Bars & Pubs
Navigating Melbourne's best bars, pubs, breweries and drinking holes
Time Out Bar Awards 2019: Winners
Melbourne's expectations on how good a bar snack can be just keep getting raised and met, and we're pushing the clock back further and further in this proudly 24-hour city. Our appetite for firewater has meant that no bar is complete without the inviting amber glow of a whisky collection front and centre. And our enthusiasm for a stiff drink has led us to challenge the weather gods with even more rooftop bars. Let's raise a glass to this incredible city, the ace bartenders who make us feel welcome and the drinks that keep us coming back time again. It's what makes Melbourne the nation's most fun place to be after dark. And now, it gives us great pleasure to present the 2019 Bar Award winners...Time Out thanks Urban Alley, Malibu, Perrier, Winterhalter and Waterford for making these awards possible. Brought to you by Powered by Eventbrite
The 50 best pubs in Melbourne
Pubs are as integral to Melbourne as trams and coffee – a supporting beam in the architecture of our great city, and one from which to hang other fundamentals of our character like music, food and footy. The pubs below are the ones that stand out as supporters of that culture. Some of them have been named among Melbourne's best live music pubs or best pubs to watch the AFL, too. We hope you have as much fun exploring Melbourne's pub scene as we do. Bottoms up!
Where to drink right now
The best hot cocktails in Melbourne you need to drink this winter
Staying warm with a drink isn't all about mulled wines and ciders. Switch it up with these hot cocktails to up your drinking game in the colder months. Stay cosy by drinking next to a fireplace and keep yourself occupied with some of our favourite rainy-day activities.
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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Much Ado About Nothing
Zindzi Okenyo will finally be front and centre where she belongs when she stars as the whip-smart Beatrice in Bell Shakespeare’s new production of Much Ado About Nothing. In case you missed reading it at school, Much Ado is pretty much the original romantic comedy, and features one of Shakespeare’s most-loved couples, Beatrice and Benedick, who banter and swap barbs until their friends decide to bring them together. Don’t expect it to be all hearts and flowers though – Bell Shakespeare associate director James Evans promises to bring out the play’s darker conflicts as well, in particular the female characters’ struggle for identity and self-knowledge in a male-dominated world. "The story flips from uproarious comedy to utter heartbreak in an instant, and then back again. That is the genius of Shakespeare, and why this play is one of my favourites,” he says. Sparring with Okenyo as Benedick will be Duncan Ragg (The Dance of Death), alongside Mandy Bishop, Will McDonald, Vivienne Awosoga, Danny Ball, Marissa Bennet, Suzanne Pereira, Paul Reichstein and David Whitney.
Win your dream American experience with Virgin Australia and Delta Air Lines
Has that winter wanderlust kicked in yet? Virgin Australia and Delta Air Lines know what it's like when you're hankering for a getaway, and to celebrate the USA's Independence Day on July 4th, they're inviting you to experience the best of America with a huge giveaway. Together with Time Out, Virgin Australia and Delta Air Lines are giving away return flights for two to North America flying from Melbourne or Sydney. You could take off to over 45 destinations in the U.S, like New York, Los Angeles, Seattle or San Francisco. Kick off your adventure with a walk through Hollywood, visit the Las Vegas strip to try your luck, before jetting off to the city that never sleeps - New York. Or, head south to visit the home of the blues and gems like New Orleans and Nashville. Canada calling you? Take off to Vancouver. Beach time? Hit up Mexico. We're not kidding when we say that there are a lot of destinations open to the lucky winner, check out our terms and conditions to see the full list of cities. All you need to do to enter is tell us which American city you'd most like to visit and why in 25 words or less. If you win this incredible prize, you'll have one year to claim your amazing trip, so you can have a stellar getaway to look forward to. You've got until July 31 to enter, so don't sleep on this! Enter now Experience the best of both worlds with Virgin Australia and Delta Air Lines Virgin Australia and Delta Air Lines can fly you to over 250+ destinations across the
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Melbourne has a new coworking space – and you can get free membership
It’s safe to say that Melbourne is a city obsessed with eating and drinking. After our morning coffee, we're already thinking about where to have lunch, and right after that lunch, our minds turn to where we might head to for dinner. The city’s hospo crews certainly have their work cut out for them, but a new, collaborative coworking hub is helping give Melbourne’s culinary pros the space to stretch their wings. Worksmith has opened a fresh coworking space located at Ella – the new entertainment and dining precinct on the corner of Elizabeth and La Trobe streets (Elizabeth plus La Trobe equals Ella). After successfully opening its first coworking space in Collingwood, the industry professionals behind Worksmith launched the CBD outpost in June, and the community there is thriving. Just like the original Collingwood hub, Worksmith Ella is a space where those working in the hospitality industry can build and grow their latest projects and collaborate with like-minded professionals. Plus, to celebrate Worksmith’s official launch party at Ella, Time Out has teamed up with them for an exclusive industry offer. Until September 30, Time Out readers who are in the food, beverage and hospitality industries can score a free month-long membership to Worksmith Ella or Collingwood (whichever suits you best). Your Worksmith industry membership gives you access to 16 hours at the hub per month; use of the Worksmith meeting room (once a month); invites to social events, launches and net
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Win your dream ‘week well spent’ with Ableforth’s Bathtub Gin
Imagine this, the chance to spend your dream week, in whatever shape or form that might take. Well Ableforth's Bathtub Gin is giving you the chance to win your perfect 'week well spent'. Whether a 'week well spent' means shopping sprees or lunch dates and nights out on the town with your mates, Ableforth's Bathtub Gin wants to know about it – and they want to help you bring your dream week to life. And if you win, Ableforth's will help the winner turn their dream 'week well spent' into reality (to the value of up to $1,000). Terms and conditions apply. So, why do the spirit makers at Ableforth's want to know what your ideal week is? That's because a week is exactly how long it takes to make each batch of their award-winning Bathtub Gin. To get the gin's distinct flavour and botanical hue, the team spends no fewer than seven days cold compounding (infusing in layman's terms) their ingredients, which when everything's distilled at high temperatures in copper pots, becomes the distinctively delicious Bathtub Gin. To be in with a chance of winning your dream ‘week well spent’, head to the link below and tell us what your 'week well spent' would look like by July 31. Good luck! Enter now
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