Bar entertainment in Australia
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A
Pause Bar
Pause draws a mixed local crowd for cocktails and mezes who like to settle into the dim North African–inspired interior for the night. Staff are laid-back.
reviewed
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B
Zachary's
The place to meet for after-work drinks or to fuel up for a Friday night on the town. Small booths, floor cushions, low central lounges and a hip DJ set the mood. The gourmet pizza menu is matched with an impressive cocktail list starring New Zealand's 42-Below vodka. Beware, the bar staff are heavy-handed with the limes.
reviewed
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C
Mooloolaba SLSC
A traditional Aussie icon, the surf club somehow seamlessly morphs from a midweek good-value family outing to a weekend singles pick-up joint where local bands play circa 1980s dance music every Friday night. The floor-to-ceiling windows on the deck provide stunning views.
reviewed
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D
1000£Bend
Breakfasts and lunches and cruisy folk using the free wi-fi – that's not all at this mega warehouse of entertainment. It's also the venue for art shows, plays and an annual bike fest. As we write it's being crowned with a liquor license; so expect this to be the place to see.
reviewed
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399
It doesn't look like much from the outside, but this little local bar is an exemplar of the kind of personable establishment the new licensing laws have brought to Perth.
reviewed
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E
Alloneword
On a seedy stretch of Brunswick, this underground spot is the antidote to the sleek cocktail bars taking over the Valley. The front room is pure whimsy: vintage wallpaper, velvety banquettes and a mirrored ceiling, while the back patio has graffiti murals and DJs.
reviewed
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F
Amplifier
Live (mainly indie) bands.
reviewed
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G
Annie's Place
Easily the most atmospheric watering hole in town. Decent music (sometimes live), leafy beer garden, cheap jugs and pool-side drinking.
reviewed
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H
Balcony
With its verandah poking out amid the palm trees, this fine bar-cum- restaurant is the place to park yourself. Choose from stools, chairs or sofas while working through a cocktail list that will make you giddy just looking at it.
reviewed
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Beer Garden
A very popular watering hole, the upstairs Beer Garden isn't a garden but a huge barn-like affair overlooking Cavill Ave. It's the place to start a night of clubbing.
reviewed
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I
Belgian Beer Café
There's shiny brass, sexy staff, much pre-sluicing of glasses and somewhere upwards of 26 imported Belgian superbrews (we lost count…). Off Rundle St.
reviewed
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J
Carlton Hotel
OTT Melbourne rococo gets another workout here (think giraffe heads leering over a glittery black room) and never fails to raise a smile. Check the rooftop Palmz if you're looking for some Miami-flavoured vice or just a great view.
reviewed
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K
Casablabla
Billing itself as a 'multicultural tapas lounge bar', Casablabla covers a lot of bases but does it well. The atmosphere is eclectic: exotic art (a bit of Morocco, a bit of Bali, a bit of Brazil), hookah pipes, fish tanks, burnt-orange walls…Sip cocktails amid it all and tune in to reggae, funk, soul and jazz.
reviewed
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L
Cavenagh
Popular backpackers and sports bar, the Cav also serves up good food.
reviewed
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M
Central at the Formby
Devonport's best bar is all flash with leather sofas and laid-back cool, and they fold the concertina windows open onto the river on warm nights. There are live bands Fridays and Saturdays; Sunday afternoons see acoustic sessions and a more sophisticated crowd.
reviewed
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Court
A large, rambling gay and lesbian venue consisting of an old corner pub and a big, partly covered courtyard with a clubby atmosphere.
reviewed
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N
Croft Institute
Located in a laneway off a laneway, the lab-themed Croft is a test of drinkers' determination. Prescribe yourself a beaker of house-distilled vodka in the downstairs laboratory (some come complete with fat plastic syringes). There's a $10 cover charge on Friday and Saturday nights.
reviewed
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O
Deck Bar
At the nonpartying parliamentary end of Mitchell St, the Deck Bar still manages to get lively with happy hours, pub trivia and regular live music. Blurring the line between indoors and outdoors brilliantly, the namesake deck is perfect for people-watching.
reviewed
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Ducks Nuts Bar & Grill
A big backlit cocktail bar, regular live music and the swanky vodka bar give the Ducks Nuts plenty of cred.
reviewed
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Elba
Elba has taken its street name as inspiration and produced a slick little Napoleonic bar complete with sparkly chandeliers and a gilt-framed portrait of the little man. Come dressed for cocktails, although perhaps in flats out of deference. Napoleon St is one of the shopping streets running off the Stirling Hwy.
reviewed
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P
Ezra Pound
Down a much graffitied lane leading off William St, Ezra Pound is favoured by Northbridge's bohemian set.
reviewed
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Q
Helvetica
Clever artsy types tap their toes to delicious alternative pop in this bar named after a typeface and specialising in whisky and cocktails. The entry is off Howard St: look for the chandelier in the lane behind Andaluz tapas bar.
reviewed
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R
Hotel Cairns
This grand-dame hotel is a low-key alternative to Cairns' hurdy-gurdy party scene, with nightly piano and double-bass performances.
reviewed
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S
IXL Long Bar
Prop yourself at the glowing bar at the Henry Jones Art Hotel and check out Hobart's fashionistas over cocktails. If there are no spare stools at the not-so-long bar, flop onto the leather couches in the lobby.
reviewed
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T
Juicy Rump
Not as bad as the name suggests, this is the late-night favourite if you want to have a dance to cheesy R'n'B or watch a big sporting event on the town's largest plasma screen. Also has a deck with a view to the ranges, lovely for sunset drinks.
reviewed