New Bar: The Bottom End

Kitsch meets cool at The Bottom End, with neither element quite coming out on top. In an area better known for chain strip clubs and tacky nightclubs the cultured bar hopper will welcome the quirky appearance of this new ‘pub/disco/diner’.

A convivial American style diner straight out of an hipsters version of Happy Days is front of house, with a much larger main bar off to the side. It’s a striking aesthetic: dark painted brickwork with highlights of bordello red on the ceiling and behind the long bar. Op shop chandeliers give off enough tinkly light for the decorations – leather bound books, skulls, and coats of arms lifted straight from the set of The Tudors – to be revealed. Gilt mirrors and psychedelic wallpaper further confirm a look reminiscent of a louche 1970′s playboy penthouse.

Drinks include a range of interesting cocktails up to and including a vegemite inspired Australian Martini, standard beers on tap, and just the three types of wine – cheap, reasonable and good, priced accordingly. Throw in a DJ and some tunes we all remember and it’s party time. It’s a venue for Friday night and weekend excesses rather than intimate trysts, but a bunch of fun. Oh, and check out the toilets…

By Peter Moroney

The Bottom End

579 Little Collins St

Melbourne, 3000

Tel: 9629 3001

Open Wed-Sun from 4pm