Melbourne's best bars

Riverland, vaults 1 to 9, Federation Wharf, city, phone 9662 1771
Those clever architects from Six Degrees (Meyers Place, Richmond Public House) turned their attentions to the old bluestone storage vaults on the river at Princes Bridge and came up with this idyll. In winter, you'll gravitate towards the list of Australian reds, while in summer it's thumbs up to Stella, Pure Blonde and Asahi on tap.
Rooftop Bar, level 7, 252 Swanston Street, city, phone 9663 3596
Above Cookie and the Toff in Town, you'll find that the happening Curtin House is crowned with the Rooftop Bar. Nestled among the city lights, it has the hallmarks of downstairs sibling Cookie, including great beers, and it serves burgers and, on Sundays, Japanese pancakes.
The Deck, Mercantile Place, Waterside Hotel Rooftop, corner Flinders and King streets, city, phone 9629 1350
The Deck has already established a reputation as a hipper than usual meat market where a young crowd of city workers gather to let off steam on a Friday night. Anyone caring to look will be rewarded with great views across the Yarra to the casino. The DJ plays classic house and the latest R&B and bar staff are adept at mixing lurid cocktails.
The Red Hummingbird, level 1, 246 Russell Street, city, phone 9654 2266
There's nothing as helpful as a sign out front here: look out for the red birdcage above the door opposite the QV complex. Inside, it's all dim-lit; upstairs, the Balinese-inspired rooftop deck has tropical plantings and hanging wicker chairs that make a serene setting for downing jugs of sangria with city views.
Order of Melbourne, level 2, 401 Swanston Street, city, phone 9663 6707
Modular leather couches make this large space a clubbish prospect, but climb another set of stairs and you emerge on a small terrace overlooking RMIT's Storey Hall. If you can't get a seat outdoors, there are plenty of consolations downstairs, including bartenders who know how to muddle a good mojito.
Belgian Beer Cafe Bluestone, 557 St Kilda Road, city, phone 9529 2899
There are several other Belgian beer cafes but none can boast this alpha-variety beer garden with elms and more umbrellas than Wimbledon. Dip into pots of steamed mussels and pommes frites while enjoying Belgian beers such as Stella, Hoegaarden and Kriek, all served in specialised glasses.
Section 8, 27-29 Tattersalls Lane, city
A disused car park in Chinatown is home to a makeshift bar with shipping containers for the HQ and pallets for seating. Chinese lanterns overhead, DJs on weekends and a can-do attitude make this an exuberant proposition. Drinks are basic but that's the point: beer, spirits and a limited wine list.
East Brunswick Club, 280-294 Lygon Street, East Brunswick, phone 9388 2777
A classic pub turned new music venue with a decent kitchen churning out gourmet parmas ($10 on Tuesday nights). The pool table remains, but the back room has become a good proposition for hearing local and international acts.
The Toff in Town, 252 Swanston Street, city, phone 9639 8770
Curtin House took a leap with the birth this year of the Toff, the bar/venue that channels a 1920s vibe but has its head firmly in the "now" with an intimate set-up hosting acts that stretch from modern acoustic and jazz to DJs, cabaret and comedy. The wine list is encyclopedic, the beers global, the cocktails expensive (but worth it).
Paris Cat, basement, 6 Goldie Place, city, phone 9642 4711 Stereotypical jazz club, deliberately low-key, intimate and dimly lit. Mondays to Saturdays it hosts a variety of renowned local and international jazz acts. There's a compact wine list, and the foolhardy can brave the eponymous signature cocktail (a mix of rum, apricot brandy, tequila and Cointreau).
Cherry, AC/DC Lane (off Flinders Lane), city, phone 9639 8122
Since late '99, this has been the grungy home of off-duty strippers, visiting rock stars and everyone in between. It's open until very late five nights a week, with DJs playing danceable soul and rock. It's a rock bar, you'll drink beer: for starters, you'll find Stella and Asahi on tap.
Ding Dong Lounge, level 1, 18 Market Lane, city, phone 9662 1020 (below)
This sibling of the legendary New York club of the same name gets raucous enough to leave ears ringing for days. Unpretentious live rock acts provide the soundtrack, plus you can wear out your shoe rubber dancing to DJs playing the Ramones, Television, T-Rex and, of course, AC/DC. You'll find beer taps shaped like guitar necks and a similar roster of drinks to sibling Cherry.
Bennetts Lane, 25 Bennetts Lane, city, phone 9663 2856
This dark and moody venue attracts the cream of visiting superstars (Prince famously played a "secret" gig here in 2003) and takes its music seriously enough to post a "no talking during gigs" rule on the wall - don't expect that margarita to be shaken until there's a break in the music.
Bar Lourinha, 37 Little Collins Street, city, phone 9663 7890
Trying to find a table here is often maddening but worth the angst. Prop at the high wooden counter and tuck into small plates of Iberian flavours - soft-shell prawns smothered in a garlic and parsley paste, twice-cooked octopus and pickled cucumber or Wagyu carne cruda. Plus, a Eurocentric wine list and great waitstaff.
Rockpool Bar and Grill, 1/8 Whiteman Street, Southbank, phone 8648 1900
Neil Perry's southern incarnation of his Sydney flagship is an affordable option, if you stick to the shallow end of the menu. Skip the signature $110 wagyu sirloin for the delights of scallop ceviche and fried calamari with romesco. Wash down the $15 wagyu beef burger with one of 3000 wine-list options - with 25 by the glass.
Mo Vida, 1 Hosier Lane, city, phone 9663 3038
This happening joint in a graffiti-splashed alleyway off Flinders Street has a knockout list of Spanish wine, sherry and beer plus a clever contemporary twist on Spanish dining. Try a glass of tempranillo with tapas dishes such as house-made morcilla (blood sausage) and scallops with jamon and potato foam.
Comme, 7 Alfred Place, city, phone 9631 4000
It's a brave bar that makes white its colour motif, but that attitude is what makes Comme the lair of the achingly fashionable. Hang in the white-on-white bar where tapas-inspired nibbles - salt cod croquettes, deep fried Caprifeuille goats cheese with lavender honey - offset a wine list brimming with local and international gems.
The Press Club, 72 Flinders Street, city, phone 9677 9677
Chef George Calombaris's venture has given Greek food some much-needed gravitas, and the sleek bar of the smart Flinders Street restaurant provides a convivial entry point. You'll find plenty of Greek wine on the list to match the mezedes (sharing plates such as dolmades with white anchovies), and look out for ouzo-and-octopus tasting nights.
Vin Cellar, 212 High Street, Prahran, phone 9510 2820
One of Prahran's best-kept secrets is this wine shop/bar hybrid that lets customers select a wine at the bottleshop price and drink it on site, either on its own or, with a $5 charge, alongside Oz-Med bistro fare. There are more than 1600 drops to choose from, plus some eclectic choices by the glass and in flights.
Cookie, level 1, 252 Swanston Street, city, phone 9663 7660
Some of the city's finest Thai food is on offer at one of its funkiest bars. Sounds too good to be true, but Cookie has cemented its place in grateful hearts via an astute mix of happening vibe and inflation-busting, zesty Thai. Put out the fire of deep-fried pork belly and red curry with one of 220 imported beers.
High Society, 23-29 Bourke Street, city, phone 9639 2544
On the first floor above the newly revived Society restaurant, the High Society cocktail bar, assiduously (and sometimes hilariously) cultivates a luxe vibe. Thrill to the sartorial excesses of the Versace Room and the lighting show in the Fornasetti Room, which changes colour every minute.
Lexington, level 2, GPO, 350 Bourke Street, city, phone 9663 7122
Glam-a-rama bar taking up much of the top of the GPO that's the hang-out for Melbourne's lovely young things. Leather banquettes and Swarovski chandeliers are the order of the day, along with the the latest cocktails (although the Cosmopolitan will never go out of style here).
The Deanery, 13 Bligh Place, city, phone 9629 5599
This wine bar/restaurant is down a cobbled alleyway, but it's worth risking high heels on the terrain to give the sleek fit-out its due. It touts itself as a "wine reserve" for the storage of CBD-dwellers' collections, and has one of the city's finest wine lists.
The Long Room, Georges Building, 162 Collins Street, city, phone 9663 7226
Donald Trump's stylist might have had a hand in the decor here (leather seating, elks' heads, chandeliers) but the overall impression is one of elegance. Sushi chefs are on duty until late Fridays and Saturdays.
The Carlton Hotel, 193 Bourke Street, city, phone 9663 3246
It's worth frocking up at this city pub rescued from seedy neglect by Tracey Lester (the woman behind Yelza and the Builders Arms) if only to compete with the stuffed emu wearing a string of pearls, the flocked wallpaper and all kinds of glorious excess.
Baroq House, 9-13 Drewery Lane, city, phone 8080 5680
No outfit will be too outlandish amid this zebra-print, gilt-edged fantasia. The chiffon-clad hostesses won't be to everyone's taste but the grotto-style dancefloor is a hoot.
Ume Nomiya, 197 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, phone 9415 6101
A nomiya is a Japanese drinking place that serves snack-style food. Melbourne's own version is a warm and unpretentious venue with traditional seating and a dub-friendly soundtrack. Split a serve of gyoza and wash them down with Japanese beer, sake, shochu and plum wine.
Lily Blacks, 3/12-18 Meyers Place, city, phone 9654 6499
A pleasantly flirty drinking hole - it touts itself as a "cocktail salon" - in busy Meyers Place, with flattering lighting and hideaway spots. If you really want to impress your date, buy them a "French 75": gin, Calvados, lemon juice and Pol Roger champagne.
The Alderman, 134 Lygon Street, Brunswick East, phone 9380 9003
There's something seductive about this pub-inspired bar at the hip end of Lygon Street. Flirt over a pot of Beck's (the only beer on tap) or a tipple from the limited wine list.
Transit, Federation Square, city, phone 9654 8808
A secret eyrie on the third floor of the complex comprising the Transport Hotel and Taxi Dining Room that boasts killer views, low ceilings, dim lighting and plush lounges; there's table service and live music - jazz and swing, mostly - some nights.
Alumbra, shed 9, Central Pier, 161 Harbour Esplanade, Docklands, phone 8623 9600
In the wilds of the Docklands, you'll stumble across a Kubla Khan-like vision: statues and shisha pipes give this place a hint of middle-eastern decadence; there's a sometimes curious cocktail list and DJs on weekends.
The Croft Institute, 21 Croft Alley, city, phone 9671 4399
Croft Institute's bunsen burners and random laboratory equipment still mark it out as kooky with a capital K. Hang downstairs or head upstairs for music that joins the dots between roots, reggae and drum 'n' bass.
Korova Milk Bar, 12 Bourke Street, city, phone 96543965
The bar of the same name in Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange served milk laced with LSD; no such cocktails are on the drinks list here, but on entering you could think otherwise. There's the same swirling black and white theme as the original and some groovy lighting over the DJ booth.  The drinks list is fairly basic: skip the acid and try a Kahlua and milk instead.
Robot Sushi, 12 Bligh Place, city, phone 9620 3646
Sake and sushi collide with forward-looking popular culture at this popular bar full of anime trinkets at the end of an alleyway into which the crowd spills on warm evenings. If sake's not your thing, there's a mighty selection of Japanese beers.
New Gold Mountain, level 2, 21 Liverpool Street, city, phone 9650 8859
There are Asian-themed bars popping up all over, but this sister bar to communist chic outfit Double Happiness is the best. The influences don't clobber you over the head, and the bead curtains, brocade wallpaper and ornate couches are quite lovely. Sours are the house specialty, plus cocktails made with luxe ingredients such as French Citadelle gin.
The Trader Bar, basement, 71 Collins Street, city, phone 9663 4678
Punters can bet on the cost of their drinks via screens displaying the market price of domestic and imported beer, cocktails and spirits that are updated every six minutes. Drink popular; price goes up. And twice each weekend night the market goes bust, sending all drinks to the bargain basement. Don't lose your shirt.
Frostbites, 426 Chapel Street, South Yarra, phone 9827 7401
Did someone say 1980s? You could say that the decade that taste forgot was the inspiration for this place, but as it's been around since Scott and Charlene were getting it on in Neighbours, it's safe to say there's little irony in the wall of Slushie machines churning out luridly coloured ice-sludge cocktails. Heaps of fun for anyone trying to relive their glory days of bubble skirts the first time around. Open Thursday to Sunday.
Madame Brussels, level 3/59 Bourke Street, city, phone 9662 2775
Astroturf and dainty garden furniture rule the day inside this tiny bar, while on the sizeable third-floor terrace it's all big tables and great views. Staff decked out for a day at the country club serve cupcakes and finger sandwiches, while house specialties are rose, Pimm's and cocktails by the jug.
Red Vault, 37-39 Chapel Street, Windsor, phone 9510 1062
An old bank vault next to Windsor station has been converted into a sophisticated wine bar with just over 320 varieties of mostly Australian and some Old World drops.
Gertrude Street Enoteca, 229 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, phone 9415 8262
This enoteca is an inviting jewel of a place that demands a glass or two be imbibed over a lunch of housemade tarts and terrine.
Melbourne Supper Club, 161 Spring Street, city, phone 9654 6300
The formula: Chesterfields, a great view over Parliament House, an encyclopaedic wine list and hipper-than-thou staff who seem to know a thing or two about the drinks they serve.
Flor, 555 Nicholson Street, Carlton North, phone 9381 4443
Cosy local wine bar that's a top-notch drinker's destination with a long cellar list and knowledgeable staff. There are Australian wines, with France and Italy given a look-in, plus sherries and more than 30 malt whiskies.
Melbourne Wine Room, the George Hotel, 125 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, phone 9525 5599
The faded elegance of the room makes this a local favourite; the killer wine list, with a pleasing number by the glass, doesn't harm its reputation either.
Markov Place, 350 Drummond Street, Carlton, phone 9347 7113
A dark and moody converted warehouse that pretends it's been there since the 1950s. You'll find exposed beams, vintage posters and modern Mediterranean food, and Australian and New Zealand drops.
Carlisle Wine Bar, 137 Carlisle Street, Balaclava, phone 9531 3222
This is one sexy bar, with a sexy wine list. You'll find plenty of Australian drops on their mid-sized list and gems from Italy, France and Spain. A cocktail? Try their super-charged mojito, with Matusalem reserve rum.
Der Raum, 438 Church Street, Richmond, phone 9428 0055
Spirit bottles hang from the ceiling at this intimate cocktail bar that continues to win plaudits for its accomplished array of cocktails. Der Raum eschews pre-fabricated cordials and syrups for juices pressed daily and rare-label spirits. Even the ice cubes are special (extra-large - it does make a difference).
Troika, 106 Little Lonsdale Street, city, phone 9663 0221
The faux-Soviet black-and-red decor with wooden touches and light boxes has failed to date. Artsy types with interesting headwear gather to drink vodka.
Gin Palace, 190 Little Collins Street, city, phone 9654 0533
It might be looking a little deshabille these days, but there's still plenty to love about this old-timer: the crazy martini list, the waitstaff's livery; and the hidden entrance, still mimicked all over town.
St Jerome's, 7 Caledonian Lane, city
This no-frills laneway bar has won instant classic status with its room the size of a postage stamp and its annexing of a loading bay for the city's grungiest courtyard.
Hairy Canary, 212 Little Collins Street, city, phone 9654 2471
Hairy Canary has never gone out of style; its menu of tapas-style sharing plates make it a good meeting spot before a night out. They also do a mean sherry cocktail.