29th Apartment
BAR
29 FITZROY STREET, ST KILDA
(03) 9078 8922 • MAP P.296
OPEN DAILY 7AM–3AM
BEERS $7.50–$12, WINES $8–$12, COCKTAILS $10–$20, FOOD $4–$16
VISA, MC, AMEX
Welcome to 29th Apartment, a quirky bar/cafe masquerading as a NYC party girl’s bachelorette pad. Boasting a boudoir and bathtub, groovy loft-style living room and tropical fish aquarium, it’s spacious yet somehow cosy at the same time – just like a good apartment should be. There’s even an astroturf ‘garden’ spilling out onto Fitzroy Street, complete with wrought-iron seats and white picket fence. Clearly, a lot of love has gone into decking this place out. From the faux-brick wallpaper to the Manhattan streetscapes and mismatched share-house furniture, via a Sopranos pinball machine and board games galore, no detail is overlooked. The result? An irreverent pop-cultural mash-up, beloved by backpackers and twenty-something locals alike. DJs provide an upbeat soundtrack to your night out, while the large, well-stocked bar offers a gratifying mix of staples and surprises. Margarita Mondays and cheap ’n’ cheerful comfort food (the homemade gourmet pizzas rule!) are drawcards in their own right. Sadly, this is one apartment you can’t live in. But you can always return for breakfast the next day.
Bay & Bridge Hotel
PUB
316 BAY STREET, PORT MELBOURNE
(03) 9645 4070 • MAP P.294
OPEN DAILY 11AM–LATE
BEERS $4–$7, WINES $7–$8.50, FOOD $9–$22
VISA, MC, EF TPOS
Housed in a gorgeous historic building, with a breezy atmosphere and casual crowd, Port Melbourne’s Bay & Bridge Hotel is a no-nonsense, poser-free zone. A decent selection of draught beers promises to quench your thirst whether you’re a Carlton Breweries stalwart or an Asahi aficionado, while the reasonably priced wine list is sure to appeal. Like any self-respecting Aussie pub, it offers a solid range of counter meals: line your stomach with timeless classics like steak sandwiches and parmas, or head into the bistro for gourmet dining. Feeling lucky? You’re in the right place. The Bay &Bridge comes equipped with TAB facilities, so you can have a flutter with your frostie. Classier than your average sports bar, this place balances form guides with slick modern decor, televised horseracing with live entertainment. Regular events such as kids' night (Thursday) and happy hour (Friday), not to mention Sunday afternoon’s popular Jolly Jugs (the pouring variety, thanks very much!), maintain the merriment. Yep, you’ve picked a winner with this one …
The Exchange
BAR
39 BAY STREET, PORT MELBOURNE
(03) 9810 0058 • MAP P.294
OPEN SUN–THURS NOON–MIDNIGHT, FRI & SAT NOON–3AM
BEERS $4.50–$10.50, WINES $8–$19, SPIRITS $8.50–$35, COCKTAILS $13, FOOD $7–$30.50
ALL CARDS ACCEPTED
Is there a favourite bevvie at the Exchange? With over fifty different wines available by the glass, and high-end beers on tap, it’s hard to choose. The boys might down a James Squire or Hoegaarden and the girls might clink an espresso martini. On the top shelf, there’s Johnny Walker Blue and the wine list includes some wonderful premium bottles. The friendly young bar crew know all the Port Melbourne locals, and remember what they drink, so it’s no wonder the regulars all keep coming back to this historic and award-winning pub. For the hungry hordes, wine prices are slightly higher in the sixtyseat restaurant than in the main bar. And though the chicken parmigianas are gigantic, we’re told there hasn’t been a person who has sent a bite back. It’s not all chicken, though – it’s steak night on Tuesdays, and Sundays are reserved for a great pub roast. Friday and Saturday nights the DJ plays popular music from 9.30pm but on Sunday nights it’s live and the acoustic guitarist takes requests.
Iddy Biddy Bar
BAR
47 BLESSINGTON STREET, ST KILDA
(03) 9525 3320 • MAP P.296
OPEN MON–FRI 11AM–MIDNIGHT, SAT &SUN NOON–MIDNIGHT
BEERS $3.50–$11, WINES $32–$120, COCKTAILS $15–$17
CASH ONLY
Iddy Biddy Bar is honestly named, being only thirty square metres in the tiny pocket of eateries on Blessington Street. Being so small, it attracts the attention of those who are either working nearby or up for a quiet drink or two. Some nights it can get a little crowded, especially if it’s sunny, and with specials of $5 spirits on weekdays and $5 pints on weekends, don’t be surprised if you see groups of St Kilda backpackers taking advantage of these deals. There’s an extensive cocktail list but the majority of people drink Monteith’s Apple Cider or Golden Lager from the tap. The bartenders are always up for a challenge, though, so don’t be shy if you’re dreaming of a particular mix. There isn’t enough room for a kitchen at Iddy Biddy, but they have a good relationship with the pizzeria next door and offer a range of small pizzas, if you’re peckish. Otherwise, the staff are not averse to a few takeaways at the table.
The Local Taphouse
BAR
184 CARLISLE STREET, ST KILDA EAST
(03) 9537 2633 • MAP P.297
OPEN DAILY NOON–1AM
BEERS $4.60–$12.90, WINES $7–$10.50, FOOD $6–$37.50
ALL CARDS ACCEPTED
There’s something very exciting about the recent happenings in Carlisle Street. A traditional Melbourne hub for immigrants, it’s fast becoming the new Brunswick Street of the south. Enter the Local Taphouse. The Local (as it’s commonly called) is a haven for all those beer-loving peeps out there. Their selection is both impressive and intimidating. Just think – you could travel all over the world (in a beer sense, that is) in an evening’s sip. Simply try their beer-tasting paddle and you’ll be halfway there. If beer isn’t your caper, do not be deterred. The Local caters to all its neighbours. Try a Miss Muffet cider, or a vino from their vast wine list. The atmosphere is friendly and casual here. Downstairs, you can sing along to the live music (bands play most nights of the week) or, in summer, soak up the sun on the rooftop beer garden. If you want a more intimate setting, head upstairs to their well-regarded restaurant. Whatever you’re after, the Local will be happy to accommodate.
Mink
COCKTAIL BAR
2 ACLAND STREET, ST KILDA
(03) 9536 1168 • MAP P.296
OPEN MON 10PM–4AM, FRI–SUN 9PM–3AM
BEERS $8.50–$10, WINES $9, COCKTAILS $10–$18, FOOD $5
ALL CARDS ACCEPTED
For well over a decade, Mink has been serving quality cocktails with a healthy dose of glasnost. A new crew has recently overthrown the old menu with innovations that will appeal to those who drink to the pursuit of excellence. Retaining its communist regalia, this underground bar now serves over sixty types of vodka, half of which have been infused in-house, ranging from chocolate to marshmallow and even bacon! Their manifesto-like menu has been overhauled to accommodate these new flavours, with thirty-five original cocktails. You can even design your own caipiroska using their stable of vodka blends. If you’re not spirit-inclined, you’ll like the wine list curated by Circa restaurant. Bar snacks have been revolutionised by the new infusions – try olives marinated in jalapeño-infused vodka or roasted cashews in an amaretto and honey glaze. After midnight on the weekends, the cocktail lounge turns clubby with progressive house tunes, and on Monday nights the bar turns into a stage for a drag show that has patrons dancing on the tables. Communism has never looked, or tasted, so good.
Mockingbird
COCKTAIL BAR
129 FITZROY STREET, ST KILDA
(03) 9534 0000 • MAP P.296
OPEN WED & THURS 5PM–LATE, FRI 3PM–LATE, SAT & SUN 1PM–LATE
BEERS $6–$15, WINES $7.50–$11, COCKTAILS $14–$20
ALL CARDS ACCEPTED
Housed in a former art deco ballroom complex, Mockingbird retains signs of its previous life with its red velvet curtains and lofty high ceilings. A framed print of Atticus Finch hangs on the wall, a subtle tribute to its name, and he sets the tone of this moody candlelit bar, with its friendly, upbeat crowd who appreciate good tunes and quality sippers. It’s a world away from the rowdy backpacker bars nearby, with their cheap drink deals. Instead you’ll find classic cocktails like Pimm’s Punch or their celebrated espresso martini. If you prefer your drinks unmixed, there’s also an excellent range of top-shelf spirits as well as Australian wines and beers. They even create their own homemade infusions of vodka with herbs or fruits of the season. A tempting grazing menu with a tapas tone ensures there is no reason to drink on an empty stomach. The oyster G&T shots provide a stylish start and their truffle croquettes are highly addictive. Exuding theatrical style, Mockingbird is an ideal setting for the opening or finale to your night.
Newmarket Hotel
BAR
34 INKERMAN STREET, ST KILDA
(03) 9537 1777 • MAP P.296
OPEN DAILY NOON–LATE
BEERS $7–$9, WINES $6–$8, COCKTAILS $17, FOOD $4–$55
ALL MAJOR CARDS ACCEPTED
Talk about extreme makeovers! One-time home to dubious dinner ’n’ show phenomenon Schnitz & Titz, St Kilda’s Newmarket Hotel has traded sleaze for gloss, shedding its tired old skin and emerging as a beauty queen. Thanks to an eye-popping renovation by architectural firm Six Degrees – all massive windows, exposed concrete arches, timber furnishings and dramatic light fittings – this place looks more like an uberchic restaurant than a pub. The only remaining original feature is the facade. Of course, an overhaul like this doesn’t pass unnoticed. The Newmarket seems to be perpetually buzzing with stylin’ patrons, many tucking into the trendy Californian Hispanic-inspired menu (forget about swinging by on a Saturday night whim – dining here is so popular you’ll need to book in advance) or kicking back in the expansive, plant-filled outdoor area. Beer drinkers are spoilt for choice with a mighty seventeen beers on tap, while a clutch of cheeky no-name wines from the barrel, and a festive, Latin-flavoured cocktail list could get any party started. And not a schnitzel in sight …
Pure Pop Records
BAR
221 BARKLY STREET, ST KILDA
(03) 9525 5066 • MAP P.296
OPEN TUES, THURS & FRI 10AM–11PM, WED 10AM–6PM, SAT & SUN NOON–11PM
BEERS $5–$8.50, WINES $6, FOOD $5–$13.50
ALL MAJOR CARDS ACCEPTED
This is no ordinary bar. You’d walk right past it thinking it’s a second-hand record store, which it is. In fact, it’s both. No, wait, it’s actually more. It’s a one-stop shop for liquor, food, guitar-laced pop music and, just when you thought you couldn’t cram anything more in, live gigs. A place where well-known Australian and international artists, like Kate Miller-Heidke and Conway Savage (the Bad Seeds), drop by and play sets to devoted locals in the beer garden. A place where you sit on milk crates, crack open a bottle of beer and flick through obscure indie, soul and funk vinyl. Everything is simple here. There’s one white wine, one red wine, and straightforward snacks like a cheese, ham and vegemite toasty. There are no complicated cocktails to mix up, no bar queues to grow weary of. And the biggest surprise? The owner is reputed to be Bon Scott’s son.
Riva
BAR
42B MARINE PARADE, ST KILDA
(03) 9537 2224 • MAP P.302
OPEN TUES–SUN NOON–LATE (WINTER: TUES–THURS 5PM–LATE, FRI–SUN NOON–LATE)
BEERS $3.50–$10, WINES $7–$15, COCKTAILS $12.50–$17, FOOD $5.50–$39.90
ALL CARDS ACCEPTED
Blessed by its location (hello, St Kilda Marina), this place is hard not to like, especially when it has uninterrupted views across Melbourne’s famous Port Phillip Bay. Welcome to Riva. A bar and restaurant, this is a favourite establishment for locals and visitors alike. It’s suave, sophisticated and a little spiffy, but in a good way. It has something to offer everyone: a quality restaurant (plus a private dining room with gorgeous views for functions), lounge bar and the pièce de résistance – a decked area that looks straight out over the ocean. Riva has quickly built a reputation as the place to be on a Sunday arvo, especially for the thirty-somethings out there. Live music starts from 4pm, so grab your buddies, throw on your Sunday best and be sure to get there in time for all the action. With the sun going down over the water and grooves in the background, it’s easy to get into the seaside vibe. Think oysters washed down with a caipiroska … heaven.
TOP 10 BEERS
AUSTRALIA’S LONGEST SERVING LABOR PRIME MINISTER, BOB HAWKE, COULD DRAIN A YARD GLASS IN ELEVEN SECONDS. BEER DRINKING IS PRACTICALLY A NATIONAL PASTIME. HERE’S WHERE TO GO FOR THE BEST.
Beer and pizza specialists. Big range of beer. Cheap. Comes with pizza. ’Nuff said.
Beer Deluxe
FEDERATION SQUARE, CORNER FLINDERS AND SWANSTON
STREETS, MELBOURNE
(03) 9663 0166
BEERS $6–$40, WINES $8.50–$12, FOOD $6.50–$49
OPEN DAILY 8.30AM–LATE
ALL CARDS ACCEPTED
It’s big, warm, welcoming and fortifying and that’s just the seating area. Flip open the Beer Bible and feast your eyes on the near endless beer possibilities.
If your picture of heaven is drinking a heady Belgian beer on a sun-dappled picnic blanket under a tree, then the Belgian Beer Café is the place for you. There’s food and music to boot.
For a top brew you simply cannot go past Biero. They source beers from every corner of the country and boast a list of more than 100 types of amber ale (and pale and stout and lager …).
There’s nothing like a brew with a view. The Fox Hotel has a gorgeous rooftop and a massive menu of microbrewery and imported beers; you can use it to block the sun once you’ve ordered.
Founded on the principle of sustainable drinking, Grumpy’s gets all of its beers from local breweries, which makes it one of the finest places to sample an Otway red ale or a Mildura lager.
Is it a restaurant? Is it a bar? Is it a (very small) beer hall? Josie combines the best of all three, offering great food, a chic setting and a beer list a mile long.
As the name suggests, the range of beers here is narrow (limited to the Creatures’ catalogue and a few extras). But it’s the symphonic pairing of these crisp beers with unique pizzas and hearty share plates that makes this place sing.
With twenty beer taps that pump out more than 200 rotating brews a year, and the rollicking atmosphere of a merry old tavern, the Taphouse is, by its own corny admission, specTAPular. Groan.
Local craft beers are in vogue right now. But World Bar is the place for something more exotic. Start with beers from Italy and Argentina then wrap your lips around a mixed berry cider from Sweden.
The Saint
BAR
54 FITZROY STREET, ST KILDA
(03) 9593 8333 • MAP P.296
OPEN WED, THURS & SUN 5PM–MIDNIGHT, FRI & SAT 5PM–3AM
BEERS $4.50–$9, WINES $7.50–$10, COCKTAILS $16, FOOD $5–$13
ALL MAJOR CARDS ACCEPTED
It might be in an old bank, but there’s nothing staid about the Saint. Backpackers dress up, professionals dress down and bright young things wear little more than fake tans. Make no mistake: the Saint is all about partying. Their website might spruik relaxed afternoon drinks in the Asian-inspired courtyard, but this is a little difficult given the opening hours. Instead use the cool open space as time-out from two levels of pumping tunes, with weekend house music upstairs and DJs downstairs. There’s a colourful history, with footballer brawls and risqué, underwear-flashing promotions, but mostly the Saint is good clean fun, lubricated by large amounts of alcohol. Of course, large amounts of alcohol demand large amounts of accompanying food, which is when the all-you-can-eat Mediterranean grill and $5 pizzas come in handy. Finally, no night is complete until you’ve enjoyed a drink in the vault – a funky reminder of the building’s yesteryear.
Sloaney Pony
BAR
1 CROCKFORD STREET, PORT MELBOURNE
(03) 9645 2503 • MAP P.294
OPEN TUES–SUN NOON–11PM
BEERS $4–$10, WINES $8–$11, COCKTAILS $12.50–$18.50, FOOD $25–$36
ALL MAJOR CARDS ACCEPTED
The Sloaney Pony steals the nickname of London’s White Horse pub and the Sloanes who frequent it. That’s about as far as the connection goes. Inside is more English manor than pub, with heavy fittings, stone chimneys and faux-aged timber. It’s dimly lit and cosy, and would be perfect for curling up in a corner if the furniture wasn’t so sparse. The large expanse of floor between low leather couches and the bar is a telltale sign that this little horse gets busy, particularly when the ’80s rock cranks on a Sunday. Far from the upper-middle class Sloanes of London, this is cougar-town – Sunday is peak hunting season and cosmopolitans and mojitos are abundant. Weekdays, however, are calmer. The cougars are hibernating and the Sloaney Pony morphs back into a slightly too flashy local. On-tap and bottled beers are mainstream, the wine is a safe Australian and New Zealand selection, and bar snacks, despite their labelling, are actually generous meals. With its split personality, the pony’s all giddy-up and choose your own adventure.
White Bar
BAR
129 FITZROY STREET, ST KILDA
(03) 9593 9077 • MAP P.296
OPEN THURS–SAT 5PM–3AM
BEERS $6.50–$8.50, WINES $8–$10, COCKTAILS $16–$22
ALL CARDS ACCEPTED
When Fitzroy Street is in full swing on a Friday or Saturday night, the perfect place for people-watching is at this longrunning establishment. Part of the George Hotel, it sits on the corner of St Kilda’s golden mile and Grey Street – a notorious spot for shameless shenanigans. Still, the interior is a far cry from what’s going on outside. High ceilings, polished floorboards and snow-white walls give it more of an upmarket feel, so avoid coming here in your trackie daks. Furniture is also kept to a minimum in favour of floor space for kicking up your five-inch heels. DJs spin commercial house, RnB and retro from about 10pm, which gives you enough time to order a few martinis or loosen up on the single malts (both specialities) before you crack your dance moves out. If you think you can handle the posers, or are looking to eye up some prospects, then this place promises never a dull moment.
