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Melbourne’s top 5 secret and themed bars

I have a confession to make… I’ve never been one to keep a secret. When I find a cool dessert, an over the top freakshake or a really cool bar, I can’t help but shout it from the rooftop. And that’s pretty lucky for you if you’re looking for an awesome spot to satisfy your thirst in Melbourne tonight. 

Berlin Bar

Melbourne CBD

The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, but slip down Corrs Lane and up the stairs and step back in time as you enter Berlin Bar. One part Gatsby and one part Saving Private Ryan, it’s a choose your own adventure kind of bar. Will you sit on the posh Western Berlin side? Or will you sit among bunk beds, a bathtub and barbed wire in East Berlin?

Even the drinks menu is an adventure as you follow the map to a drink sure to tickle your taste buds. Either way, this bar is gute scheiße!

Eau-de-Vie

Melbourne CBD

There’s a bit of hidden bar inception happening at Eau-de-Vie. There’s a secret bar in this secret bar! Walk down the graffiti covered Malthouse Ln toward a parking garage, duck into a dimly lit alcove and open the nondescript wooden door and you will enter the prohibition-era Eau-de-Vie. The Cocktail Lounge is something straight out of Great Gatsby and the drinks are top notch. I opted for The Aviator, a gin-based cocktail with house-made rhubarb and juniper puree with lemon juice. Just typing that makes me feel fancy. It’s not complete, though, until it’s topped with a paper airplane flying through a cloud of fairy floss. Gives new meaning to ‘sweet wanderlust.’

Eau de Vie Aviator Melbourne secret bar

That’s not all though, because hidden behind a bookshelf is The Whisky Room (no ‘e’ in whiskey here)! Peruse the rare collection of whiskies or purchase a spirit and store it in their bottle lockers.

Arrive early or prepare to wait, because the secret’s out about this secret bar!

Eau de Vie Melbourne secret bar

Boston Sub/ Jungle Boy

Windsor

Oh.. you thought I was sending you to a Boston Sub Shop? Well… I am. Kind of. Pop into Boston Sub shop and you’re sure to be surrounded with a crowd that’s just a bit too dressed up for a takeaway sub. Don’t be that jerk who waltzes in front of them. You’ll get told off. You’ll get embarrassed. Then you have to wait behind the group you just cut in front of. So, find out where the queue ends and prepare to wait. You can grab a beer from the sub attendant to make the wait a little more festive.

Once you’ve reached the front of the queue, open the cooler door and step inside the magical Jungle Boy with tropical themed cocktails and a speakeasy vibe.

My only recommendation: don’t wear your favorite outfit here. The sub shop smells like french fry grease, which is super difficult to get out of your clothes and hair.

The Croft Institute

Melbourne CBD

Everyone’s got a little bit of mad scientist in them! If you are a fan of themed bars and drinking out of syringes, this is your place. The science-themed decor will have you wondering whether your high school chemistry teacher is waiting around the corner to give a pop quiz. And colorful drinks leave you ready to dance… which is great, because The Croft Institute brings in DJs who are ready to start the party.

Bartronica

Melbourne CBD

Looking for something to do with all those loose $1 and $2 coins that have been stacking up around your house? Enter Bartronica, a grownup’s Chuck-e-Cheese, with video games, pinball machines and old-school arcade games. Most of the games cost money, but if you time it right, grab a spot on a couch where you can play N64, Super Mario or Sega for free. Since it’s my blog, I’ll tell you about that game where I kicked my opponent’s butt so bad that I fell off a bridge and she didn’t even come close to catching me. (If you see a comment about those other 4 games and the system telling me I was driving the wrong way, please disregard.)

Bartronica Melbourne secret bar

Which bar is your favorite? Do you have any secrets to share with me? Tell me in the comments!

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Melbourne's best secret and themed bars

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Ryan Biddulph

Sunday 16th of July 2017

Melbourne CBD is right up my alley Brittany ;) All those video games, especially those classic old skool bad boys, would pull me away from the bar to in front of the screen. Mario Brothers. Goodness. I played so much Nintendo I melted the freaking adapter LOL. Loved the post.

Brittany

Tuesday 25th of July 2017

I know! It's definitely my kinda night out!! It was a blast reliving my childhood in a significantly more adult venue :) Margaritas and Mario... a match made in Melbourne!

Bob

Friday 14th of July 2017

They all sound great, but...French fry grease?!

Brittany

Tuesday 25th of July 2017

Yeah... not the best way to smell after a night out!