Bar entertainment in Pacific
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Subiaco Hotel
The Subi’s a local favourite and the institution of choice for a morning coffee with the papers or a pre-footy beer. It’s popular, too, for a Sunday sundowner or an afternoon of quiet beverages and people-watching.
reviewed
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Deco
Why is it that journalists always open the best bars? Here the adventurous and considered wine list is well respected by connoisseurs, but still Deco manages to avoid any inkling of pretension. In the darkness you'll find locals ensconced in couches drinking red wines and eating delicious cheeses, while sports writers nurse Belgian beers and talk football at the bar.
On Friday and Saturday nights the cocktail crowds descend for the driest martinis this side of the Yarra.
reviewed
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Worldsend Hotel
In Hindley St, grunge and sleaze collide with student energy, and groovy bars sit amid adult bookshops and strip joints. Here you'll find student hangouts like the Worldsend Hotel (which also serves bar meals) and the cool, ambient Supermild Lounge Bar.
reviewed
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Backbencher
You might spot the odd parliamentarian on the turps at the Backbencher, a pub opposite the Beehive where rubbery puppets of NZ pollies are mounted trophy-style on the walls (David Lange is a beauty). Good weekend brunches.
reviewed
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Hippo Bar
This cosy lounge bar is popular with young cocktail slurpers who file in for Wednesday-night jazz – the turntable rules other evenings.
reviewed
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Wisdom Bar & Grill
Bright blue walls, velour couches and a streetside terrace with a tree growing out of it add up to a more intimate version of the Tap. A good thing too, as most of the drinkers here are looking for intimacy, a search conducted seemingly without much wisdom.
reviewed
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Taxi Club
Chances are if you can't remember the end of last night, you probably finished it off at the Taxi Club. Refreshingly seedy after all these years, this place is a national treasure that no tourist brochure's going to tout, but that no tourist's visit should be without. Mind the stairs, which are breakneck-steep, even when you're sober.
Bring ID, because you'll have to present it at the door - this is a club of sorts, but all are welcome. Head on upstairs to the small but casual and comfy areas (which have too many pokies for our taste). At least happy hour sees cheap beer and spirits, and there's bingo on Monday nights. Taxi Club is popular with cross-dressers and gets mos…
reviewed
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Flor
Flor Wine Bar is one of those great places you wonder if you should even tell your friends about - maybe it'd be better to keep it to yourself. It's small, with one cosy corner, a few tables, a courtyard for summer, and a really big wine rack. If wine's not your thing, you can get stuck into one of many fine single malts, or try a whisky flight - 15mL serves of five different whiskies.
The tapas dishes vary in quality (pâtés and terrines are good choices), but the mains are a solid accompaniment to your more liquid entertainment.
reviewed
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M.O.O.
This sumptuous hideaway has the air of an exclusive gentlemen’s club. Overstuffed leather couches, private booths lining the walls and excellent service complete the picture. It’s the perfect place to work your way through a wine list. Its street-level little sister Penny Blue is more of the same décor wise, but with big street-side windows and outdoor seating that suits afternoon imbibing. They spin some great tunes from the dj cage, but the staff can be a little offhand.
reviewed
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Madame Brussels
Head here if you’ve had it with Melbourne moody and all that dark wood. Although named for a famous 19th-century madam, it feels as though you’ve fallen into a camp ‘60s rabbit hole, with much Astroturfery and staff dressed à la the country club. And just like in a Richard Yates novel, they certainly know their booze. The décor might veer towards the hysterical, but it’s just the tonic on a chilly winter’s day; they even provide lap rugs for the terrace.
reviewed
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Arc Cafe
Wonderful Arc Cafe would be an asset in any city: out front there's a laid-back, grungy bar-café with mismatched tables and a gentle, welcoming vibe from the be-dreaded staff and drinkers; in back there's a dark live-music venue where fine bands play to packed crowds, or lousy bands play for their own entertainment. Good for a midday coffee or a late night beer. The vegetarian fare here is some of the best (and certainly the healthiest) options for late-night snacking.
reviewed
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Aviary
If you want a nightcap after your rice-paper rolls and beef in betel leaf dinner, this is a nice, laid-back inner-city bar in an area that’s never been too flush with them. There’s a good range of beers and wines (including sangria), plus enough vodkas to keep a serious drinker happy. It’s also great if you fancy a dessert but are thinking chocolate mousse rather than bean-thread jelly; the menu is interesting to warrant a second visit.
reviewed
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Arthur's
Go glam at opulent Arthur's. Located down rockin' AC/DC Lane, Arthur's sits incongruously: like teaming a tiara with a tracksuit. Walk the length of the rubbish-bin lined laneway and turn left. Once inside, it's all cartoon colours, brightly upholstered wingback chairs and velvet padded pillars. Arthur's outlandish flair extends to Dirty Disco nights and underground-house tunes. Or tone it down a notch by slipping into the 'secret' back room.
reviewed
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Bar Open
Come to Bar Open with an open mind and you could discover the joys of experimental jazz improve, be moved by poetry readings or by a swinging big band; they, and many more, all perform in a not-so-big space upstairs. Downstairs, pull up a beer keg or slouch on a grubby couch and peer through the dimness to check out regularly changing exhibits. Bar Open is mostly free, always entertaining and usually stays open later than most.
reviewed
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Empire
The stately old dame of Dunedin's pubs, this is a ‘must visit' if you're one of the army of Flying Nun pilgrims that visit Dunedin each year. It's not in the hot list of greatest live-music venues these days, but is still a damn fine venue, with bars on each of three floors, each providing a different vibe, and often hosting local bands (perhaps blues or acoustic) or jam sessions on the bottom floor.
reviewed
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Aero Bar
A quiet bar overlooking the foyer of the hotel and kitted out with WWII photography and aviation memorabilia. Collared shirts are mandatory. Downstairs the casual Sportsman Bar (open 09:00 till late) has a large-screen TV and slightly cheaper beer.
Lone women should find a friend before heading to a nightclub and generally travellers need to exercise judgement before embarking on a blinder in a public forum.
reviewed
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After the Tears Elsternwick
This offshoot of long-time Prahran hangout Borsch, Vodka & Tears is next to the Classic Cinema. It serves an astonishing range of vodkas and its Polish feel is authentic; many of its regulars are Eastern Europeans who settled in the area quite a few decades ago. If you’re daunted by shots, ask for a wonderfully warming sharlotka zubrówka (Bison vodka and cloudy apple juice).
reviewed
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Savusavu Yacht Club
It has a friendly pub feel about it, although it gets a bit rough around the edges on a Saturday night. With picnic tables by the waterside, the Yacht Club is a good place for a drink and to meet local expats. There's cold beer on tap and bar snacks (around F$6) and meals can be ordered from the next-door Captain's Café. Happy hour is 17:30 to 18:30. Tourists are considered temporary members.
reviewed
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Saint
Good-looking young things crowd the two levels of this cocktail and wine bar. Kittens are smitten with the Saint's nouveau-St Kilda fitout, which is sparsely furnished to optimise space. There are a number of little nooks to settle into and a large number of beverages to choose from. Visiting the Saint feels like crashing a wealthy friend-of-a-friend's home: it's comfy and kind of familiar.
reviewed
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Ed's Bar
- Nadi, Fiji
- Entertainment › Bar
Nadi's best watering hole draws local and visiting social animals and keeps them happy with cheap beer and friendly staff. There's a small dining section inside but the bar is the main event, where stool seating, pool tables and live bands dominate. Tables outside catch the breeze but they generally fill by late afternoon so you'll have to strap your beer boots on earlyish to nab one.
reviewed
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Rue Bebelons
For such a small space this bar's reputation is gigantic. It's been around a while (over 10 years), so in bar years it's considered ancient. But it's no relic. Affordable drinks, great coffee and an in-house vinyl collection never go stale. By day, grab yourself a slice of Brazilian bohemia and a salad roll to die for. By night, grab any space you can and contribute to the hubbub.
reviewed
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Ryan’s Bar
On hot summer’s weeknights, Ryan’s outdoor courtyard is packed with after-workers and travellers, sipping not-so-subtly-named cocktails such as the Get Sum and the Golden Nuts. Sexy anticipation laces the air, put momentarily on hold as the punters scoff affordable bar food (pizza, pasta, salads and burgers; mains $10 to $16). A vibrant place to launch your evening.
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Gin Palace
If you love martinis, then this is your castle. With a drinks list to make your liver quiver, Gin Palace is the perfect place to grab a soft couch or secluded alcove, sip, and take it slow. Its seductive lighting, velvet drapes and cushioned nooks give it a top first-date rating. It's best on weeknights, when a conversation can be conducted without resorting to sign language.
reviewed
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Planters' Club
This was traditionally a place for planters to come and drink when they brought in the copra, and some of their descendants can still be found clustered around the bar today. You can taste the history in the air as you taste the beer in your glass. Happy hour is 17:30 to 18:30. Once a month, the club holds a Sunday lunch lovo. The bar staff will sign in a tourist.
reviewed
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Atticus Finch
There’s a judicious wine list and back-in-fashion cider at this Brunswick haunt named for everyone’s favourite lawyer from literature. The space is smartly and simply done with a slight brooding quality (though perhaps we’re overidentifying with the novel). A nice alternative to the bigger pubs in these parts, it still sports the requisite beer garden.
reviewed
