Time Out Melbourne Food & Drink Awards 2025: Cocktail Bar Nominees

It’s hard to imagine a Melbourne where Apollo Inn doesn’t exist, such is the impact this handsome and swanky spot has had on the city’s bar scene in its short lifespan so far. Andrew McConnell’s first standalone cocktail bar – which swung open its leatherbound doors in June 2023 – has seamlessly settled into its location at McDonald House on Flinders Lane, maintaining a strong and steady stream of visitors nightly, all hoping to squeeze into one of just 30 highly coveted seats.

Aster just works. It's managed to create something that's both special and accessible, refined but relaxed. The kind of place that elevates an ordinary evening without trying too hard to be extraordinary. The city changes, bars come and go, but sometimes a space finds its next perfect iteration. Aster isn't trying to replicate or compete with what came before — it's writing its own story, and doing it rather well. 

How often is it in Melbourne that you walk into a bar on a Monday night and it’s almost completely full? No matter which ‘burb you happen to frequent, the answer is not very – as good an indication as any that Bar Bellamy is an exceptionally well-loved local. We’ve slipped in at around 7pm on the first day of the week, ready to immerse ourselves in the kind and charming spirit of this neighbourhood bar, which is named after an anglicised amalgamation of the French words ‘bel’ (beautiful) and ‘ami’ (friend). 

Bianchetto isn't trying to reinvent the wheel, but it's far from a nice restaurant's tacked-on side project. It knows what it is: a sleek, hot cocktail bar with upmarket Sicilian flair and a menu that doesn't disappoint. It's a little slice of Italian magic in the heart of Kew, and it's exactly what the neighbourhood needed. 

After a year in business, Goodwater feels like it's been part of Northcote forever. It's a bar that respects its spirits but isn't precious about them, that takes its food seriously but keeps it fun, and most importantly, that remembers hospitality is about making people feel welcome, not just serving them drinks. Their motto – "If we're open, so is the kitchen" – says everything about their approach to service. Like the grand rivers it's inspired by, Goodwater has carved out its own path in Melbourne's busy bar scene. It's a place that celebrates American whiskey culture with style, substance and zero pretension. This is the American whiskey bar, Northcote style.

Any epicure worth their Dirty Martini knows that an unassuming alley often holds the best treasures. One or Two is further proof of this. Located down a backstreet in the heart of Chinatown, this cocktail bar delivers cool and contemporary without pretence. Stepping through the understated black door will immediately transport you to Shimokitazawa in Tokyo. And we don't mean the flashy, neon-lighted, anime-character-ed interpretation that Melbourne hospo often attempts. We mean the real, effortless and timeless version.