Best Themed Bars in Melbourne

by Callum McDermott

Updated December 2nd, 2022

Each of these bars trades in kitsch – that enigmatic balance of theatre, irony and lack of self-seriousness that separates a themed bar from merely an influenced one.

To really pull off a themed bar, it takes a whole-hearted commitment across the staff, decor, music and drinks. But when it works, as with these bars, your drinking experience will truly be lifted.

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The LuWow
Bar
Check your everyday life at the door – it’s pure fantasy at Melbourne’s favourite tiki bar. There’s bamboo, leopard print and tiki statues everywhere. If you can’t get a good Painkiller, Zombie or Mai Tai here, you can’t get it anywhere.
Mjølner
Bar
Toast Valhalla and all things Norse here.

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Berlin Bar
Bar
Drinking in post-war opulence on the West side or soviet grunge on the East side? It's your choice at Berlin.
Storyville
Bar
A fairytale themed bar, from the owners of Pawn & Co. and 29th Apartment.
Natural History Public Bar
Restaurant
Ever wanted to eat a steak in front of a taxidermied animal?

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Pawn & Co.
Bar
At this pawn-shop themed bar, the lines are blurred: you can buy a lot of the second-hand goods on display here.

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Double Happiness
Bar
Chairman Mao, communist propaganda, cocktails? Far more fun (and inoffensive) than it sounds.

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Holey Moley
Bar
Juvenile mini-golf gets an adult makeover at this insane bar.
Madame Brussels
Bar
An over-the-top garden party – set in an exaggerated rooftop tennis club.

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The Palm Royale
Bar
Tiki bars will never go away, and this Richmond incarnation is Melbourne's proud standard-bearer.
Moon Dog Wild West
Bar
Moon Dog’s bar in the Franco Cozzo building leans heavily into an old-Hollywood interpretation of the American West. It comes complete with a mechanical bull, “Cowboy Shots” and a Blues Brothers-inspired bar.