The best bars for drinking alone in Melbourne

The experience shows at this Carlton stalwart, with hospitality-for-life staffers and a democratic approach to drinking: customers choose the wine on the pour. Your wine typically comes with a recommendation, a back-story and, if they like you, a practical joke.

Neighbourhood Wine is the locals' wine bar that's worth switching suburbs for. Climb the stairs to the first-floor bar and restaurant to discover a clubby, handsome space of vintage bar stools, tapestry and brass. The long wrap-around bar is the perfect place if you're alone. The best thing is, so many seats fit around it, that you won't have to fight for your place.

Hayden Lambert is a former Time Out Bartender of the Year for his tenure at Bar Americano. He must have gotten used to close quarters at Presgrave Place because his current digs are almost as compact. The menu proudly declares that Lambert delivers cocktails and bad banter: something worth mentioning as he’s had years honing his daggy dad jokes, dry wit and old-man grump. This adds to your experience, rather than takes away, as the offering at Above Board is not just personalised, but personal. 

Sake comes with a side of anime at this quirky, cartoon-covered Japanese bar. Kick back on one of the ruby-hued banquettes and you'll be presented with a fan of food and drinks menus. There's a stellar selection of sakes served chilled, at room temperature or warm, each presented in a curvaceous ceramic flask with dinky little cups for sipping – not shooting – this savoury-sweet rice wine. 

There should be another word for what Byrdi is doing. Bar doesn’t quite cut it, despite the fact that dispensing booze is at the core of what it does. It seems more like some kind of lab where you get to play guinea pig to their scientist. There’s been nothing quite like it in Melbourne since Der Raum, which makes sense given that co-owner Luke Whearty cut his cocktail teeth at that highly influential bastion of eccentricity. Cosy cushioned seating is throughout the venue, but if you want to learn more about what you're drinking, try and nab a seat at the bar. 

Atlas Vinifera has invested money in its compelling and incredibly well-stocked shelves, time in staff training while remaining fiercely independent. The bar looks like a bottle shop that’s had seats put in the middle of it, but sitting at the bar means you may find your new best friend, or cackle endlessly over Black Books, Always Sunny in Philadelphia or Arrested Development references by the staff (or spotting them in Easter eggs around the bar).

There's just the right amount of spit and polish at this low-key wine bar housed in a former shoe shop. Beer fans can get longnecks of Messina, while the short-and-sharp wine list (and free delivery from Pizza Mein Leibe next door) will satisfy the rest.

The Shady Lady is a dive bar, but not in the way that Melbourne normally does dive bars. The vibes are sassy and unpretentious, the drinks are cheap, the tunes are from yesteryear, and it’s the place to get rowdy any night of the week (the bar has a strict no-dickhead policy). It’s like your grandma’s house, if your grandma’s a bit of a fabulous alcoholic. While people do come to the Shady Lady to party and let their hair down, you won't be left in isolation. Don't surprised if a close-knit group decide to adopt you for an evening.

If we were in charge of Melbourne’s planning, we’d mandate that every neighbourhood has a place like Westwood. A place that can make you strong coffee and a croque madame in the morning, send you away with a fresh baguette for lunch, and welcome you back for wine as the sun shimmies under the horizon. Enjoying that wine? Take it home – there’s a tiny shop in the back. Whatever you need, Westwood is here for you. It’s a modest operation dealing in at-home ease, which makes it a stellar place to drink in all by yourself.

Potent cocktails and a bonafide cinema combine to great effect in this relaxed, retro-style Fitzroy North lounge. The screen out back is available for hire, and the kitchen turns out an array of reasonably priced light meals and tapas-style plates.

Craft beer, good wine, better spirits and great cocktails are the big draws here. Tucked away in one of Footscray’s main strips, surrounded by internet cafés and discount clothing shops, it’s easy to miss, but Mr West definitely punches well above its weight in terms of service. Sit at the bar if you want a chat to accompany your craft beer, low-intervention wine or seasonal cocktail.