Bars & Pubs
Navigating Melbourne's best bars, pubs, breweries and drinking holes
The best pubs with fireplaces in Melbourne
While snow may not fall on Melbourne during winter, those cold months really can get you down. Thankfully, our city has no shortage of cosy neighbourhood pubs with fireplaces to warm your toes. For more winter warmers, take a look at our guides to Melbourne's best hot chocolates, mulled wines and porridges.
Where to drink right now
The best late-night bars in Melbourne
Just because it's the small hours and you're up for a drink, it doesn't mean you want to be yelling over the music in a nightclub. Thankfully, there's plenty of places in Melbourne to enjoy a quiet(ish) beverage until sunrise – and with the 24-hour public transport network operating on weekends, it's easier than ever to get home. For more nocturnal fun, check out our guide to late-night bottle shops and late-night dining.
The best bars for drinking alone in Melbourne
Look, we're not here to judge. Maybe you just want to treat yourself to a little alone time and a good bottle of wine, or maybe you've clocked off early and need to kill some time before meeting up with friends. Maybe you're freelancing and coffee just isn't going to cut it any longer (oh yeah, we've been there). Whatever the reason, here's where to get a cheeky bevvy on your own in Melbourne. For more ideas, check out our guides to Melbourne's best wine bars, cocktail bars and hidden bars.
The best bars in Melbourne
The best whisky bars in Melbourne
Whisky (or whiskey, if you prefer the American varietals) isn't just for hardcore drinkers with stomachs of steel. There are so many types of whiskies – from dark smokey drams to smoother malts – that all a drinker needs to do is find one that suits their individual palate. One of the fastest ways to do this is to find a bar with staff who know how to make a great recommendation. Still thirsty? Here are Melbourne's 50 best bars and the best places to drink a decent cocktail.
The best laneway bars in Melbourne
It's pretty safe to say that the more difficult a Melbourne bar is to locate, the better it is (once you're finally in there). Knowing where to find drinking institutions like EDV and Lily Blacks is pretty much a prerequisite for all cocktail-loving locals. For an even closer look into the city's bar culture, browse our guides to Melbourne's best wine bars, whisky bars and cocktail bars.
Choose your favourite drink
Melbourne's drinking hotspots
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The House of Bernarda Alba
Patricia Cornelius is one of the most fearless and unique voices in Australian theatre, and although she’s won just about every prize available to a playwright in the country, she tends to fly under the radar at our biggest theatre companies. Now her work is coming to the Melbourne Theatre Company mainstage in this adaptation of The House of Bernarda Alba that transports the action to Western Australia where four daughters and their mother are mourning the death of their mining mogul father. Leticia Cáceres, who last year won the Helpmann Award for directing Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife will helm an all-star cast with Candy Bowers, Peta Brady, Julie Forsyth, Bessie Holland, Sue Jones, Melita Jurisic and Emily Milledge. Creating this uniquely Australian world is the always inventive designer Marg Horwell.
Winter warmers at the Middle Park Hotel
The Middle Park Hotel is embracing its culinary roots and introducing a new menu devised by head chef Sangsub Ha. The gastropub will hone in on Victorian produce, showcase swish new dishes while also delivering some excellent pub classics. Entrees veer towards modern flavours, like the hiramasa kingfish with nori powder, squid ink rice puff and daikon radish remoulade; and veal carpaccio with apple, truffle soy, feta and curry oil. The menu is also geared towards groups, with share plates that include individual bites like lamb and chorizo sausage rolls and freshly shucked oysters; or larger share platters like the 1.5kg dry aged rib eye with cured meats, parmesan crisps, seasonal greens and red wine jus. Like any great pub, they will also grill you a prime steak. Choose from grass-fed porterhouse, eye fillet or rib eye bone cuts, which come served with smoked garlic butter, pepper or mushroom sauce. Vegetarians are well looked after too, with plant-focused dishes including salted beets with cheese blancmange, watercress and beetroot chips; and tagliatelle with creamed shimeji, champignon, oyster and porcini mushrooms. With each dish on the menu, you'll also find a specially selected wine, be it a full-bodied Exception cabernet malbec or a fruity La Vieille Ferme rosé. Whether it’s a special night out, a mid-week repast or a Sunday lunch, the Middle Park Hotel’s menu takes a step up to deliver beyond the usual pub fare. Find out more about the Middle Park Hotel's new m
5 reasons Cape Schanck should be your next weekend getaway
The list of reasons to love Cape Schanck is getting longer by the day. At the southernmost tip of the Mornington Peninsula, it’s a place to reconnect, recharge and reflect amongst dramatic, raw landscapes, unspoilt beaches, exciting walking tracks and unparalleled views over the wild waters of Bass Strait. If you’re looking to spend some quality time down the coast, we’ve teamed up with the new RACV Cape Schanck Resort to show you just how easy it is to have a relaxing and revitalising break, only 75-minutes from Melbourne’s CBD.
The best things to see at Vivid Light
Vivid Sydney is back from May 25 to June 16. There will be luminous light installations every night from 6-11pm, stretching from the Botanic Gardens to Darling Harbour. Luna Park joins in this year, lighting up from its grinning gates to the Coney Island façade and up the Ferris wheel. Head out to Chatswood, for all kinds of interactive displays, like chairs that'll happily have a chat. Because of course. Find our top picks of the Vivid Ideas program.
