It doesn’t matter the season you’re here or whether your idea of the best bar in Canberra is a warm whisky jazz bar or an airy gin bar. There’s something on this list to draw you in and make you cosy, hopefully, more than once.
High Jinks
Basement 2/15 Edinburgh Ave, Canberra ACT 2601
Calling High Jinks an intimate setting with speak-easy vibes wouldn’t be doing this bar justice; although it’s a great example of both, it’s also much more. In its cozy basement environment, this bar embraces you as soon as you walk in the door with staff that wants to take care of you with great service.
One of the best bars in Canberra, they also have a carefully curated liquor selection that may seem small. Try a crafted, balanced cocktail like the ‘Zombie’ in this warm atmosphere with rich wood tones.
Bootleg Bar
29 Garema Pl, Canberra ACT 2601
Bootleg Bar continues the speak-easy theme, a cocktail jazz bar that brings the guest back to prohibition-era drinking establishments. It’s a cool bar that still has a warm and welcoming vibe even if the speak-easy theme isn’t a personal interest.
For decor, there’s a lot of wood on the walls with plenty of old-school movie posters scattered throughout and a stand-out bar that draws you to it. They have an extensive custom cocktail menu using a variety of spirits, many of which keep to their prohibition era.
Bar Rochford
1st/65 London Cct, Canberra ACT 2601
Visiting the Melbourne building, you may overlook Bar Rochford at first. It’s tucked away and almost entirely hidden from the street. It’s worth taking a moment to find this wine and cocktail bar with its light and airy decor because they know what they’re doing regarding wine choices and hospitality.
Once you find it, you’ll want to come back with friends because this is a location perfect for after-dinner or after-work drinks where you want the music to be present without being overwhelming. Sip on a Canberra District white wine or Spanish sparkling wine, or one of the many other international options Bar Rochford has curated.
Rizla
Unit 146 Mode 3, 24 Lonsdale St, Braddon ACT 2612
Plenty of glass, warm light and an intimate atmosphere make Rizla a wine bar you will want to visit when you’re in Canberra, probably more than once. The atmosphere draws you in, but their lengthy domestic and international wine menus will keep you interested once you’ve examined all the decor.
Rizla has a small kitchen, but they compensate with a small and clever food menu of shareable plates alongside their wine menus. Try dishes like pork loin and beef cheeks with tailored sides alongside a glass of wine you’ve never tried before.
Molly
35°16’44.5″S 149°07’42.0″E (Wooden Door, Odgers Ln, Canberra ACT 2601)
After asking locals where the best bars are in Canberra, you may be surprised to receive a string of coordinates to put into Google maps. Molly, a prohibition-style hidden speak-easy for the whisky lover. Rows and rows of whisky bottles line the walls, and they know how to treat all of them.
It’s not just whisky. There are comfortable lounges, a 100-year old piano and during Sunday Supper club meat and cheese platters make this a place you’ll want to while away the time in sipping on something peaty, frequently with live music. All of this and more tucked away behind a wooden door in a lane.
Tipsy Bull
2/5 Lonsdale St, Braddon ACT 2612
Not everyone likes or prefers whisky, and if it isn’t your thing, then the Tipsy Bull has you covered for gin. With 230 different gins to choose from, this gin bar indeed has something for everyone. If you’re new to gin or just over G&Ts, the staff are available to give recommendations and help you build something creative, explaining how botanicals work to change the flavours.
With a light and flowing atmosphere combined with a touch of wood, the Tipsy Bull is a great way to pass the time on a slow day or just to hang out and relax. Enjoy drinks with shared plates or try out the set menu.
Blackbird Bar
Sydney Building, 114 Alinga St, Canberra ACT 2601
They call themselves a dive bar, but Blackbird Bar is a quality music-centric hangout spot with brickwork decor sitting in the basement of the Sydney building. The bar could quickly feel claustrophobic, but instead, they balance romance and comfort in a small space.
Blackbird Bar takes the lights down and asks you to explore with your ears instead. Unlike the other bars on this list with a speak-easy vibe this one focuses on being hidden and mysterious. The food isn’t bad either, with a selection of crafted toasties and carnival popcorn to keep things interesting.
Hippo Co
1/17 Garema Pl, Canberra ACT 2601
A long-running and award-winning bar in the heart of Canberra, Hippo Co draws in the after-work crowd, perhaps even more than the tourists. Being here is like visiting a lodge with taxidermy on the walls and warm wood all around you.
This whiskey bar has over 200 bottles on offer on the back bar for drinks and other craft cocktails and whisky tastings. Hippo Co has created and sustained an environment for casual chats or listening to live music.
Bar Beirut
25 Garema Pl, Canberra ACT 2601
It’s not always necessary to classify food or drink and put a label on it. Still, Bar Beirut defines its atmosphere as where the “Middle East meets the Mediterranean” with in-your-face flavours and memorable dishes that you share amongst your friends and coworkers sitting in front of the red-walled bar.
From an underground nightclub in Beirut to becoming one of the best bars in Canberra, the owner and bartender Soumi Tannous have imbued the building with high-quality service and an inclusive atmosphere that hugs you, and you kind of don’t want them to let you go.