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Best Cocktail Bars in the CBD

Updated July 13th, 2023

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Sometimes, beer and wine just don't cut it. In those times, you need cocktails. Be it a well-made Negroni, or a complex, multi-layered sipper, Melbourne has a wealth of places to partake.

These are our favourites, ranging from casual spots, to table service venues where the staff wear waistcoats. But without fail, they all know their spirits.

Looking for something specific?

  • 1806

    Bar

    1806: the year the word "cocktail" was first defined in print.

  • Berlin Bar

    Bar

    Opulence meets wartime misery at this bar with two faces.

  • Boilermaker House

    Bar

    600 whiskies and counting, with beers to match.

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  • Bomba

    Restaurant

    Most people come for the Spanish food. But you could just as easily come for the drinks alone.

  • Double Happiness

    Bar

    The sister bar to Lily Black's has a cheeky Chairman Mao theme, but sacrifices none of the skill.

    Book a Table

  • Eau De Vie

    Bar

    Before the EDV team opened Boilermaker House, this classy bar was the focal point for its whisky obsession.

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  • Gin Palace

    Bar

    The name says it all.

  • Heartbreaker

    Bar

    Bottled cocktails waiting by the jukebox in Chinatown.

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  • Lily Blacks

    Bar

    A connoisseur's dream.

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  • Lui Bar at Vue de Monde

    Bar

    What would you expect from a bar run by Vue de Monde?

  • Mesa Verde

    Restaurant

    Climb to the top of Curtin House, and you're in another tequila heaven.

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  • New Gold Mountain

    Bar

    Another skilful, Asian-themed member of the Lily Blacks family.

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  • Seamstress Cocktail Bar

    Bar

    The high-class counterpart of downstairs bar Sweatshop.

  • Siglo

    Bar

    The Melbourne Supper Club's casual rooftop counterpart.

  • Sweatshop

    Bar

    It's a themed bar, but the drinks are far from gimmicky.

  • Union Electric Bar

    Bar

    More fresh fruit and veg than a green grocer.

  • Whisky and Alement

    Bar

    Melbourne's first great whisky bar.

  • Yarra Falls

    Bar

    Evoking a lost piece of Melbourne’s pre-colonial landscape, this tiny bar inside an ornate, heritage-listed space has a striking indoor waterfall that doubles as a back-bar. Come for vibrant cocktails and a seasonal menu of snacks celebrating native ingredients.

  • Jayda

    Bar

    Shane Delia’s cocktail bar, right next to his flagship Maha restaurant. Enter for classic cocktails turned on their head by a world-class bartender and a cracking bar menu of beefy borek buns, taramasalata tarts and a saucy lamb sanga.

  • One or Two

    Bar

    This tranquil bolthole amid the bustle of Chinatown is built on the motto “drink less, drink better”. It’s pouring small-batch whiskies and a tight list of cocktails. Why not stay for just one – or two?