Unless you’re a local, a night-out in Manly almost feels like you need to pack your passport. But sitting aboard the rear deck of the ferry, enjoying the cheapest cruise across one of the most beautiful harbour cities in the world, it feels like a fabulous adventure.
You'll be docking at the recently renovated Manly Wharf in no time, where mere metres up the Esplanade, in a revamped garage beneath the 4 Pines brewpub, sits Manly’s newest watering hole, Block’s Bar.
It’s pretty difficult to miss. Not only because it’s delightfully bathed in flirty, hot pink neon but because the DJ thinks he’s playing a superclub in Ibiza. He is absolutely going for it, there are about four people inside, and it’s not quite 8pm. Good on him.
The best seats in the house are the large wooden tables on the covered front terrace where you can get comfy beneath twinkling fairy lights and hanging baskets of burgeoning tropical ferns, just a few feet away from the bar.
The drinks list features all the usual suspects from 4 Pines, then there’s boozy seltzers and spicy, rum-spiked ginger beers from their ready-to-drink range, Brookvale Union. A chalkboard propped on the bar top offers some suspiciously polite sounding shots, like a ‘CS Cowboy’ and a ‘Wet Cat’.
For eighteen bucks you could get yourself a Margarita, but sadly it’s not freshly shaken, rather pulled from a tap. The cocktail list features other classics like Aperol Spritz and Espresso Martini, alongside in-house creations such as ‘The Block’s Bar Mule’, ‘Getting Spicy’ and ‘Caribbean Soul’. All three include a dash of the Brookvale Union Ginger Beer - which is a bloody delicious bev in its own right.
On one hand, this writer could suggest that the cocktail list needs some diversity. Could it be that three ginger and lime flavoured drinks is perhaps a tad too many? Given Block’s dive-bar-esque vibes and beachy location, perhaps a sleazy, over-garnished Bloody Mary or a 4 Pines 'Lagerita’ straight outta a slushie machine might be a bit more on-brand?
On the other hand, watching rambunctious young Manlyites begin to filter in, we suspect this isn’t really a cocktail bar. The disco ball is spinning, the DJ’s still doofing, and the revellers (all identically clad in baby blue denim and pristine white sneakers) are very much here to smash a few frothies and party.
The Americana-style food menu is perfectly curated for pre-libations. Fries are loaded with cheese, gravy and crispy bacon and sweet potato scallops are speckled with seaweed salt and served with aioli. The Block’s Bar cheeseburger is just $10 - borderline unheard of in Sydney - and smothered in thick, gooey American cheese, cut with the tang from fat slices of pickle.
This no-frills cheesie gets top marks. Oh, so soft bun, a juicy, tender patty with just the right amount of fat, fresh lettuce, white onion and tangy tomato sauce. Washed down spectacularly with an ‘Extra Refreshing Ale,’ it was most satisfying indeed.
Bang-on 10pm, the venue was in full swing. Astro-turf steps sunken just below street level, previously having served as extra outdoor seats, were now repurposed into a staggered dancefloor by a roistering, baby-faced crowd.
Making our exit onto an otherwise completely deserted strip, the sounds of the hooting and wild shape throwing emanating from Block’s Bar was impressive. While it’s no gastronomic or mixological triumph, that’s not what Block’s is here for. However, if you’re in the mood for partying, this boozy little lock-up beneath 4 Pines is where it's at.