Best Bars & Clubs


Best Bars & Clubs
SYDNEY

Chinese Laundry

Quirky Asian statues and mood lighting aside, it's this venue's cutting edge music policy which pulls in the punters on a weekly basis. Part of a group of highly-sought after CBD venues owned and managed by Sydney's Merivale group, this underground nightclub combines the rustic nature of a heritage-style sandstone building with a kitsch oriental seventies interior and relaxed door policy. Read more...


Posh Lounge

Up here it's all very captain's table, first-class-passengers only. This little glass box perched on the top deck of the Overseas Passenger Terminal is anchored right opposite that classy Opera House view. And the cigar-brown leather sofas and club chairs are more than a little snobby. Read more...


The Beach Palace Hotel

This beachside watering hole has more than great ocean views: it also has funky DJs to vibe away your day. The Aquarium Bar, located on the roof of this Coogee stalwart (The Beach Palace Hotel), boasts a brilliant view of the beach and the surrounding hills. Groove to chilled and relaxed sounds from Thursday to Saturday with DJs spinning from 8pm. On Sunday, The Martini Club plays top-shelf house and funk from 4pm. Read more...


Grosvenor Club

The tolerance that the Taxi Club exemplifies has probably emerged from the fact that it's open 24 hours a day. Next year it'll be 50 years old. It's officially referred to as the "Grosvenor Club Ltd" but the name "Taxi Club" has stuck more than even a drag queen's false eyelashes. Read more...


Peppermint Lounge

A mural of a James Bond look-alike with martini glass in hand decorates the entry to the lounge, pretty much one big room with retro lounges and seats cut into the walls that look like spaceship capsules. There are DJs on every night playing a mixture of '60s and '70s soul, funk, R&B and early disco. The level's loud enough to keep people awake but you can chat comfortably anywhere in the room. Read more...


Water Bar

Rated Sydney's best bar by The Sydney Morning Herald Cafe & Bar Guide 2001, this is not the sort of place you go to get plastered. Think dim, face-friendly lighting, luxurious velvet couches and a cocktail list that could make lesser-paid mortals weep - it all adds up to mature, sophisticated destination drinking. Read more...


Dugout Bar

Heritage-listing meets underground (and we mean underground) cool in this perennial boozing favourite. We've been thanking the great bartender in the sky that this place has slipped right under many a punter's coolness radar of late. Tucked under the Burdekin Hotel, these basement rooms are home to some fine drinking. Read more...


Labor Club Bar

Smack bang in the middle of yucky old Bourke Street, this digger and local alco mainstay has gone high rise to cater for the area's hipsters. Well, sort of. The room above this RSL type establishment is dingy, cavernous and rectangular - perfect for Read more...




BRISBANE

The Wickham

Some of Queensland's best DJs are handling the decks, so it's no wonder The Wickham claims the title as Brisbane's premier gay dance venue. State-of-the-art lighting and sound and an impressive bar gives it an unfair edge on the competition anyway. Read more...


Zomba Bar Cafe

Next door to historic Murrie Corner on the main drag, Zomba is the perfect perch for watching the weird and wonderful world go by which looks all the more wonderful after a foray into the extensive cocktail list. Get there early to grab the primo street-side lounge seats. And you might want to abandon the thongs: although Zomba is fairly casual, the candlelight, the schmoozy music and up-to-the-moment decor mean it could be the next hot place to be seen. Read more...


Regatta Hotel

The Grand Old Lady of Brisbane's western suburbs is still an excellent place for a steak dinner, a couple of quiet schooners and a water view. Still a popular spot for socialising, the Hotel now has an edgy new look, with sleek stainless-steel bars and a state-of-the-art microbrewery following the $3.5 million revamp. New attractions, of a sort, are the "loos with views". Here, the lads in particular can have some fun at the urinal, thanks to a one-way mirror looking out onto the courtyard. Read more...


Lychee Lounge

Although twee by name, the Lychee Lounge is an oasis by nature. Smack bang in the centre of West End, this cool little vodka bar is running the hole-in-the-wall gauntlet with style, substance and jazzy grooves. Lychee's appeal lies in its vast array of vodkas, cocktails and shooters.Read more...


The Elephant & Wheelbarrow

Brisbane's pub scene seems to have been all but conquered by the Irish bar, and now the English are edging in, trying to provide the full pommy pub experience. Following success of Elephant and Wheelbarrow pubs in Perth and Melbourne, the traditional English pub chain opened up shop in the Valley late last year. Read more...


R-bar

A venue of choice for the Brisbane glamour clubber, this bar's musical compass is pointed squarely at funky. House, funk and R'n'B dominate the musical line-up, and drink specials are also a regular fixture on select evenings. Comprising three levels - The Satellite Suite, Groove Lounge and Club Bar - the venue plays host to live acts, DJS, fashion events and the odd international guest. Read more...


The Zoo Nightclub

Come feed the musical beast within at one of Brisbane's most enduring live music clubs. A decade after its establishment, the Zoo's push to be Brisbane's premier live music venue continues unabated. The name suits, given the variety of clientele that passes through the doors. Like many neighbouring Valley nightclubs, the slant is towards independent, and often experimental, music. Read more...


The Alibi Room

The Alibi Room serves mostly as a corner-bar meeting place with groovy tunes, a great cocktail menu, and a couple of comfy couches for chilling out. With a stylish colour theme (plums and greys), polished wooden floors, stainless-steel bar stools, and floor-to-ceiling windows which open out onto the sidewalk, you'll often find a hip crowd gathering here for a night out in the valley. Read more...


Mantra

Unlike a lot of clubs around Brisbane, Mantra focuses on comfort over trendiness, substance over style. The walls are covered in the works of local artists, who are invited to display their creations for all to see. The art is complemented by soft sofas and lighting. Read more...


The Jorge

Jorge isn't just a bar to hang out at: it's practically a way of life. There's a limited-edition Jorge magazine and a collectors'-item Jorge CD to go with this venue. At a stretch, there's even a Jorge philosophy. Of course, it's also a nice place to just hang out. In business for only a year, Jorge has quickly become Brisbane's "place to be seen" after dark. With its funky yet sophisticated vibe, award-winning dicor and devotion to all that's cutting-edge, it has managed to hold onto the usually fleeting title of "being cool". Read more...




MELBOURNE

Pony

The low archways inside are a reminder of its Mexican restaurant past, but that's where the guacamole-and-nachos influence ends. The walls are painted red and the floors are dark with lots of rustic wooden tables and chairs. This is the creation of three former IT industry friends who traded computer geek for lounge sleek. Read more...


Glow Bar

Located on the corner of Queen and Franklin Streets, behind Melbourne's oldest landmark, The Queen Victoria Markets, Glow Bar is conveniently positioned in the heart of the city. Its fluid interior contours and dominant curved bar are lit by Glow's signature blue hue. The venue provides the perfect environment to indulge in their top-shelf bar selection, or savour their superb continental cuisine, all while experiencing Glow's superior standard of service. Read more...


Khokolat Bar

Situated in groovy Hardware Lane, Khokolat is one popular club and the door brigade outside can look pretty serious at times. Take the stairs down to the basement and you'll find a dark underground venue and a lot of funky people. There's a sixties look - think brown (khokolat) walls and mod lounge. Read more...


Dizzy's Jazz Bar

In the three years Dizzy's has been operating, it has built a deserving reputation as a dynamic and dedicated jazz venue. The elegant National Trust Building was once the old Richmond post office, and it still delivers. The wooden-floored main room is graceful in its simplicity; comprising stools set down a single bar stretching along the back wall, numerous petite tables are scattered intimately around the stage area. Read more...




ADELAIDE

Rundle Wine Bar & Lounge

Located in the East End of Adelaide, the Rundle Wine Bar boasts a collection of some of the finest wines available. Enjoy your selection al fresco and watch the passing parade of Rundle Street. Moving inside, the restaurant and bar will have all the services you would expect from such a fine establishment. Read more...


The Oxford Hotel

The Oxford Hotel North Adelaide is well recognised as a provider of innovative food and informed service. Located in the heart of trendy North Adelaide on the corner of O'Connell and Tynte Streets, The Oxford offers a variety of facilities to accommodate the individual needs of their clientele. The Oxford is the perfect venue for both social and business functions as the casual daytime environment is instantly lifted as the sun goes down. The right blend of lighting and occasional live music has resulted in an establishment with a groovy, vibrant attitude. Read more...




CANBERRA

Cahoots Bar & Gallery

Though the decor is attractively understated, the atmosphere warm and elegant and the diverse selection of whiskys could possibly resolve the dourest Scotsmen into a puddle of gratitude, the most notable and famous feature of Cahoots is Read more...


King O'Malley's Irish Pub

It's a monster. Since opening in 2000, King O'Malley's seems to have swelled and annexed half of Civic. If things keep going this way, it won't be long before Garema Place is merely a small subsection of the sprawling O'Malley's empire. Read more...


Minque

Situated a popcorn's throw from the Manuka cinemas this sophisticated restaurant and lounge bar, while still the favoured evening watering hole of professionals, hacks and government-types who inhabited it during its previous incarnation as The Grange, remains comfortably capable of hosting people from all walks of life. Read more...


Toast

It's a city where good venues can be hard to find. But this little number is hidden away off the main drag and hosting some great club nights. A welcome addition to the Canberra clubscape, Toast opened in early 2002, playing host to various club and band nights. With bright, almost garish walls and abstract paintings, the venue's atmosphere harks back to the '80s. Read more...


Thanks to http://www.citysearch.com.au

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