There is no other place in Melbourne quite like Madame Brussels, in fact it is more like going to a lawn tennis club in the 1970′s and holding a garden party on a sunny weekend afternoon, than an inner city bar.

Website

Madame Brussels

Location:

Level 3, 59-63 Bourke Street (CBD)

Difficulty Finding:

- For a bar with an entrance on Bourke Street, it is surprisingly hard to find. The entrance is in the building that is next to the lane to the car park and once inside take the lift or the stairs to the third floor. Be aware there is not much of a sign on the street indicating that it is there.

Summary:

- Type: Cocktail bar
- Food: Snacks
- Music: DJ
- Cover: None

Review:

Imagine, if you will, going to a garden party at a lawn tennis club on a warm sunny weekend afternoon in the 1970′s. You know back when wooden tennis rackets were all the rage, women wore white sports skirts and coloured blouses, and men had thick moustaches and wore tiny tennis shorts with socks pulled up to their…well you get the picture. Everyone there is sitting back, drinking Pimms pored from jugs and eating cucumber sandwiches having a jolly good time. All the while there are subtle undertones of the Mad Hatters tea party from Alice in Wonderland, with one half expecting a rabbit to run through with a pocket watch..

Right…got that image? because this is Madame Brussels.

The garden party theme runs entirely through all aspects of Madame Brussels. Inside the walls are painted pink with white lattice placed strategically around, the floor is covered with astro turf with a brick path dividing the room running a central line between the balcony and the bar. Inside the furniture is all traditional garden furniture and works well with the lattice and hedge bar. The Balcony is quite large overlooking  Bourke Street, and is scattered with deck chairs to relax in. All the while the staff dressed in tennis attire, go between tables ensuring that everything is to your liking, even going as far as handing out blankets, hot water bottles and umbrellas in the winter.

The drinks menu continues the theme with cocktails served in Jugs of two sizes; singles which is for two people ~$30 and doubles which is for four people ~$50. They cover most garden party cocktails with Pimms being their speciality, however they also have some of their own cocktails for those looking for something a little different. As well as their cocktails they have wines and an international beer list with beers from countries such as Ethiopia, with profits of their sales going to charities in these regions. The staff are very helpful and always able to suggest something to take your fancy. The food menu goes along the garden party theme as well with sandwiches and cupcakes being prominent additions to the list.

By now you are probably asking “who is Madame Brussels?”, well in the late nineteenth century, she was a sweetheart of the Duke of Edinburgh. Always dressed well, she drove about in a smart carriage and resided in St Kilda. Most prominently thought she was a brothel keep in the day, opening her first brothel in 1879, and continued to operate them until 1908 by which time she had overseen no less than eight.

Final Thoughts:

Madame Brussels is certainly an experience to go to and somewhere that everyone should visit at least once, however it is the sort of bar you will either love or never go to again.

Pro’s:
+ Amazing dedication to their theme
+ Drinks come in Jugs
Con’s:
- Not everyone’s “cup of tea”
- Small internal space when weather turns bad.

Score:

Atmosphere: 7
Service: 6
Menu: 5
Cost: 6
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Overall: 6