Randy dragon
The dragon is a red lit dungeon just off Bourke at right in the heart of the city. This place is great for starting your night of drink adventures because it's so central and the drink specials are always amazing. Most nights they have a four hour period ( happy hour) where almost all drinks are five bucks. That's beers, wine , champagne and spirits. Which in my book is a pretty bloody good way to kick off your evening.
The decor is a cross between Asian and relaxed diveyness. The room is small but has lots of table and booths for good numbers of small groups to gather and chAt. I've hosted many good meet ups here and they have a back via room that fits about 30-40 very well.
The staff are friendly and always looking to make a deal on bringing people in, so if your going to be hosting a group event do talk with them. The place is open early and shuts late and has a wide mix of people who call this place their regular haunt. The music is relaxed hiphop and late on they clear the tiny stage and some of the more intoxicated punter shake it around. Again great place to start your night with some affordable drinks if your not a snob and want to looks at a giant dragon while you drink,
Hugs & kisses
To be honest I'm not sure if this place is still open but I'm going to review it anyway because it was so cool. H&k has the strangest bar licence I've ever encounters and the the only one I've ever heard of like it. Classified as a members only club not a bar they are only allowed to be open certain days after 6pm. Meaning they are normally open til 6am in the morning.
It's a smoky pink den with lots of booths and a massive dance floor . Clearly you want to come here after your night has already hit full swing and you want to dance to some electro music from the nightly DJs or hid in a booth with some close friends and get to know them better. The staff are awesome and welcome solo drinkers at their bar.
To enter you have to get a membership with is five buck and your then in an offshoot of the royal adeluvian order of Buffaloes and like bill and ted have to agree to be awesome to each other and other nice things. If you're r going through that stage in you life where you sleep all day and drink all night come and add this place to your regular rotation. It goes from dead to packed with no seemingly cause but is fun either time and they make their own spiced rum which is nice as well.
Ps. It is still open!
New Gold Mountain
Address: 21 Liverpool St
Melbourne 3000
Of all the bars listed I’m tipping this is the one that
hardly anyone knows about or even if they do they struggle to find it. Given
it’s actually just a doorway with the number 21 and a bike above. It’s a great
little late night spot hiding upstairs though and it’s part of the lily blacks
group so you know they know what they are doing. It’s open til 5-6 on the
weekends.
It’s a relaxed sit
down place, where you come for cocktails and conversation. They do have some
booth seating as well so it’s a good place to get cosy with someone at the end
of the night as well. The bartenders follow the lily’s style of shirts and
vests and the décor is a cool green with black furnishings and lush features.
This is a great place if you’ve been before and want to show
off your Melbourne bar knowledge as it’s a hidden gem that really is a surprise
when you walk up the stairs. It’s located at the Paris end of the city and in
the midst of many good bars and it’s a great place to end off an evening. No
dress code or security guards but behave yourself because once you come here
you’re going to want to come back again and again.
Butterfly Club
Address: 5 Carsons Place
Melbourne 3000
Butterfly club is a
theater that hosts cabaret shows and also has two awesome bars that look like
an Alice in Wonderland explosion in a thrift store. It’s really one of the bars
that you take people to when you want them to lose their breath and say I can’t
believe this place exists. It’s also hidden up a typical Melbourne lane way and
up some concrete stairs so when you get into the bars it a very pleasant
surprise.
Given the nature of the venue and the shows they put on in
their 70 seat theater attached they also get a very different crowd to your
typical bars. It’s a lot of people waiting for the shows but also people who
have heard how great it is a want a poke around.
If you are having an event talk to them about hosting and
you’ll be getting many many high fives from your guests. The bar itself is
small but good, the staff are friendly and chatty and there is a smoking area
on the top level. Come have a drink and check out their line-up of shows. This
is a very one of a kind venue and needs to be seen to be believed.
Collins Quarter
Address: 86a Collins St
Melbourne 3000
Collins Quarter is
a very up market bar and restaurant at the Paris end of Collins st. Even though
I’m not a really up market sort of person I do like this place because it’s so
damn well presented and they have done a good job of separating the different
areas so you can relax in the up-market décor while still wearing your green
day t-shirt. As far as I know they don’t have a dress code as I always wear
jean but still get let in, that said between 5-9 expect to see a lot of the
Collin st crowd having after work drink. Actually if I was a girl who wanted to
meet a rich young guy I’d put this at the top of my list.
This venue is made
up of three separate areas. The front being a high class restaurant with great
booth 
They have a great range of beers on tap and staff right now
how are fantastic, some of the best people I’ve met behind a bar. The bar
closes pretty early around 11-12 but it’s a nice place to start your night
especially if you want to avail yourself of some great food as well.
Clique
26 king st
Melbourne 3000
Clique is fast
becoming my favorite late late night spot in Melbourne. They are open til
6-7am even on the week nights. during the week is a very good haunt for the
hospo crowd as well as some random people who wander in from King st. The bar
staff really know what they are doing and have a very good range of drinks that
you’ll find it hard to locate elsewhere. Thinks like Fireball Whiskey and
Bacardi 151.
It’s a modern bar
with a nice clean décor with black leather couches and good bench space at the
bar. They
have some incredible street art decorating the walls as well and a
very good smoking room with seating which becomes the home of many late night
chat sessions. They also have a pool table which gets a lot of action and the
bar staff are sharks so if they look bored just challenge them to a game.
This is a place where
you’ll have a lot of fun drinking by yourself if you’re the type that makes
friends easily and loves random adventures. I had an epic night here last night
and found a pool shark girl who help me improve my pool game by miles, thanks
taz. They also have a happy hour at 5-6am which is incredible. If you’re still
drinking at 3am and need a good place to go come here.
Campari Bar - Rooftop
25 Hardware Lane
Melbourne, 3000
www.camparihouse.com.au
Campari is a great rooftop bar in hardware lane. It's one of the most enclosed rooftops i've been too and is still going strong in the winter time. It's much better in summer because they do have a great view but it's always humming with life.
They have a good snack menu and you can always get some grub to soak up the beers and cocktails. The decor is fairly standard outside bar style with big outdoor table and fake grass which add a nice touch. The clientele are usually a bit upmarket office types who love to come here when the day is done for a drink after work, but that makes it a very good place to come if you actually want to chat to people and meet someone.
The entire rooftop is a smoking are which can make it great or not when it's enclosed and it's one of the only rooftops i've seen where people will actually dance as well when the night gets going. Come here if ou feel like grabbing some sun and pizza with your beer.
Melbourne, 3000
www.camparihouse.com.au
Campari is a great rooftop bar in hardware lane. It's one of the most enclosed rooftops i've been too and is still going strong in the winter time. It's much better in summer because they do have a great view but it's always humming with life.They have a good snack menu and you can always get some grub to soak up the beers and cocktails. The decor is fairly standard outside bar style with big outdoor table and fake grass which add a nice touch. The clientele are usually a bit upmarket office types who love to come here when the day is done for a drink after work, but that makes it a very good place to come if you actually want to chat to people and meet someone.
Nihonshu Shochu & Sake
163 Lonsdale St
Melbourne, 3000
www.nihonshu.com.au
Nihonshu is a little counter bar nestled next to a Japanese restaurant in lonsdale st. It's low lit, relaxed and run by one of the coolest bar tenders in Melbourne. It's a sake bar, but they also have a great range of Asian beers, like Tsing Tao in the can and they have a full range of Japanese Tapas as well.
This place is run by none other than Kay the lead guitar player from the old Japanese Ramones style punk band Mach Pelican. I've had heaps of great nights hear chatting with him about great shows and bands and getting him to play some classic Japanese punk for me.
This place closes pretty early before 1pm but it's a really good place to start your night. If you're in the area definitely stop passed and have some food and great Japanese beers. If you're a sake or Japanese whiskey fan this is also a good place for you as they have a huge selection.
Melbourne, 3000
www.nihonshu.com.au
Nihonshu is a little counter bar nestled next to a Japanese restaurant in lonsdale st. It's low lit, relaxed and run by one of the coolest bar tenders in Melbourne. It's a sake bar, but they also have a great range of Asian beers, like Tsing Tao in the can and they have a full range of Japanese Tapas as well.
Berlin Bar
3/16 Corrs Lane
Melbourne, 3000
www.berlinbar.com.au
Inspired by a city once divided and now reunited, Berlin is a very interesting and fun drinking experience. It starts when you climb up the stairs to knock on the solid metal door. The door is opened and you are shown to your seat inside.
The bar is divided into east and west Berlin. One being the lush capitalist opulence with lots of chandlers, artworks on the walls and soft music. The other side is like a communist army barracks with actual bunk beds, spray painted warning signs and camouflage netting on the roof.
Berlin is a cocktail bar and the bartenders do a great job in making the hits, as well as concoctions of their own like the love parade. The old fashion i had here made by my mate Ben was fantastic and i just loved the atmosphere in this bar. It's not the sort of place you go to dance or really party but if you want to show some friends a bar in Melbourne like none other, this is it.
Melbourne, 3000
www.berlinbar.com.au
Inspired by a city once divided and now reunited, Berlin is a very interesting and fun drinking experience. It starts when you climb up the stairs to knock on the solid metal door. The door is opened and you are shown to your seat inside.The bar is divided into east and west Berlin. One being the lush capitalist opulence with lots of chandlers, artworks on the walls and soft music. The other side is like a communist army barracks with actual bunk beds, spray painted warning signs and camouflage netting on the roof.
Berlin is a cocktail bar and the bartenders do a great job in making the hits, as well as concoctions of their own like the love parade. The old fashion i had here made by my mate Ben was fantastic and i just loved the atmosphere in this bar. It's not the sort of place you go to dance or really party but if you want to show some friends a bar in Melbourne like none other, this is it.
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