Best Bar In Canberra
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| australia.com |
Relax on tavern-style sofas with a martini in hand, or browse the long list of home-made whiskeys at one of Canberra's best bars.
Multiple energies have excited Canberra's bars in recent years, spawning new ventures on the side and within the city center. You can relax, or party at any or all of the amazing bars in Australia's capital city.
MOLLY, THE CITY CENTER
Built in the vault of an old bank, Molly loves to keep secrets to herself. The bar's website also mysteriously gave its longitude and latitude coordinates to find its location. Its inconspicuous entrance - on Hobart Place in downtown - can be confusing as it resembles a cleaning tool cabinet. Inside, however, this cream-tiled, gold-lit, prohibited-era room beats over whiskey nights, cocktail-making lessons, monthly jazz shows, hidden rooms, and in winter, hot menu items like roasted chestnut and hot cognac.
MINT GARDEN BAR, BRADDON
Summer-loving Canberra residents flock to vines and flowerpots at the Mint Garden Bar in Braddon. Only open in the warm months, the bar has a Turkish tile façade and friendly bow-tie male and female staff. This bar is housed outside the upscale Sage restaurant in the Gorman House Arts Center, an Art Deco-style building with an open courtyard. Take a seat at one of the bar's high tables, or in a stool around a tree decorated with fairy lights with rose and lychee sangria and a plate of grated pork croquettes to go with it.
PARLOUR WINE ROOM, NEWACTON
If you're looking for a drink in a luxurious space, Parlor is for you. This wine bar is one of the original foodies' businesses in the NewActon region, and its timeless, luxurious feel will make you want to stay for a while. Cotton-covered leather adorns the bar area, velvet chairs and chesterfield sofas are placed in each part of the room, and the lush terrace at the front offers views of NewActon and beyond. Parlor's original food, particularly tapas, matches the quality of its wine list - the skillful hands of Peter Bell, a wine expert previously involved in the highly acclaimed restaurant Aubergine.
HIPPO CO, CENTER CITY
The glass-front balcony at Hippo Co looks directly at the hustle and bustle of Garema Place - this version of downtown public spaces - while inside, the owners create an atmosphere reminiscent of the American Midwest. Taxidermy animals are displayed on wooden walls, antique light furniture hangs from the ceiling, and more than 250 different whiskeys are prominently displayed on bar shelves. Follow the jazz stage in this place every Wednesday night.
JOE'S BAR, KINGSTON
Complicated as well as fun but serious, Joe's Bar is inside the East Hotel. The local-made Italian food is a mainstay, particularly the mozzarella meatballs and peanut arancini, as is the eclectic décor that combines fuchsia red walls with chain-draped lights, brightly colored benches, a variety of funky and elegant glasses, marble bars and the occasional decoration fur coat. Step through the floor-to-ceiling concrete drapes at the bar's entrance, and indulge in wines from its list of Italian and local concoctions, handpicked by Canberra region winemaker Fergus McGhie.
THE PHOENIX, THE CITY CENTER
Arriving at the cramped space of The Phoenix in the city's historical Sydney Building, it is as if you are entering the hull of a sailboat decorated by a quirky Irishman who loves a variety of things. Pouring jugs, vintage wheels, retro beer posters and crosses line the ceiling and walls of this wood-floored bar. A long list of beer varieties, with mainstays of standard concoctions such as Guinness and the Australian brand, Coopers, stretches across this shack-like serving area. Regardless, the best thing about The Phoenix is its dedication to music and live programming. Among these are shows that focus on original music on Monday nights, quiz nights every Tuesday, and poetry and film evenings.
