This site aims to expose the secrets of the vibrant Melbourne night life to residents and visitors. We strive to provide reviews of bars and restaurants only after we have been to them and experienced the place for ourselves.
We have mapped the bars and restaurants reviewed so as to take the hassle out of finding the venue and to assist in the successful planning of a night out. Also we offer some Chasers to help plan a night out where we suggest several places to experience in an evening.
Finally, please feel free to leave a comment or email us and challenge our reviews or to tell us about somewhere new. We are always looking for new places to experience.
For further information go to the About page
Bar: The Carlton
With its wild interior, The Carlton Hotel offers a completely unique drinking experience in a completely crazy venue.
Website
Location:
Difficulty Finding:
- Quite easy, just head into the CBD and down Bourke Street. It is a small entrance, however it opens up once upstairs.
Summary:
- Type: Bar/Restaurant
- Food: Pub Grub
- Music: DJ
- Cover: Depends on the night
Review:
The Carlton would have to be one of the most unique venues in Melbourne. Stepping from the relatively plain stairwell into the bar can be a bit daunting at first, leaving you wondering where you have ended up. Quite simply The Carlton Hotel’s décor is out there, past the unique and verging into the crazy. From the lush red velvet interior to the in-your-face wallpaper, and the palm trees to the taxidermied animals scattered throughout, everything about The Carlton Hotel is in your face. Even the lighting throughout is extreme ranging from hanging lights to deep blue neon. Yet, somehow it all sort-of just works, once the initial shock has been overcome the loud interior fades into the background. There are several areas including a rooftop bar which is great in summer.
Yet with the crazy interior it doesn’t quite fit the cocktail bar experience, the cocktail list at The Carlton Hotel is more of a simplified cocktail list of popular cocktails and doesn’t set out to be complex or technical. There are several beers on tap and a simple wine list which gives the impression of it being a pub, however it doesn’t really feel like a pub either. There isn’t table service, and the staff aren’t out to impress you with their skills, with that said though they are happy to help how they can. There is a restaurant, and while we haven’t tried the food at the time of the review it is a modern take on pub food and from all accounts isn’t bad.
While in theory The Carlton Hotel sounds like a crazy place, it misses the mark a little in trying to be a jack of all trades, it is a venue that seems to be a master of none in the sense that it just misses the mark in each area. With that said however it is well worth a visit, even if it is just to see the interior and have a drink.
Final Thoughts:
The Carlton Hotel is a completely crazy venue that has something for everyone, at most hours of the night.
Pro’s:
+ Interior is a talking point
+ Versatility of offerings
Con’s:
- More of a pub than a cocktail bar
- Cocktails are nothing special
Score:
Atmosphere: Good
Service: Good
Menu: Good
Cost: Good
———————-
Overall: Good
Bar of the Month:
Restaurant/Bar of the Month:
Featured Chaser:
Follow Us:
I’ve also had some problems with their dress code, which they seem rather erratic about enforcing.