- awesome bar - trendy music…read more- can't wait to try the food it looked goo - you might meet gerald - trendy music serves all genres

Okay, while this place may not necessarily be a beer bar, they do certainly have some awesome beers…read moreavailable here. In fact this place really feels as if it is more like one of those European bars which serve some rather exotic European beers. Well, Delerium Tremins for one, which honestly is pretty expensive, but that is basically because it is imported from Belgium, and it isn't one of thise more common Belgium beers that you come across. The other thing is that this place is table service, which is another aspect of this place that reminds me of Europe. Yeah, this bar is awesome.

One thing that I will say is the service is pretty good but when It comes to the people that serve…read moreyou! Well I suppose you can't have everything can you? One Guy there, I think he may be the owner, every time I have been in there he looks at me, like the look he gives me is like Lucky you have money because I would gladly kick you out. Maybe it's just me! "But" I feel that if you are not wealthy, you should not enter his shop. That's the feeling that I and a couple of others think anyway.

Decor and ambience lovely. Superb food and drink. Seat by the fire a nice touch for a date night…read more Will be back and would recommend.

If you're hunting for a classic Melbourne vibe on a Saturday, Murmur Piano Bar in Warburton Lane is…read morea top-tier choice. It's tucked away upstairs and feels like a genuine escape from the CBD chaos, even when it's packed. The atmosphere is built around the live piano sets--expect a high-energy, sing-along crowd that's social but more mature than your standard nightclub. Because they don't serve food, the focus remains entirely on the performance and the drinks; the bartenders are efficient even during the Saturday rush, turning out excellent classic cocktails and a solid selection of spirits. The key to a good night here is timing and preparation. Since it's a no-food venue, grab dinner at one of the nearby spots on Elizabeth or Little Collins Street first. On a Saturday, it hits capacity quickly, so arrive before 9:00 PM if you want any hope of snagging a stool near the piano; otherwise, be prepared for a lively, standing-room-only experience. It's the perfect spot if you want a night defined by dim lighting, velvet interiors, and live music rather than a generic DJ set.

A amazing place, Hidden Gem , I've been many times and it's a great experience, The hole place goes…read moreoff regularly with signing, Very crowd interactive, Bar staff and manager are amazing and friendly, Great when celebrating a birthday or anything, You won't be disappointed "party on"

This is the place you want to know from inside out. It just…read morelooks like any other shops in the neighborhood until you walk in and discover the hidden backyard garden. That's the wow moment when you don't want to sit outside neither are fond of the dim-light inside space. They offer good selections of wine and beer. Backyard offers the atmosphere for a fresh and delightful conversation with your friends meanwhile it he inside space provides a bit of magic for romance. It's a good place to drop-by without being too ambitious.

A much needed wine bar in Hawthorn - more please! With three spaces including a small but homely…read moreoutdoor space it appeals to a slightly more mature clientele than the local uni hotels. A rotating selection of wines by the glass and considerably more by the bottle, the team is more than happy for you to take a sip before you buy and pass on their recommendations. I haven't ventured further that the paprika spiced fries when it comes to food but they have a share plate concept with loads of seasonal tastes. Open Tuesday and Sunday and they welcome functions any day of the week!

This is another one of those bars that I have known about for a while but it took, well, quite a…read morewhile to actually get around to visiting the place. Well, when I eventually did I have to say that it was certainly worth it. Yeah, it is probably a more a wine bar, but they do have been here, even though it isn't a great selection (one tap I believe). Yet, it is still quite nice, and the atmosphere, well, the atmosphere is also pretty good. In fact, I found the place to be a great place where you can do some work. Oh, and they have a pretty nice outdoor area out the back as well.

Hi folks, a massive word of warning since the bar doesn't see fit to advise their patrons: they're…read moreusing pasta straws, that look like typical paper straws. The venue is always very darkly lit, which makes it even harder to tell that they're not paper straws until you're sticking pasta in your mouth. There's no warning and no query on whether you want a straw at all, never mind one made of a major allergen (and an extremely common food avoided in the inner Melbourne suburb of Brunswick). The worst part of this was their attitude when my partner confirmed that it was pasta and explained the harm they caused in not advising that their straws were made of a serious allergen. The bar's attitude was to DARVO the situation, to say that I shouldn't have drunk through the straw - but that was the whole problem, there was nothing suspicious, it was incredibly deceiving. We were told that they didn't know about allergens because it 'wasn't their world' - they're in hospitality! Their practice and attitudes have caused me (and undoubtedly many others) a great deal of pain and illness, and it won't be over for months. Beware.

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.

I'm ashamed to admit that the first time I came to Gin Palace was for the Yelp UYE for the Martini…read moreclubs Gin Class. When I walked in I was very impressed. Dark & mystical interior with wonderful accommodating furniture and a bar to die for. I think it would be quite easy to sit, chat and drink for very long periods of time at this devine establishment. Our class was held in a room out the back which had the lovely affect of fairy lights and moss decorations on the ceiling. If I was to have a date, I would most certainly would want to come here as its oh so very intimate. HINT HINT!

I've been spoiled. The experiences that my wife and I have had at The Waiting Room, Kodiak Club,…read moreThe Everleigh, and many other places has made us accustomed to not only a certain quality of cocktail bar, but, of cocktail bar experience -- especially as it pertains to staff and service. I realise that Boxing Day may not be the best day to expect the most out of a venue, but, having read such positive things about Gin Palace on Yelp, and having heard of a great visit by a colleague of my wife, I was up for trying it out and seeing what would happen. Finding the location was easy enough, lights on the ground and a big sign over the door for "GP" made it pretty clear we knew we were there...and the immediate impression I had was actually quite a positive one. Eclectic interior, lots of comfortable looking chairs, great for small groups of people (which actually makes it less ideal for just two people, unless you like sharing your cocktail space (we don't))... I think one thing that is critical to stress is that this is a *GIN* cocktail bar. If you like a good G&T, you'll be happy. If you like a lot of cocktails where gin is the primary ingredient, you'll be happy. If, however, your wife hates gin because the juniper base reminds her of drinking pine-sol (a disinfectant cleaner) you may be somewhat out of luck. But that's okay, we're at a cocktail bar, surely if we provide a few suggestions from The Bartender's Choice (iOS app), they'd be able to accommodate. What follows is a conversation that should NEVER, EVER EVER happen in ANY COCKTAIL BAR, EVER. Me: "Do you know how to make an El Guapo?" Her: "No..." Me: "How about a Paper Plane?" Her: "No..." ..repeat through a few more classics.. Eventually, the waitress/bartender came up with a concoction which was based on something they recently had on the menu, and it was actually quite nice (Tu Madre, which should make Spanish speakers wince a bit, as it did me). I actually went for the Q Tonic G&T and it was pretty good. When I approached the bar for the second round, the main bartender was present (I got the feeling the waitress was only filling in till his return)...and I was a bit more hopeful that he'd have some fun suggestions and know some of my wife's favourite drinks. I was wrong. And it REALLY disappointed me. I went for something on-menu, and that was easy enough (and very tasty), but for my wife I again wanted to try a Paper Plane. I had Bartender's Choice open on my iPhone, ready for the inevitable.... Me: ..and for my wife, do you know how to make a Paper Plane? Him: hmmm, yeah.... But there was hesitance. So I showed him the recipe from the iOS app. Him: That's not how you make a Paper Plane. Me: *BLINK* *GASP* Me: I rather think it is. The app is written by a bit of an expert (Note: I am dramatically understating the case here. Read on.) Award winning bartender, knows his stuff. Him: Well, that's not it. What app is that? Me: It's Bartender's Choice. Him: Well, it's not a Paper Plane. Sam Ross created the Paper Plane, and that's not it. Me: This is HIS APP. It is written by Written by Sammy Ross. Inventor of the Paper Plane cocktail. His recipe. Source of the drink. In other words: I was using the app from the guy who invented the drink I was ordering, his recipe, and was being told by a bartender in Melbourne that it wasn't the right thing. Worse: They couldn't make it according to the recipe, and would have to fudge some ingredients. Okay, now, if you've read any of my reviews before you know I LOVE it when a bartender gets creative. Invents. Twists and contorts something to my liking. But this wasn't that. This was simple substitution. This wasn't art, it wasn't fun interaction with a clearly enthusiastic customer. This was making do. I'll be frank: I was disappointed. A couple of weeks ago one of the main bartenders at Kodiak Club paid myself and my wife a huge compliment. He said he loves it when we come in because we drink "bartender's drinks" - we like to experiment, to explore, to ask "what if we do this instead?" and we learn and enjoy. We appreciate their art and encourage them to make the most of it. I didn't get that at Gin Palace. Whilst the cocktails were okay, they weren't inspired. There was almost no sense of "tell me what you like, and we'll have fun" from the staff. Best way to summarise it: It was an awkward first date, and afterwards you realise you don't have much in common. "I'll call you," you say, as you part for the night. But you won't.

Charcuterie & wine what more do you want…read more.. You will find Mary Fortune above Papa Goose, head down the side street and through the door, up some stairs and BAM you're there. It has VERY long bar that stretches almost the entire venue; you are sure to find a spot to prop yourself at. This little bar is a great place for an after work drink; you know that cheeky bottle of wine with friends. Don't worry if you didn't come with friends there are plenty of peeps that will enjoy a drink with you too. I have to admit that I come here for champagne and charcuterie, this is one place that I came by myself sit at the bar drink my champagne and read. (well during the week) Service is friendly and professional; it's a great bar.

I first stumbled past this place mid week and a friend suggested checking it out. I wasn't…read moreconvinced at first but gosh I'm glad Amy was persistent! Decor feels stylish yet comfortable. Seating is stool style at the bar or against the wall. Personally I prefer the bar but either way it's table service and staff are attentive (and cheeky in a fun way). The very charming and energetic bartender, Chris created a fabulous cocktail for me based on my favourite liquor, Pernod on Wednesday, then remembered it on Friday. The food comes from the Pappa Goose menu downstairs. A hidden gem.