The Vic

The Vic is one of Victoria Street’s few drinking establishments, nestled handily in between and across from Melbourne’s cheapest and cheeriest Vietnamese restaurants. On summer days, you can perch yourself out front with a jug of Coopers and watch the very colourful street traffic. Inside, there are comfy leather couches and booths and the aforementioned airplane seats, from which you can entertain yourself with a range of childhood favourite videogames, including Frogger, Pacman and Space Invaders. Regular art exhibitions see the walls lined with paintings and photos. The front of the bar’s been turned into a sort of halfway house between inside and outside, which usually accommodates the smokers who can handily access the bar from right there. For those short on coin, there are regular drink specials to take advantage of, including $5 pints and $10 cocktails. There are standard and specialty cocktails (try the Lemon Cheesecake) and in case these don’t leave you thoroughly intoxicated, there are house-infused vodkas with flavours including jalapeno and Redskin. There’s a free Sunday barbie and $10 nachos throughout the week and the friendly staff are more than happy to let you bring in your choice of fare from the local restaurants. There’s a DJ most nights and you can hear everything from the Beatles to Fatman Scoop. On occasion, they’ll even let punters take over the decks. Go for a drink before your pho. Then go back til close.