Hair of the Dog

A walking tour of Melbourne at Night (and into the morning)

This taste of some Melbourne’s best bars starts at Larry Latrobe – a life-size, dingo-like dog who stands sentry at City Square, on the corner of Collins and Swanston Streets.

Walk north west along Swanston Street, past the Melbourne Town Hall and turn right into Little Collins Street.

Martinis at the Gin Palace. Owner, Vernon Chalker.

This intimate bar was once a lightbulb factory. It now oozes class from the Manhattan décor and deep purples to the long drapes and comfy couches. Definitely urban, the Gin Palace attracts all ages.

Address: 190 Little Collins Street. (Between Russell and Swanston Streets)

Wine and snacks at the Hairy Canary. Co-owners – Christine Becker and Francisco Valles.

Hairy Canary has a small bench-bar which faces onto Little Collins Street, couches and tables and chairs. It is popular at lunchtime with city-folk, during the afternoon for coffee, at dinner for food and (very) late into the night for drinks for the black-clad generation.

Address: 212 Little Collins Street. (Between Russell and Swanston Streets)

Music and Cocktails at the Tony Star's Kitten Club. Owner s– Peter Labourne and Mark Knoop.

Tony Starr is a Frank Sinatra impersonator. With a jazzy ‘60s style layout, including a powder room, you could imagine James Dean or Marilyn Monroe having one of the Kitten Club’s 100 cocktails while sitting on one of the bar’s lime green sofas.

Address: 267 Little Collins Street. (Between Swanston and Elizabeth Streets)

From Little Collins Street, walk through Block Place, cross over Collins Street and enter into Centre Way. Note Fat Ben's and Yen, two little hole in the wall snack places. Look at side and facade of Majorca House

Hell's Kitchen and Bar. Co-owners – Linda Bradac and Peter Roissetter.

Hell’s Kitchen used to be an innocuous inner-city espresso bar, but an upstairs bar has opened, complementing the day time coffee houses. This shoe-box kitchen has for years attracted a loyal mix of architects and designers during the day. Now the night offers a bar in which to unwind.

Address: 20 Centre Place. (Between Elizabeth and Swanston Streets)

From Centre Place turn into Flinders Lane. Walk along Flinders Lane and check out Manchester Lane, which often has live music in the bar area at the back. Meals at the front on Flinders Lane

Cross over Swanston Street. Continue up Flinders Lane.

The Purple Emerald Bar. Owner – Phil Anderson.

There is very much a smooth lounge feel to this place – half way between a hotel lobby and a cocktail lounge. While the core crowd are artsy jazz lovers, it can be quite diverse.

Address: 191 Flinders Lane. (Between Swanston and Russell Streets).

Ezard at Adelphi Owner chef, Teage Ezard

Highly innovative menu with pleasant, informed service in the smart basement of the Adelphi Hotel. Unusual and tricky combinations are surprisingly successful. Attention to detail is impressive in all dishes.

Address: 187 Flinders Lane. (Between Swanston and Russell Streets).

Misty

Comfortable couches, low coffee tables and modern stylish décor greet you as you enter Misty. A mix of locals, artists and business people fill this popular bar. The back wall has coloured bubbles floating around it mirroring the ‘City Lights’ light boxes which float around the outside wall of the Fourm Theatre across the lane. These boxes are part of the City Council Art installation scheme.

Address: 3-5 Hosier Lane. (Runs between Flinders Street and Flinders Lane; parallel to Swanston and Russell Streets)

Honkytonks

Plush interior sections, a long bar with bottles arranged in a glittering centrepiece, a DJ set up in a grand piano shell and a great view over Flinders Street makes Honky Tonks a unique all night space.

Address: Duckboard Place. (Runs off Flinders Street; parallel to Russell and Exhibition Streets).

Supper Club. Part Owner – Con Christopolous.

Meyers Place.

Meyers Place is a paradox – it refuses to adhere to a consistency of style. There is no symmetry or any other hallmark of modern interior design: comically small bars jut out from different points and the walls are a combination of loose shagpile carpet and wood tiles. The antithesis of opulence, Meyers Place continues to benefit from its minimalist beginnings. It was the winner of the inaugural Melbourne Prize from the Royal australian Institute of Architects.

Address: 20 Meyers Place. (Runs off Little Collins Street; parallel to Spring and Exhibition Streeets)

Florentino Cellar Bar. Owner – Guy Grossi

Owned by the Grossi family and part of the long established (1930s) Florentino complex, the Cellar Bar holds a special place in the heart of Melburnians.

Address: 80 Bourke Street. (Between Spring and Exhibition Streets)

Punch Lane Wine Bar. Co-owner – Martin Pirc.

Punch Lane is an unabashed wine bar that specialises in local and international cheeses and demands a quaffing patronage. When you enter you are practically dared to experience a premium wine by the bookshelf wine racks that adorn each wall. In this way, Punch Lane is unique, creating a niche unoccupied by any other Melbourne bar.

Address: 43 Little Bourke Street. (Between Spring and Exhibition Streets)

Becco. Owner – Richard Lodge.

Becco oozes a sultry style. Specialising in Campari, Becco has a generous wine list, an assortment of coffees. the food is not cheap. The music ranges from modern jazz to funk and dance as the night pushes on.

Address: 11-25 Crossley Street. (Between Bourke and Little Bourke Streets; parallel to Spring and Exhibition Streets).

Spleen

‘Live, jazzy, grooves’ – these three words sum up this smooth bar just down from Parliament House. Offering deliberately simple bar drinks, the asset of Spleen is an atmosphere that exudes warmth and seduction. Complementing the smooth grooves, acid jazz is played once a week. Most weekdays you can get a table or couch, so sit back, relax and ease your spleen to the live jazzy grooves that have hit the right note with many bar-goers across the city.

Address: 41 Bourke Street. (Between Spring and Exhibition Streets)

Hardware Lane Environs

Cafe all Angolo – best value breakfast in town; Cafe Miro, Campari; by day (also check out the mountaineering shops. Nearby are Fine Music, Kozminsky’s. By night - Khokolat, Soft Belly, Scubar

See also Craig Allchin (Meyers Place) on setting up a funky Melbourne bar.