The density of bars in Melbourne’s upper CBD is undoubtedly great. But best-in-class boozing also awaits in the lower CBD, which for our purposes we’re calling everything west of Elizabeth Street. These bars are a little more spread out, sure, and little less easy to stumble upon (you might have to enter via hotel, or lift, or both) but we can guarantee delicious drinks.
You mightn’t think that a shopping centre food court could be home to one of the most accomplished cocktail bars in Melbourne, but then in swoops Byrdi, which is just that. Luke Whearty and Aki Nishikura’s innovative drinking den is both fiercely seasonal and fiercely hyper-local, its cocktail list featuring singular ingredients like distilled sea lettuce and salted coconut ice, and countless other oddball ferments fashioned in-house. While you’re deciding which one best suits your mood, order a palate-cleansing glass of something local and lively, like the Mahady roussanne from the Yarra Valley’s Fin Wines.
Another fine choice is Lui Bar, which adjoins fine diner Vue de Monde on the 55th floor of the Rialto building. While there was a suave redesign in 2023, the incredible views of the entire cityscape – and Port Phillip Bay – need no refurbishment. Take it all in over a glass of bubbles, perhaps prosecco from the Goulburn Valley’s Tahbilk.
Want to keep the fanciness flowing? Look no further than Melbourne’s neo-gothic Queen & Collins building, home to two boozy boltholes worth checking out. On street level, part of the Nomad group’s as-grand-as-it-gets restaurant Reine, La Rue is a companion wine bar with just eight seats and a welcoming walk-ins policy. Stop in for a silky 2021 pinot noir from Tarrawarra Estate. Underground in the same precinct is moody cocktail bar Purple Pit, by Maurice Terzini (of Sydney’s Icebergs) and Joe Jones (of the now-closed Romeo Lane). The team distils many of its own spirits in-house, like the raspberry amaro. But this spot likes to mix the lavish with the low-key, so you can also crack a Melbourne Bitter longneck, if you so desire.
Over at enduring wine bar Kirk’s, where Hardware Lane meets Little Bourke Street, there’s a distinctly European edge. Rain, hail or shine, diners spill out onto the laneway beneath the instantly recognisable red awning, snacking through a bar menu that punches well above its weight and drinking from a wine list that covers a hell of a lot of ground. Go for a bottle of delicious 2023 pink number from gun Macedon winemaker Joshua Cooper then scale the stairs to sibling diner French Saloon.
Another bar in the neighbourhood with a restaurant relative is Jayda, tucked away on Bond Street next to its older brother Maha, the upmarket Middle Eastern diner by restaurateur Shane Delia. It’s a place for bunkering down post-dinner, soaking up the Art Deco style, and working your way through a cocktail list that takes the classics and flips them on their head. There’s a Negroni accented with the warm spice of ras-el-hanout and a sour starring prickly-pear gin from the Yarra Valley’s Zonzo Estate, alongside prickly pear liqueur and lemon.
Nearby, you’ll also find some of Melbourne’s most exciting new hotels, which arrived with hotel bars that are fast becoming destinations in and of themselves. Eighty levels up and with views for days, Cameo is the in-house cocktail bar at The Ritz-Carlton. Antique cocktails – made with rare spirits bottled as long ago as the 1920s – set this sky-high spot apart. But you don’t have to break the bank to make a cameo at Cameo. Why not head up to watch the sunset over a pre-dinner drink? The Bitter Citrus Aperitivo from Mordialloc distillery Saint Felix is a solid choice. Meanwhile, The Douglas Club is a reason to check out the recently reborn Hilton Hotel, whether you’ve checked in or not. Take a seat at the dramatic marble bar for a drink as simple as the crisp Golden Axe cider from Huntingdale brewery Kaiju or a complex as cocktail channelling apple pie.
And finally, for a hit of history, it has to be one of Melbourne’s oldest pubs. The Mitre Tavern has been around since 1837, and it keeps pulling crowds to Bank Place with its ludicrously capacious beer garden and 47-tap beer menu, which globetrots but also represents local brewers with pride. Try a hazy IPA by Collingwood brewer Fixation.
By Tomas Telegramma