AFF's List of World's Most Legendary Bars

[Nigelinoz]

Perhaps we here on AFF should create a list of the best bars in Australia?
Maybe limit contributions to a maximum of 5 per member?
This is my 5 in no particular order.

Jacksons on George,Sydney.
The Bar,Four Seasons Hotel,Sydney.
Atrium Bar,Sofitel Hotel,Melbourne.
Carbon Sports Bar,Burswood Complex,Perth.
Long Bar,Henry Jones Art Hotel,Hobart.

 

[straitman]

Re: World's most legendary bars

Perhaps we here on AFF should create a list of the best bars in Australia?
Maybe limit contributions to a maximum of 5 per member?
This is my 5 in no particular order.

Jacksons on George,Sydney.
The Bar,Four Seasons Hotel,Sydney.
Atrium Bar,Sofitel Hotel,Melbourne.
Carbon Sports Bar,Burswood Complex,Perth.
Long Bar,Henry Jones Art Hotel,Hobart.

NIGELINOZ,

Maybe this should be a new thread :?:

 

[Nigelinoz]

Re: World's most legendary bars

NIGELINOZ,

Maybe this should be a new thread :?:

Sounds like a good idea to me Bill,hopefully one of those very excellent,kind moderators will do the honours for me?:mrgreen:

 

[NM]

Perhaps we here on AFF should create a list of the best bars in Australia?

I am splitting this part of the discussion into a new thread here in the Playground.

See the original Travel News thread for background.

 

[Febs]

My top 5 in Sydney. Note these are perhaps not "legendary" bars, but just my top 5 favourite spots I like to drink in Sydney.

ivy, George St - Sure it can be pretentious, but with ~10 bars, 5 restaurants, a pool, a nightclub and a retail complex, there's nothing else like it in Australia.

Kit&Kaboodle (Sugarmill), Kings Cross - For a relative newcomer to the Sydney bar scene, K&K has gained a pretty good reputation in such a short period of time. Hot parties and product launches, great staff and two very different (but equally cool) bars built into an old Westpac branch. Gets a thumbs up from me.

Marble Bar (Hilton) - An institution.

Opera Bar - Laid back, relaxed, outdoors and about the best view you could ask for in Sydney (followed closely by Blu Horizon in Shangri-La). Perfect for a drink in summer, particularly if you're showing tourists around.

Hemmesphere (Establishment) - Best coughtail list in Sydney, friendly staff and great table service. Not cheap though.

There are plenty of others I wanted to list...but hey, gotta keep it to 5. Other notable mentions would be De Nom (Ruby Rabbit, Paddington) and Argyle (The Rocks).

Cheers,
- Febs.

 

[Keith009]

Melbourne:

Took me a while to whittle the list down, but there's seriously a lot more fun to be had in Melbourne!

Love Machine (Lt Chapel St, Prahran) - great dance music remixes, strict door cough means only the beautiful crowd gets in

Silk Road (Collins St, Melbourne CBD) - similar concept to the ivy but sadly not nearly as exclusive as they let any hoi polloi who's willing to pay in, still totally TRENDY! Literally a Badgley Mishka launch on steroi_s.

1806 (Melbourne CBD) - some of the best coughtails ever, opium chic on OD, chandelier glam of yesteryears meets modern minimalism, and some of the best smug!

The Apartment (Lt Bourke St, Melbourne CBD) - very sexy, energetic and decadent vibe, imaginative drinks, and fashion-forward decor

Railway Hotel (Chapel St, Windsor) - chilled out rooftop vibe offering an extensive range of beer, wine and bubbles, great in summer when it gets totally cool for people watching, fab DJ on Sat nite totally electrifies; they also have a 24 hours bottleshop.

 

[munitalP]

Im favouring the intenational...

STIX - Jakarta, located at the Park Lane hotel, best live act playing modern covers, 2 female, 2 male singers + band, mingle with the crowd while singing - you can sing along with them (im sure the sound tech turns down that mic though) - everything from hip hop to Madonna!

Mr! ##### (4/5)

The Grand - Ludvika, Sweden, located in the small town centre of Ludvika 3 or so hours north of Stockholm - you need a purpose to be there in winter - minus 28-30 is common with snow and ice on the ground. The Grand is one of 3 (from memory) bars in town and during winter only open Fri & Sat. It rocks! Full of Vikings and Swedish wenches (will not literally anyway) with a Swedish DJ some nights and other nights - fend for yourself. Open fire with a good selection of drinks including some Australian beers and wines! Legendary - I say yes due to the ambience...

Mr! ##### (3/5) :shock:

Pump - Singapore, I've had a few good nights there now, good cover band playing modern music (with the sacrest transvestite singer in the world), downfall, it's expensive! The private area along side the dance floor - still working out how to get an invite! This place rock and rolls! Full score from Mr! on Pump!!!

Mr! ##### (5/5)

De Bretts Corner Bar - Auckland. It's been a few years since I have been there, but it used to be a very cool place to hang out, to start your big night out in Auckland. Excellent selection of wine - in fact, I think it used to be called the Wine Bar - another high score fom Mr!

Mr! ##### (4/5)

The Beach Bar - Clearwater Beach, Florida - it is the quintessential American beach bar where during the day the serve the best shrimp in Tampa bay area and at night, the party spills off the porch onto the beach in front - well, at least that was what it was like a couple of years ago - it was a "I can't be bothered looking for something better" bar which was visited a few times over a week in Tampa! The golf the next day did suffer! Another 4 from 5 from me!

Mr! ##### (4/5)

 

[notzac]

So, my pick for favourite bars:

1806 - Melbourne

Probably the best bar in Melbourne. Friendly staff, casual atmosphere, never too crowded, good prices, fantastic drinks + awesome bar staff. Wonderful house champagne (Taittinger NV). Really good place for late night drinks during the week, very low key atmosphere.

Robot Sushi - Melbourne

Great little bar run by a completely mad Japanese guy. Serves nothing bottom-shelf. Great range of Sake (if that's your thing - it's not for me), tasty coughtails. Can get a little crowded. Very "Melbourne" in that it's hidden down a little alleyway.

The Bowery - Brisbane

Similary qualified bar staff as at 1806, definitely somewhere to start a night - owing to how crowded it gets later on. Great jazz band on some nights, DJ on other nights. The bar that introduced me to Plymouth gin (I got told off (nicely) for "wasting" 10 in a G&T).

Suite Bar - Auckland

Fantastic drinks list, very creative coughtails. Introduced me to St-Germain liqueur, which is many different kinds of awesome. Doesn't seem to get too crowded. Decent food menu.

 

[drron]

Boy you fellows speak an entirely different language to me.Not sure just what you are getting up to.Us grey hairs have an entirely different perspective on bars.So here are some of my favourites in no particular order-
The beach bar,Karumba hotel-great with a cold beer(none of that boutique stuff) watching the sun set and then partaking of a meal of barra or mudcrab.
The public bar of the Victoria hotel,Hinton after an afternoon of cricket on the local oval.Many fond memories and tall stories.
The Honiara yacht club-again a fountain of tall stories and great Coconut crab washed down with a coldie.
The Leda lounge,MV Orion.Well this is fresh in my memory.A great way to end the day especially with the service of Kurt who began by calling me Dr.ron but after 3 days I graduated to Sir Ron-I think a few passengers wondered who was on board.
The now defunct Malolo lounge,Sheraton Fiji.Many is the happy hour spent their with family and friends new and old going through the coughtail list listening to the local singers and again watching the sun set.
So rather than the latest DJ or watching the beautiful people raging what gets me going is the company and the excitement of watching the sun set over the water.

 

[NM]

Boy you fellows speak an entirely different language to me.Not sure just what you are getting up to.Us grey hairs have an entirely different perspective on bars.

Have to agree with you there (and my hair would be grey if was not for that bottle of stuff Mrs NM insists gets applied regularly ). Perhaps we need a definition for "bar" and "club".

I am not sure too many of my favourites are legendary anywhere beyond my own experience, but here goes (in no particular order):

Chloe's Batr at Young & Jackson in Melbourne.

Public Bar at Breakfast Creek Hotel (for the xx_X off the wood)

The Flying Saucer, Ft Worth, TX (for the huge beer range)

The Green Man pub, Kuala Lumpur (they serve real bacon on the burgers)

 

[Febs]

Perhaps we need a definition for "bar" and "club"

The majority of the places us young'uns () have mentioned so far would be considered "bars". Perhaps we need a distinction between "bars" and "pubs"?

In Sydney, "bars" include places like ivy, Establishment, Argyle, Blu Horizon etc... whereas nightclubs would include places like Tank, Chinese Laundry, Changeroom, Home and Ruby Rabbit.

(Yeah, some bars basically get a very nightclub-vibe later at night, like Kit&Kaboodle, but I'd still consider them bars).

Cheers,
- Febs.

 

[serfty]

Places where I've enjoyed many a pre-dinner/cleansing ale over the years:

Fortune of War Hotel - The Rocks Sydney
Mitre Tavern - Melbourne CBD
John Curtain - Lygon St
Cricketer's Bar - Windsor, Melbourne
Regatta Hotel - Toowong, Brisbane (noice viewing from the Urinal :shock
Customs House - Hobart ...

 

[NM]

The majority of the places us young'uns () ...

Ahh, there be my problem :shock:

 

[straitman]

Ahh, there be my problem :shock:

... and more of a problem for some others of us :!:

 

[notzac]

Perhaps we need a definition for "bar" and "club".

I guess for me a bar is somewhere people go to drink and a club is somewhere people go to dance, attempt to dance or "be seen" (whatever definition you want to ascribe to that).

I'll stick to bars.

 

[NM]

I guess for me a bar is somewhere people go to drink and a club is somewhere people go to dance, attempt to dance or "be seen" (whatever definition you want to ascribe to that).

I'll stick to bars.

And I stick to pubs! Especially those that exist at airports, like Qantas Pubs

I think the last time I embarrassed myself by attending an establishment that fits your club definition was at Billy Bobs in Fort Worth, and that was a only after a long evening at The Flying Saucer .

 

[straitman]

And I stick to pubs! Especially those that exist at airports, like Qantas Pubs

I think the last time I embarrassed myself by attending an establishment that fits your club definition was at Billy Bobs in Fort Worth, and that was a only after a long evening at The Flying Saucer .

NM,

What part was embarrassing :?:

The Live Bull Riding perhaps :!:

 

[NM]

What part was embarrassing :?:

Being at such an establishment in the first place

 

[Nigelinoz]

Mitre Tavern - Melbourne CBD

Back in my cheffing days I worked at the Mitre Tavern,when I consider that at that time I was about 22 years old I suddenly feel old.

 

[coco50]

Try these:

1.The Observer Hotel - George Street in the Rocks (not to be confused with the Observatory in Kent Street
2. The beer garden at the Oaks, Neutral Bay on a fine warm night
3. The Australian Hotel, coughberland Street Sydney
4.The Horizons Bar (or whatever it's called now) in the Shangri-La in coughberland Street
5. The bar on the 18th floor in (I think) the Sheraton in Tsim Sha Tsui in HKG