If you're in Chinatown, chances are you're filling up on dumpling and raring to go out for a night on the town. Don't leave yet – there are plenty of bars in the three-block stretch of Chinatown on Little Bourke Street.
One of a pair of Chinese-themed bars, Double Happiness skillfully blends Communist-era kitsch with subdued old-world touches and a drinks menu that is short and to the point.
Up above Double Happiness, New Gold Mountain is an emerald green and gold-beaded pocket rocket with a bit of a burlesque-parlour-meets-oriental-tea-house feel. They have a whole mess of interesting drinks here, best enjoyed with Billy Holiday and Frank Sinatra crooning through the speakers.
Guarding the gates to Chinatown, this heritage-style pub with a heavy wooden bar and regular comedy nights is just the ticket for when you need a tall, cold glass of frothy.
It may technically boil down to a vacant lot in Chinatown, but Section 8 is loaded with booze, good-looking hipsters and enough intriguing graffiti to fill a whole other laneway. While some of the barstaff are more ornamental than skilled, the drinks selection is solid and ranges from top-shelf spirits to longnecks.
Look for the big shiny lightning bold pinpointed by light globes among Chinatown's dumpling signs, and you'll find Union Electric. Step through a small wooden door to be transported from Chinatown to a chilled-out cocktail bar complete with a portrait of Bill Murray from Lost In Translation. "For relaxing times, drink Suntory Time."
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