Wine bars

Matilda has launched happy hours and weekend dinners.

Hot & new

From espresso to prosecco: Seven suburban cafes now doubling as wine bars

Cafes are breaking free from daytime trading by adding wine, handmade pasta and DJs to give locals new casual options after dark.

Dani Valent

Bosc will pour its last drinks on June 20.

Food

After 13 years, a cherished West End bar announces closure

It’s as busy as ever, so why has Emily Tankey called time on Bosc, her Vulture Street boozer?

Matt Shea

The Florence channels 1970s Italian style with bold colours and reflective surfaces.

Exclusive
Just open

This new CBD Italian wine bar does spicy martinis and snack-sized sandwiches

Find The Florence up a discreet staircase on Flinders Lane. It’s got negronis five ways, a daily happy hour and the perfect laneway perch.

Tomas Telegramma

The 1862-built Apothecaries Hall has been given a new lease on life by The Zoo owners Tyla Dombroski and Trad Nathan.

Food

1862-built apothecary transforms into late-night restaurant and wine bar

An ex-203 chef is cooking European and Argentinian-inspired share plates, backed by a star barkeep’s cocktails and a sharp Franco-Australian wine list.

Matt Shea

Marty Webster and Amy McGouldrick are back at The Walrus bar in St Kilda.

Just open

After a shock closure, this beloved local bar is pouring drinks again

The owners of The Age Good Food Guide’s Bar of the Year for 2026 share their five-month rollercoaster to reopen the business.

Dani Valent

Can You Keep a Secret? poured its last drinks on Saturday night.

Food

‘It’s getting tougher and tougher’: Cherished Gabba bar closes permanently

It caps a turbulent eight months for an operator worried about the future of small venues in this city.

Matt Shea

Nightbird is nesting at the back of Godby Hotel.

Just open

Eight new bars to try, from a secret rooftop to a pub in an old train station

There’s also a Thai cocktail bar hidden above a laneway restaurant, two cosy new spots for Abbotsford locals and a massive beer garden in Melbourne’s south-east.

Tomas Telegramma

Bar Carnation’s Audrey Shaw has added a slanted ceiling mirrors “for people watching” but the bar remains.

Just open

Carnation Canteen’s new bar – in the original Gerald’s site – is already a neighbourhood hotspot

Audrey Shaw knew the Rathdowne Street site came with big shoes to fill. She’s honoured its iconic history with a respectful, yet (mostly) fresh perspective.