Melbourne is well known for its eclectic mix of the best bars and restaurants in Victoria and every week the streets come alive with countless young hipsters looking for coolest bars around.
However, this means that these so-called coolest, most popular bars quickly become overcrowded and busy, especially at weekends, leaving you shoulder to shoulder with far more long-bearded men than you can even count.
But surely there are bars that are more off the beaten track, you say? Surely there’s a way to out-hipster the hipsters and beat them at their own game by finding the next big, undiscovered thing? Of course, there is – if you just know where to look. Melbourne has a select list of hidden, under-the-radar bars that will simply take your breath away, and to take the legwork out of finding these relatively buried gems, we’ve given you our top picks of them right here.
Jungle Boy (Boston Sub)
Probably the best hidden bar in the entire city, Jungle Boy exists in an oh-so-clever masquerade, so illusively that you’d probably never even know it was there unless you knew. It’s a small but mighty bar in the most bizarre of locations – a sandwich shop. The Boston Sub, Jungle Boy’s home and the way to find it from the outside street, is a small, hole-in-the-wall, American-themed diner on Chapel Street with subs and fries galore. So, it’s bizarre, that there could be a bar here, right? In the most unlikely of places, behind the sandwich counter, is your gateway to one of Melbourne’s coolest bars. Walk towards the counter and find the cool-room (fridge) door, which opens up into the elusive, sandwich-free Jungle Boy bar. Here you’ll find dim lighting, hanging plants and curious animal heads staring at you from the walls of this tiny, hidden bar, inspired by the quiet dive bars and speakeasies of New York.
The atmosphere is intimate and the cocktails are divine. The bar is tiki-themed and drinks are served in tropical-style mugs by the friendliest of bartenders, with greenery, mirrors and a built-up, glass dome-style bar to complete the look, so that it feels just like cosying-up for a drink in your best friend’s garden. Choose either to sink into a low, leather armchair, to nestle out the back through the corridor, or to perch high up at the bar itself. Try any of the delicious rum cocktails or the on-tap Negroni and you’ll be sitting pretty in this cosy bar, whose hidden nature means that it’s thankfully rarely over-crowded despite its size. And perhaps the best thing of all? The proximity to the sandwiches and chips for whenever you get the late-night munchies!
The Croft Institute
And now for something completely different. The Croft Institute is a far cry from anything you’ve ever experienced in the Melbourne nightlife so far – and yet it’s still wonderfully under-the-radar and off of the beaten track – for now. Hidden down a winding Chinatown alleyway, the approach to this mysterious bar feels somewhat foreboding and ominous before you’ve even entered. But inside is where the real experience begins. Designed to replicate an old experimental laboratory, the place causes an eclectic mix between horror and enticing intrigue as you walk around its dark and daunting furnishings. The ground floor is inspired by an old-school science lab, with beakers and other scientific glassware strewn across both the walls and the bar, yet still looking and feeling firmly like a relaxed, modern venue in which you can grab a cheeky after-work drink or kick off the beginning of a night.
Order a cocktail from the expert bar staff and you’ll find a giant syringe in your drink – the perfect way to feed yourself your liquor, squirt by squirt, as though it were your medicine! If you’re looking for something different, try the monthly experimental cocktail, which is always as delicious as it is mysterious. Take the stairs up to the eerie Departments of Male and Female Hygiene (aka the toilets), where you’ll find an ominous, static television screen and a dishevelled hospital bed right inside the female lavatories. But if this isn’t your thing, upstairs on the 2nd floor swaps the creepy for the chic, with another laid-back, this time gymnasium-themed bar space which comes alive at weekends with spinning DJs and a great selection of boutique wines and beers to sip the night away. Buzzing but far from crowded and well-known in the Melbourne bar scene, The Croft Institute is the perfect place to experiment with a drink or two.
Fall from Grace
Last but not least, Fall from Grace is a great little bar right in the middle of town, located on the “New York end” of Collins Street, but hidden from the unsuspecting eye. Not visible from the street, the bar is actually located in the basement beneath the European restaurant and 1889 built landmark, State of Grace. Enter into the velvet-adorned restaurant and head to the back to find the passageway that will lead you to your descent into good old-fashioned debauchery and sin – your ‘fall’ from grace. But it isn’t all that easy, no, no.
First you’ll be faced with a wall-sized bookcase, from which you’ll have to find the correct book to pull in order to open the door into this enticing bar. And once you’ve found it, you’ll be greeted by a winding marble staircase, which will take you down, down and further into the depths of the basement until you finally emerge into the secret bar itself. It’s here where the fun begins, as the sumptuous, hip décor instantly transports you back to the world of speakeasies and class. Let yourself be taken in by the walls full of wine bottles and chandelier-filled ceilings as you head over to the bar for the most enticing experimental concoctions this side of this city, made by bar staff who are both friendly and knowledgeable about their trade. Ask for a recommendation or a sample and they’ll be more than happy to help you find the perfect drink for you. So sit back, relax, and revel in your impeccable detective skills in finding this and the other bars on Melbourne’s hidden list.
Any Questions or Tips to add?