Melbourne Patron

The Imperial Hotel, corner of Bourke and Spring Streets, Melbourne Touted on its website as Melbourne's third-oldest pub, there's no doubting that the Bourke Street Imperial Hotel  (2-8 Bourke Street, Melbourne) is old-school. Established in 1858 and boasting red cedar doors of the same age, "the Impy" is one of those comfy drinking holes you tend to forget about, even though you pass it on the tram every day. It's on the corner of Bourke and Spring Streets, right on the 86/96 tram line, and a hop-skip-jump from Parliament Station. Red cedar doors dating back to 1858 I'd been to the Imperial a few times before. It's an easy meeting point considering its proximity to PT, and a safe haven from the unpredictable Melbourne rain when all you feel like is a drink on the way home. I've watched footy there, sipped wine at their footpath tables when I couldn't get into City Wine Shop , seen comedy upstairs, and even been through a break-up the...

Despite the name, no one got naked here. Sadly. I'm still waiting for the day when Naked For Satan (downstairs) hosts a nudist Satanists party, amped with flavoured vodkas and THE BEST CROQUETTES EVER ('cause they're pretty friggin' awesome). I guess the new upstairs venue, Naked In The Sky  (285 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy), would be the meeting place for naked angels. Or birds without their feathers. Or Supermen without their capes. Or something. I digress. My now-ex-housemate - let's call him 'The Chef' - started working at Naked In The Sky (which, frankly, I'd rather not think about in too much detail) when it opened, so I've been hearing of this place for quite a while. Prior to Christmas, just after opening, it had queues of patrons waiting to get in on Friday and Saturday nights. I was happy to wait until January to check it out. An out-of-town friend was staying with me, and what else do you do with out-of-towners in Melbourne but take t...

It started with afternoon drinks on the rooftop bar of Jimmy Watsons (333 Lygon Street, Carlton). Rooftop bar, you say? Yes, rooftop bar! Venture through the staid, old-style restaurant part at the front, into the back courtyard and bar area, and just up the staircase you'll find a colourful haven covered in fake grass, bench seats, low tables, colourful cushions, fairy lights, lanterns, candles and pot plants. Quite a surprise, but a pleasant one. (I will take photos next time, promise.) The upstairs bar and downstairs back bar seemed to be closed (this was at 4pm on a Saturday), prompting a bit of confusion as to where one buys a drink. So we traipsed back to the front entrance, bought our drinks and traipsed back upstairs to our garden paradise haven. After a while, some staff appeared every so often, offering COD table service which helped matters somewhat. We got a bit hungry, so ordered some char-grilled bread with dips. They were standard flavours but tasty, well-present...