Yarra Valley
The heady aroma of spices and botanicals greets visitors to this hugely successful gin distillery. You can watch the unusual range of gins being made…
Must-see nightlife in Australia
Fortitude Valley
A stylish, grown-up bar that's one of Brisbane's best. Perch yourself at the polished-concrete bar, choose from the sharply curated wine list, and couple…
Surry Hills & Darlinghurst
Tilly Devine was a notorious Sydney madam and crime boss in the '30s, and her namesake bar is hidden down a back alley, in true furtive style. The dark,…
Perth
Negotiate the laneway entrance via the James St cul-de-sac – behind Alex Hotel – to discover one of Perth's most easy-going rooftop bars. Share one of the…
Fitzroy, Collingwood & Abbotsford
A champion of direct-trade, single-origin coffee, this quintessential industrial Collingwood red-brick space takes its caffeine seriously. It's…
Brisbane
What began life as Brisbane's first speciality-coffee cart is now this welcoming industrial space, roasting and brewing the city's best joe on a…
Fortitude Valley
A virtual village of stacked shopping containers, roof decks and artificial turf, X Cargo is not your usual boozer. It feels more like a sprawling…
Fortitude Valley
Dark, moody and downright sexy, Snack Man plays little brother to Happy Boy next door. The focus is on Euro wines, sharp cocktails and beautiful, small…
Brisbane
Not only does the Triffid have an awesome beer garden (complete with shipping-container bars and a cassette-themed mural honouring Brisbane bands), but it…
Brisbane
The long timber deck at this sprawling, polished microbrewery – part of the Howard Smith Wharves redevelopment – offers a knockout panorama of the river…
Fremantle
Slow down to Freo pace at this 1887 pub. Interesting guest beers wreak havoc for the indecisive drinker, and the food and pizzas are very good (share…
Canberra
Out in industrial Fyshwick are straight-from-the-tap local craft beers served in a stylishly fitted-out taproom. Get your bearings with a tasting paddle…
Hobart
An excellent brewery just south of the NoHo strip, with minimalist interiors and a concrete-block bar. Head out the back to drink among the vats (and have…
Capricorn Coast & the Southern Reef Islands
With its clean lines and open facade, this slick espresso-and-wine bar is Gladstone's most 'urban' haunt. The wine list offers some Italian vintages…
St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick
Beneath fine-diner Stokehouse is its casual, buzzing bar-bistro, a light-soaked space with floor-to-ceiling windows and a deck over the beach, looking out…
Melbourne
Siglo's sought-after terrace comes with Parisian flair, wafting cigar smoke and serious drinks. It fills with suits on Friday night, but any time is good…
Brisbane
A favourite among local oenophiles, petite La Lune channels Europe with its intimate, moody vibe and enlightened wine list. Slip in and quaff anything…
Canberra
Colourful glass and draped metal beads add to the glitzy boho ambience at this attractive Italian wine bar attached to the East Hotel. The extensive…
Northern Beaches
This legendary northern beaches pub actually overlooks not the ocean but the Pittwater side, with bobbing boats and quiet strands the outlook. It's an…
Melbourne Region
A country pub with both character and taste, Old Hepburn makes for a great night out with live music on weekends (usually free). The pub food hits the…
Fitzroy, Collingwood & Abbotsford
After more than 15 years in the game, Black Pearl goes from strength to strength, winning awards and receiving global accolades. Low lighting, leather…
Kings Cross & Potts Point
Hidden in the backstreets, this totally unpretentious theatre pub is also a decent old-fashioned boozer in its own right, with a great variety of beers on…
Melbourne Region
Fondly referred to as The Cosmo, this Trentham institution has a welcoming bar area, a dining room serving upmarket pub grub and wood-fired pizzas (mains …
Brisbane
You'll need to head down a side alley, up a fire escape and through an unmarked door to access this cocktail lounge, an intimate, grown-up affair complete…
Fortitude Valley
After years designing interiors for A-list Melbourne restaurants, Luke Reimers headed north to design his own wine bar. The result is casually elegant Mr…
Perth
Channeling an art deco ambience with funky lampshades and vintage French advertising, tiny Swallow is the kind of place you'd love as your local. Wine and…
Great Ocean Road
One of the main drawcards at Forrest is its microbrewery-pub, which was producing quality ales way before the craft-beer trend exploded. All beers are…
Brisbane
Paint the town and the front porch too: there's a honky-tonk bar in Brisvegas! Tarted up with chandeliers and mounted moose heads, scarlet-hued Lefty's…
Southern WA
The industrial chic of the brewery gives way to an absolute edge-of-vineyard location, where superb wood-fired pizzas ($21 to $26), meals (mains $21 to …
Newtown & the Inner West
Quite a way down Glebe Point Rd is an excellent independent bottle shop; turn right to find the convivial wine bar it runs downstairs. Staff will happily…
Melbourne
A hidden laneway bar off Howey Pl, Bar Americano is a teensy standing-room-only affair with black-and-white chequered floors complemented by subway-tiled…
Circular Quay & The Rocks
Pouring an excellent range of Sydney craft beers in a quiet corner near the beginning of the Rocks, this historical building has real character. The…
City Centre & Haymarket
Descend the stairs and you'll think you're in a 1970s pizzeria, complete with plastic grapevines, snapshots covering the walls and tasty pizza slices ($6)…
Great Ocean Road
This is undoubtedly one of the finest coastal pubs in Victoria, if not Australia – the ocean views don't get much better. It has an unpretentious, local…
Southern WA
Look for Lucky Bay's beers in bars around Esperance or make the journey 12km west to this simple brewery and tasting room. Two-litre growlers are…
Port Douglas
Hemingway's makes the most of a fabulous location at the marina with a broad deck, a long bar and Dickson Inlet views. There are usually six brews on tap,…
Perth
On Friday and Saturday you'll need the password to enter this speakeasy amid street art and Chinese restaurants – don't worry, it's revealed weekly on…
Southern NSW & The Murray
Come for the tasty beer – the hoppy Dark Alleyway IPA or the Piranha lager are both good choices – and stay for the wood-fired pizzas ($24 to $27). There…
Victoria
One of the first pubs in town to start serving decent beer, the Mallow remains a cherished, divey local. It has a dozen local beers and ciders on tap, and…
Victoria
Often bustling, the Goods Shed is a fine spot to try a variety of Aussie craft beers and local wines. Sixteen beer taps and around 100 bottles all focus…
