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.
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Restaurant/Bar: Cookie
A beer lover’s delight in the heart of Melbourne, be it dinner or drinks, this bar is a must visit at least once.
Website:
Location:
Unit 1 – 252 Swanston St, Melbourne (City)
Difficulty Finding:
- Relatively easy to find on Swanston street, there is a sign on the street at the entrance. Once in the entrance take the stairs to the first floor.
Summary:
- Type: Beer Cafe
- Food: Thai Restaurant
- Music: House, Lounge, DJ…pretty much whatever takes their fancy at the time
- Cover: No Cover Charge…bookings essential for food though
Review:
Cookie is an experience that certainly must be had and is without a doubt one of my favorite bars in Melbourne, especially for the extensive beer list. Right from entering, Cookie’s bar alludes to impressive beer collection on offer as on every available shelf there are bottles lined up from all around the world. There are in excess of 10 tap beers and over 85 bottled beers on offer, and if selecting one seems a bit of a daunting task, the staff are more than able to help chose the right one.
If beer is not your thing, there is cocktail bar around the back and also an extensive wine list to suit any occasion. If you want a meal. there is a Thai menu served at Cookie, which seldom fails to impress and is able to cater for all types and occasions. With that said you don’t need to go there for a meal as people heading out of an evening pack into Cookie and line up along its bar to taste an old favorite or that something a bit different.
Cookie for all of its glory is well worth a visit, however be aware that during meal times and after work it can be VERY busy and sometimes you do need to wait for service. If you are looking for a table for a meal its HIGHLY recommended to book ahead, especially on Fridays and public holidays.
Final Thoughts:
When its not too busy, Cookie is one of the best experiences, for a beer lover, Melbourne has to offer.
Pro’s:
+ One of the most extensive beer menu’s in Melbourne
+ Good service by staff who are happy to help with making the selection
+ Good Thai restaurant
Con’s:
- Can get extremely busy
- Limited food menu
Score:
Atmosphere: 9
Service: 8
Menu: 9
Cost: 9
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Overall: 8.75
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[...] Finding: – Relatively easy, Tattersalls lane is behind Cookie, Tatterstalls Lane is pretty much the most difficult part of finding this [...]
Posted on August 18th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
This is Cookie’s beautiful flaw.
It is too much.
It has too much stuff. It’s open too much. And the staff are too much.
Seriously. 50 wines by the glass? Circa 800 bottles? 15 beers on tap? 200 in glass or can? 100+ al la cart menu items? 100+ house cocktails? Stoned and drunk hipsters and boring beer, wine and cocktail nerds serving bar? (Seriously guys, just get me a drink; stop being cooler than thou/giving me a chemical description of what I’m drinking.)
Too much. Plus they are open 15 hours a day. The overheads at this place must be insane…. If anybody wonders why the staff are shitty, it’s because they are drunk, over-tired, and full of themselves.
Cookie is great,… if you can get in (Which you can’t because you’re not cool enough.) and if the staff are nice to you (Which they won’t be because you’re not cool enough.).
That said. The food is amazing. The cocktails are amazing. And, while the wine and beer lists are a bit incomprehensible to the average punter, they are genius. There are some comparative bargains in the mad incomprehensible pages that form both book-like menus. Unfortunately if you want something in particular you might be given a disappointing “out of stock” response by the bar-person (Sometimes after too long a wait.). But usually there will be an appropriate substitute.
>>Aside:
Speaking of too long a wait. The cocktail bar. Anybody who complains about waiting 5 minutes for a drink that takes 10 minutes to make is a moron who deserves to be punched repeatedly in the face and have their head set on fire.
A cocktail that takes 5 minutes to make will take probably about 10 minutes to reach you. More than that if you decide that you want to move tables and fail to tell the person who served you and more again if someone else ordered a cocktail before you. Just think about the number of people ordering cocktails on a Friday or Saturday night. (Seriously, rub those two brain-cells together for a minute.) Just because you want a mojito doesn’t mean one will magically appear. You all some spoilt bitches yo. The cocktail bar is busy…. And it doesn’t have time for your shit.
>>Back to the review.
The tea list is stripped down to a “simple” 14 options, which I guess adheres to the maxim of “keep it simple stupid” but it’s still too long and coffees take too long to recieve despite the barista’s best efforts. (He’s also the wine waiter in addition to everything else he does.)
Later, the place becomes a bit of a nightclub and the atmosphere changes. Different DJ’s each night set the mood for each evening. On week-nights the range is eclectic with a regular schedule on the week-end.
Friday’s starts out with Nigel Last punching out some classic rock and funk. Unfortunately he is followed followed by your regular range of derivative house and RnB.
Paul the Saturday DJ plays pure disco with some of the rarest tracks one has ever heard being rolled out to the masses.
The odd one out (And proud of it.) is Sunday. The Sunday night DJ, Mr Geoffrey, puts out a incomparable selection of noir film soundtracks and 80s electro. Delightful.
Cookie is amazing. A little too amazing sometimes. And sometimes it’s a little full of itself. But maybe it has a right to be. Maybe, when one is so close to perfection, one has the right to arrogance….
But maybe they should just get over themselves.
Four shots of whiskey. Because they are trying.
Posted by Melbourne Culture: Undercover
Posted on October 29th, 2010 at 8:03 pm
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