The Last Chance Rock and Roll Bar

Every city needs a proper, divey, rock’n’roll bar. A place where the music is cranking until the wee small hours and the floors are appropriately sticky. There should be a pool table and $2 earplugs behind the bar, and if you’re really lucky they’ll be punching out some counter meals that will line your stomach before you smash some crafty brews. The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar gets high scores on all fronts.

There’s live music Wednesday through Sunday nights, and it’s hard, fast and local. If you’re unsure whether it’s to your taste, tune into what’s on the stereo. Venue owner Shane Hilton likes to play local acts any chance he gets, both on stage and on the sound system. Here rock’n’roll covers everything from classic rock to thrash metal. Artists in residence stake their claim on the band room on Wednesday nights; the weeknight crowds are small but dedicated; and the weekend punters are here till last drinks.  

The menu is fifty-fifty vegan and meat dishes: hot dogs, chicken wings and souvlakis all come in both herbivorous and carnivorous versions. If you’re a meat eater, the roast chicken is the go-to. Served with peas and creamy mashed potato smothered in gravy, it’s as warming as being wrapped in a feather doona. The vegan chilli dog is the winner for meat-free eating with rich, thick caramelised onions and salsa decking out a vegan sausage. Or order up a cowboy dinner of Last Chance spiced beans and a sour Shivering Man Naked Ale, followed by golden syrup dumplings. Late-night rock pubs and ace eats might not always be found in the same spot, but here even the house cut chips are good. They’re fried with the skin still on, and served with your choice of aioli, tomato sauce or gravy.

We love a late-night haunt, but it’s not often you find one that can fill your dance card from doors to last call. To seal the deal, there’s always a drinks special of some sort going on. From $12 jugs of Rock & Roll draught until 8 pm and $10 pints of Sample until 7pm on weeknights, to the $10 Irish coffees between 1am and 3 am on Saturday and Sundays, the drinks selection is a rough and tumble mix of craft beers, standard spirits, and whatever cocktails the bar staff feel like making. It might be the Last Chance, but it’s a good shout at any hour.