Melbourne Bars - Best Wine & Nibbles

Melbourne has a fabulous wine and dining culture. With a call for more responsible serving of alcohol, what better way to offer it with a great selection of food. A few small plates of food, matched with a glass of wine is a brilliant way to waste away a weekend... sorry, not waste, enjoy a weekend.

1. City Wine Shop - 159 Spring Street, Melbourne

2. Gertrude Street Enoteca - 229 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy

3. Von Haus - 1 Crossley Street, Melbourne

4. Gingerboy Upstairs - 27 Crossley Street, Melbourne

5. Movida Next Door - 1 Hosier Lane, Melbourne

6. Bar Lourinha - 37 Little Collins Street, Melbourne

7. St Judes Cellars - 389 Brunswick Street, Melbourne

8. Deco Wine Bar - 209 St Georges Road, Fitzroy

9. Acqua e Vino - 18 Anderson Street, Yarraville

10. Mr Wilkinson - 295 Lygon Street, East Brunswick

The food selection in these places has stepped up considerably. Its just amazing some of the matched selections that are available. So grab some friends or a loved one and get into one of these venues today. You can find out more details about these places by clicking on the bar name and going to the bar's profile page on Barengine.com. Feel free to leave suggestions or make a comment below.

Melbourne Bars - Unpretentious, Friendly & Fun Bars

A user by the name of Kristin has sent in the following list. She was looking for bars that were not so pretentious, had friendly staff and just plain fun. The explosion of Melbourne bars in recent years and the apparent 'wank' factor that goes with it can sometimes be off putting. I think she has done a fantastic job in finding a list that signifies what a 'good night out' is all about.

1. Southpaw - 189 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy

2. Von Haus - 1 Crossley Street, Melbourne

3. The Gem - 289 Wellington Street, Collingwood

4. Loop Bar - 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne

5. Atticus Finch - 129 Lygon Street, East Brunswick

6. Sister Bella - 22 Drewery Place, Melbourne

7. Pony - 69 Little Collins Street, Melbourne

8. Section 8 - 27 Tattersalls Lane, Melbourne

9. Workers Club - 51 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

10. Caz Reitop's Dirty Secrets - 80 Smith Street, Collingwood

So, a big thanks to Kristin for putting together a great list. Remember, you too can create or suggest a topic for a list by emailing it to benwild@barengine.com. As always you can follow to the bar's profile page on Barengine.com by clicking the bar name. Feel free to leave your comments below.

Melbourne Bars - Top 10 Themed Bars

Melbourne has some pretty amazing bars, encompassing a whole range of themes. I am not trying to list the best Irish or English themed pubs here but am looking for those bars that are unique and mainly dominated by a particular design theme.

1. Madame Brussels (Alice in Wonderland) - 59 Bourke Street, Melbourne

2. Sweatshop (Asian Manufacturing) - 113 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

3. The Apartment (Someone's apartment) - 401 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne

4. Berlin Bar (East meets West Berlin) - 16 Corrs Lane, Melbourne

5. The Carlton Hotel (Taxidermy and Flocked Walls) - 193 Bourke Street, Melbourne

6. Caz Reitop's Dirty Secrets (Speakeasy) - 80 Smith Street, Collingwood

7. Golden Monkey (Asian Delight) - 389 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

8. Double Happiness (Chairman Mao) - 21 Liverpool Street, Melbourne

9. Drunken Poet (Irish) - 65 Peel Street, North Melbourne

10. Tiki Bar (name says it all) - 327 Swan Street, Richmond

These bars are guaranteed to make your next night out fun and exciting. All have a great theme that isn't tacky or in your face, rather stylish, timeless and in some cases damn outrageous. You can see all the bars profiles by clicking on the bar name and going to Barengine.com. Feel free to make suggestions or leave comments below.

Melbourne Bars - Swan Street Bar Crawl

Our first submission from a reader has decided to tell us his favourite bars in Swan Street, Richmond. Swan Street has undergone a major revival in the last few years with a number of quality establishments opening up. Each place is a unique experience and ranges from quality cocktail lounges, live music venues and gastro pubs. So make a night or day of it and experience what Swan Street has to offer. Remember you too can submit lists, email your suggestions to benwild@barengine.com

1. HolliAva - 36 Swan Street, Richmond

2. The Precinct - 60 Swan Street, Richmond

3. The Corner - 57 Swan Street, Richmond

4. Post Office - 90 Swan Street, Richmond

5. Bar 9T4 - 94 Swan Street, Richmond

6. The Richmond Club - 100 Swan Street, Richmond

7. SNEAK - 69 Swan Street, Richmond

8. Vaucluse Hotel - 157 Swan Street, Richmond

9. The Swan Hotel - Corner Swan and Church Streets, Richmond

10. Barbara - 203 Swan Street, Richmond

So there it is, check out Swan Street next time you are in Richmond - it sure won't let you down. As I said above, please feel free to make suggestions for lists or leave comments below. As always, you can link to the bar profile pages on Barengine.com by clicking on the bar name. Happy drinking!

Melbourne Bars - Non Corner Pubs Melbourne

Have you ever asked yourself why Pubs always seem to be on corners? Maybe its exposure, traffic flow or its just pure coincidence, but nevertheless, the majority are corner based. This is a list of pubs that fall into the category of non corner pubs! What use does that give one you may be asking? Nothing, but any excuse for a pub crawl is worth it in my book... So enjoy!

1. The Carlton Hotel - 193 Bourke Street, Melbourne

2. Public House - 433 Church Street, Richmond

3. The Standard - 293 Fitzroy Street, Fitzroy

4. Retreat Hotel - 430 Sydney Road, Brunswick

5. Railway Hotel - 800 Nicholson Street, Fitzroy North

6. Richmond Club Hotel - 100 Swan Street, Richmond

7. Old Colonial Hotel - 127 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

8. Cornish Arms - 163a Sydney Road, Brunswick

9. Rose Hotel - 309 Bay Street, Port Melbourne

10. Skinny Dog Hotel - 155 High Street, Kew

So there you have it, next time you visit a pub at least I bet you look at whether it is on a corner or not. As always, you can visit the pubs profile page on Barengine.com or by just clicking on the link on the bar name. If you know of any others please let me know and feel free to leave comments below.

Melbourne Bars - Best Gastro Pubs

The evolution of the 'pub' has changed dramatically over the last few years. Once the domain of seedy, drunk men in a smoke filled, crusty environment, the modern pub is a far cry from its predecessors of yesteryear. Architecturally designed, stylish fittings and fixtures, boutique beers and wines, gourmet food, young and importantly mixed sex clientele - the pub has stepped into the modern age. This is a list of Melbourne's best.

1. The Court House Hotel - 90 Errol Street, North Melbourne

2. The Botanical - 169 Domain Road, South Yarra

3. Grace Darling Hotel - 114 Smith Street, Collingwood

4. Collins Quarter - 86a Collins Street, Melbourne

5. Hotel Max - 32 Commercial Road, Prahran

6. Saint & Rogue - 582 Little Collins Street, Melbourne

7. Baden Powell Hotel - 61 Victoria Parade, Collingwood

8. Railway Hotel - 29 Chapel Street, Windsor

9. Albert Park Hotel - 83 Dundas Place, Albert park

10. Rathdowne Tavern - 184 Rathdowne Street, Carlton

The food and drink selection in the above venues are outstanding and well worth a visit to. Feel free to make suggestions or leave comments in the box below.

Melbourne Bars - Best Bars in Fitzroy

The north of the river has exploded in the last few years with an array of amazing and diverse bars. Fitzroy is the capital of this area and has been a thriving hub of bars, cafes and restaurants for a number of years. Brunswick Street, Gertrude Street and Smith Street are the main strips of this area and have developed in leaps and bounds over the last few years. Fitzroy has a unique culture and this is reflected in the venues that have opened. Enjoy what the north has to offer.

1. Black Pearl - 304 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

2. Southpaw - 189 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy

3. Yah Yah's - 99 Smith Street, Fitzroy

4. Builders Arms - 211 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy

5. Workers Club - 51 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

6. Little Creatures Dining Hall - 222 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

7. Napier Hotel - 210 Napier Street, Fitzroy

8. Bimbo Deluxe - 376 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

9. St Judes Cellars - 389 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

10. Kent Street - 201 Smith Street, Fitzroy

This is just the tip of the iceberg for this suburb, so head north and check it out. You can link to the bar's profile page on barengine.com by clicking on the bar name. Feel free to make suggestions or leave comments below.

Melbourne Bars - My Top 10 Bars

As its my birthday, I am going to be a little self-indulgent for this blog and tell you my favourite bars in Melbourne. All these places mean something to me in some way and hold a lot of memories, well those memories I can remember anyway. As I don't have a particular favourite amongst these bars, I am going to list them alphabetically.

1. Black Pearl - 304 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

2. Caz Reitop's Dirty Secrets - 80 Smith Street, Collingwood

3. Cookie - 252 Swanston Street, Melbourne

4. Double Happiness - 21 Liverpool Street, Melbourne

5. Gertrude Street Enoteca - 229 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy

6. Gin Palace - 10 Russell Place, Melbourne

7. Lily Blacks - 12 Meyers Place, Melbourne

8. Loop Bar - 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne

9. Section 8 - 27 Tattersalls lane, Melbourne

10. The Standard - 293 Fitzroy Street, Fitzroy

I didn't realise how tough that would be... I could of added another 20 bars to that list easily, but nevertheless, I am happy with what I decided. You can check out the bars by following the link to their respective pages on Barengine.com by clicking on the bar names. Fell free to make suggestions or leave comments below.

Melbourne Bars - Top 10 Nightclubs

With the long weekend approaching in Melbourne - this is the perfect weekend to get out and about. Hitting one of Melbourne's pumping nightclubs is a great way to get the weekend started (and also that extra day helps with the recovery). Remember, the labour holiday is to celebrate how hard you work all year - so get amongst it, go out and go crazy.

1. Prince of Wales - 29 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda

2. New Guernica - 322 Little Collins Street, Melbourne

3. Sorry Grandma! - 590 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne

4. Eve Nightclub - 334 City Road, Melbourne

5. Loop Bar - 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne

6. Miss Libertine - 34 Franklin Street, Melbourne

7. The Lounge - 243 Swanston Street, Melbourne

8. Revolver - 229 Chapel Street, Prahran

9. Q Bar - 257 Toorak Road, South Yarra

10. Seven Nightclub - 52 Albert Street, South Melbourne

So get your dancing shoes on and get out on the town. You can follow the link to the bar pages on Barengine by clicking on the bar name. Feel free to leave suggestions or comments below.

Melbourne Bars - Top 10 Bar Dining Experiences

Melbourne is famous for its food and wine culture. In recent years an explosion of amazing restaurants with complete bars has opened up, creating a unique bar dining experience. This dining method usually revolves around the tapas or 'sharing' style menu, and has taken Melbourne by storm.

1. Cutler & Co - 55 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
2. Gingerboy Upstairs - 27 Crossley Street, Melbourne
3. Seamstress - 113 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
4. Movida - 1 Hosier Lane, Melbourne
5. Bar Lourinha - 37 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
6. Cumulus Inc - 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
7. Panama Dining Room - 231 Smith Street, Collingwood
8. Movida Next Door - 1 Hosier Lane, Melbourne
9. Mamasita - 11 Collins Street, Melbourne
10. Little Markov - 350 Drummond Street, Carlton

My mouth is watering just typing in this list. These venues are a must-do on any trip to Melbourne. You can follow the links to straight to their profile pages on Barengine.com by clicking on the venue name, Feel free to comment or make suggestions. Bon Apetit !