Six of Melbourne’s hottest hotel bars to check out

The hotel boom of the past few years means Melbourne came out of the pandemic well and truly ready to receive visitors. The city has a host of excellent new hotels, mostly from big global brands, and some which established roots here for the first time.

With the wave of openings came not only luxury accommodation, but all the trimmings including impressive restaurants helmed by top local chefs and, of course, cocktail bars.

We spent a few nights bar hopping across the hotels and found the new guard of openings stack up as some of the city’s most exciting – the kinds of places you’d be delighted to find after you’ve checked into your room and realised you’re dying for a well-made drink.

Cameo, The Ritz-Carlton

On the 80th storey, Cameo might not have the same fine dining as its newly hatted sibling Atria − or the same skyline views, as it looks out over Marvel Stadium and the expanse of western suburbs − but the Ritz-Carlton’s new cocktail hotspot stands out from the hotel bar pack.

At a glance, the prices on the first few pages of the weighty, leather-bound drinks list might shock you – $125 for a Sidecar? But look a little closer. They’re all made with rare and antique spirits, some more than 100 years old, like the 1917 Calvet Grande Champagne Cognac in that Sidecar.

The league-of-its-own list was designed by booze baron and baroness Michael and Zara Madrusan (the Everleigh, Bar Margaux, Heartbreaker). The pricey signature cocktails are available in half-serves, for around half the price, starting at $35 for the mini 1943 Martini.

650 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, cameobar.com.au

Curious, W Melbourne

It was loosely inspired by Alice in Wonderland, so the fact that there’s a lot going on at the W’s underground cocktail bar is kind of the point. An undulating ceiling of big timber beams emulates the rabbit hole, which the door person will whisk you down through a voluptuous velvet curtain.

If you want to soak up the surrounds, there’s a good vibe to bunker down for a midweek cocktail. But to find Curious at its most chock-a-block, book a table for Friday or Saturday night and watch as it gets boisterous, edging into club territory, with tables splurging on champagne magnums. Those after a quiet weekend nightcap won’t find it here.

Cocktails are as theatrical as the space (peppermint air, anyone?) and play on Melbourne’s stereotypical north-south rivalry (will it be one inspired by the Fitzroy Garage Party or the lavender-laden Too Right It’s Toorak?).

408 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, curiousmelbourne.com

The Douglas Club, The Hilton

Three grandiose archways mark the spot at the Hilton’s Little Queen Street location, which opened in the historical Equity Chambers – a former barristers’ chambers – in 2021. Two radiant rooms that bookend the entrance form The Douglas Club, a quintessential hotel bar with all the slickness you’d expect from the Hilton brand, but a particularly convivial staff that may have you sticking around longer than expected, even as others flit in and out.

All the usual cocktail suspects get shaken up behind the stately bar, plus some that go their own way. The punchy Elements is bay-leaf-infused gin mixed with the brine of chillies pickled in-house, and there’s a rum-heavy number that’s like a lamington in drinkable form. Snacks keep it simple but smart: duck fat gnocchi fritti are topped with truffle salt and parmesan, and the horseradish-spiked steak tartare is served on a tapioca crisp for handheld convenience.

472 Bourke Street, Melbourne, thedouglasclub.com.au

Showroom Bar, The Royce

With a name that’s not just for show, this chintzy new hotel bar is in an old Rolls-Royce showroom on St Kilda Road. And it shows. Every surface shines – from the marble floor, to the mirrored columns, to the original vaulted ceiling – making it a beacon for The Royce, which straddles South Yarra and the CBD. It’s the kind of place where it feels like deals are being done around you, but casual-cool service keeps the vibe welcoming.

The signature cocktails go slightly off-piste with solid results (like the Paradisi, with Hendrick’s gin, Campari, Aperol, grapefruit bitters and Perrier mineral water), while the wine list is surprisingly approachable – and affordable, if you want it to be. To eat? Everything from one-biters (cheddar and jalapeno croquettes with black-garlic aioli) to full-on meals (generous lobster rolls and club sandwiches).

379 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, roycehotel.com.au

Amphlett House, Laneways by Ovolo

Melbourne’s CBD isn’t as flush with reliable pubs as its inner suburbs, but Amphlett House – in the city’s Paris End, at the recently revamped Laneways by Ovolo hotel – is one of them. It’s flown somewhat under the radar since opening late last year, but its beyond-the-classics pub grub and cocktail list, curated by celebrated chef Ian Curley (French Saloon) and drinks expert Andrea Gualdi (once at Sydney’s Maybe Sammy), respectively, make it the sort of one-stop shop you’d be stoked to find beneath your hotel.

In this economy, the daily happy hour ($5 pints and wines from 4pm to 6pm) has serious pulling power. But it’s worth lingering for snacks such as the harissa-spiced fish Scotch egg and the brioche with duck liver parfait, and cocktails that put native ingredients front and centre (the headliners are a Wattleseed Negroni and a Finger Lime Daiquiri).

19-25 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne, ovolohotels.com

Lona Misa, Backroom; Ovolo South Yarra

With a Shannon Martinez-designed menu, Lona Misa – a lively Latin-inspired diner with an entirely vegan or vegetarian menu ­– is the first thing you see at Ovolo’s boutique hotel, on Toorak Road in South Yarra. But be guided by a glowing neon martini glass down a staircase to find Backroom, the hotel’s subterranean bar, which will give you a taste of the Lona Misa magic.

That could mean a convincingly meaty but completely plant-based take on morcilla (Spanish blood sausage), or golden deep-fried olives stuffed with queso fresco. Pair them with on-the-mark cocktails from a tight list (Tommy’s Marg, Rob Roy) and your pre- or post-dinner drink is sorted. Red is definitely Backroom’s colour, with the whole space blanketed in plush curtains and armchairs.

234 Toorak Road, South Yarra, ovolohotels.com