Offering another take on an asian inspired bar Manchuria gives you the opportunity to hide away from the world be it for a secret rendezvous or just a good cocktail.

Location:

7 Waratah Place, Melbourne CBD

Difficulty Finding:

- On Waratah Place (between Little Bourke and Lonsdale) you’ll find an entrance with a staircase; up that staircase you’ll find a padded door. Open the door and you’re there. The doorway does have a little red sign above it but it’s easily missed between all the sex shop signs.

Summary:

- Type: Cocktail bar
- Food: None
- Music: DJ/Lounge Music
- Cover: None

Review:

As one of the few asian inspired cocktail bars actually deep in the heart of Chinatown, Manchuria tries not to over play the theme but apply it subtly. While being quite a small bar, even for Melbourne standards, it makes good use of the space by creating alcoves and secluded sitting areas to make the place feel a lot larger than it actually is. This combined with the theme and padded doors at the entrance gives the feel of a place where people would meet in secret and conduct deals. Although having been absorbed by China and Russia the country technically doesn’t exist any more you can still imagine that this is perhaps what it would have been like back in its opulent hey-day.

The cocktail list has a good range of different flavours and style and although on the slightly expensive side of things (about $18 to $20 a cocktail) they are well make and appropriately delicious. However depending on when visiting Manchuria the waiting time can vary dramatically because of the bars small nature it means it fills up very quickly once all the seats are taken. While the small size adds a lot to the atmosphere it can end up being detrimental to the experience during peak times as the line at the bar becomes long; the noise level increases and finding a seat can be a real challenge. But on the flip side it doesn’t feel like Manchuria wants to be a large after work cocktail bar, it wants to be that little back end place that is out-of-the-way and spoken about with nudges and winks. The size of the crowd it attracts is more a testament to the quality of the service it provides.

Obviously aware of the types of groups it attracts Manchuria provides a good range of seating,it has more than the average seating for larger groups as well as the more intimate seating for couples. During quieter times there is table service but once the place gets going it stops and the DJ starts up, playing quality tunes on vinyl that are easy to sit back and relax to. This shows that they are quite good at adapting to the eb and flow of customers, to keep the atmosphere where it should be for that time of night.

Final Thoughts:

A cocktail bar that won’t disappoint, Manchuria is a place perhaps better suited to drinking at during the week or very late at night when it is quieter and not when you’re looking for a cheap night so you can savour those delicious cocktails.

Pro’s:
+ Secluded seating
+ Good atmosphere
Con’s:
- No food
- Fills up fast

Score:

Atmosphere: 8
Service: 7
Menu: 7
Cost: 6
———————-
Overall:7


View Alley Life in a larger map