Exceptional bites and standout drinks are in no short supply in Melbourne. And when it comes to happy hour, the city’s top restauranteurs aren’t holding back. Beachside spritz and sticks abound, as do $2 oysters, half-off pinxtos and antipasti.
So whether you’re looking for a sip and snack to tide you over until your dinner reservation, or making a night of bar and restaurant hopping, we’ve scouted out where to find the best happy hours in Melbourne right now.
Beverly
Head up to the 24th floor of the Goldfields House development in South Yarra and you’ll find this swanky rooftop teeming with fashionable crowds and office workers. Sweeping city views, a luxe fit-out and indoor-outdoor seating give the space a California-cool edge, but it’s the $30 after-work food and drink pairings that will take your sundowners to new heights. Indulge in Beverly favourites such as the signature southern fried lobster roll alongside a Spritz, or a flight of oysters accompanied by a mini Martini, for $30 . And keep the good times rolling with a selection of wines by the glass, schooners of beers and spirits for $10.
When: Monday–Friday: 4pm–6pm, until 30 June.
Bookings: Recommended via SevenRooms.
Vinesmith Cellar Door
Opening in November last year, this moody cellar door on Flinders Lane is the final instalment to Vinesmith’s two-storey vineyard-to-CBD venture. Complete with a French bistro upstairs with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Treasury Gardens, a late-night wine bar and curated wine shop, this urban winery is the ideal stop for your fix of pre-dinner Merimbula oysters ($3) and bubbles ($10). Our tip? Book a private wine tasting to learn about the Cellar’s own brands, Blue Pyrenees and Glenlofty Estate, and explore exceptional European drops. No road trip required.
When: Tuesday–Friday: 4pm–6pm.
Bookings: Required via SevenRooms.
Cellar Bar at Florentino
This wine and pasta bar may be a stalwart of the CBD dining scene, but it has all the enduring charm of a neighbourhood gem. Pull up a stool (or book in advance) and reap the rewards of the recently introduced Aperitivo Hour, where you can enjoy a selection of antipasti for $12, classically inspired cocktails and wines ranging from $9 to $15, handwritten on the chalkboard outside.
This might look like calamari fritti with a hit of chilli; rosemary salted fries; slices of salame al finocchio (Tuscan salami) with pickles, and roasted peppers with anchovy, alongside $9 Martini Piccolos made with Four Pillars Olive Leaf Gin and $10 Spritzes. And yes, Florentino’s signature tiramisu is availale to order at the Cellar Bar.
When: Monday–Saturday: 3pm–6pm.
Bookings: Recommended via SevenRooms. Walk-ins welcome.
HER bar
This Euro-leaning restaurant and cocktail bar is one part of the four-storey extravaganza on Londsale street. Sitting on the ground floor of Pacific House, it’s the more casual counterpart to its sister venues upstairs, which include a whisky-led, vinyl-spinning Music Room, an eclectic Thai eatery and rooftop bar on the top floor. Start with salty snacks and spritzes for under $20 at HER bar’s happy hour before making your way up. The happy hour menu spans the likes of oysters kilpatrick ($7.50 a pop), gildas ($9 each) and grilled corn and smoked scamorza croquettes ($9 each), complemented by half Martinis available for $10 with your choice of gin or vodka, $10 Australian and Italian wines or $12 Spritzes.
When: Daily: 4pm–6pm.
Bookings: Recommended via SevenRooms. Walk-ins welcome.
98 Lygon Street Bar & Bistro
The newly revamped courtyard of this quaint Brunswick East bar and bistro is giving us a reason to buy the next round. Hosting a daily Aperitivo Hour from 4pm until 6pm, guests will get two complimentary snacks for every two cocktails. Think briny sardines and salty nuts paired with zingy Margaritas or classic Espresso Martinis. A selection of beers, house wines and mini cocktails are also available for $10.
Why not make a night of it by dining at the bistro and finishing with a “happy hour” nightcap that sees the same $10 selection of beers, house wines and mini cocktails? Friday night, sorted.
When: Daily: 4pm–6pm for Aperitivo Hour, daily from 8:30pm for Happy Hour.
Bookings: Recommended via their website. Walk-ins welcome.
Amarillo
Over in Fitzroy, this timber-clad wine bar takes it cue from the Iberian Peninsula, with a menu focusing on tapas-style plates and seafood. And unlike most happy hours, Amarillo’s ends at 8pm, giving city workers ample time to saunter in for $11 wines, $9 tap beers and $15 cocktails – plus, a lineup of happy hour pintxos from $4 each.
When: Monday–Friday: 4pm–8pm; Saturday–Sunday: 2pm–8pm
Bookings: Recommended via their website. Walk-ins welcome.
Carnation Canteen
This tiny Euro-style restaurant gets big points for its weekly rotating menu and its permanent aperitivo that runs less like a promotion and more like a year-round invitation. Featuring seasonal dishes and mainstays like garlic bruschetta and matrimonio (red and white anchovy usually served on toasted bread), plates are generally sub-$20 – but subject to seasonality. While there’s no permanent beverage fixtures on the aperitivo menu, you can expect classics like Negronis, Martinis your way and Champagne from terroir-oriented family owned grower-producers.
When: Daily
Bookings: Not required for aperitivo.
Chancery Lane
Scott Pickett’s ever-elegant Chancery Lane is leaning into golden hour. Drop by the historic Normanby Chambers building between 5–7pm, Monday to Friday, for $4 oysters and $15 Champagne.
When: Mon- Fri: 5–7pm
Bookings: Walk-ins only.
Bar Olo
This low-lit, charming Carlton bar is loved by locals for good reason. Specialising in low-intervention, traditional Italian-style cooking with a twist, it blends new with old from fit-out to fare. And now, Bar Olo’s apertivo hour is giving us another reason to return. From 4-6 pm every Tuesday to Saturday, enjoy a plate of charcuterie and cheese on the house when you order a beverage. Cin CIn!
When: Tues – Sat: 4-6pm
Bookings: Recommended via SevenRooms. Walk-ins welcome.
Henry Sugar
Get shucked at cosy Carlton North bolthole Henry Sugar, where oyster happy hour features $3 bivalves every day from 5pm to 6pm. For an extra 50 cents each, you can have your Sydney rock oysters anointed with a Vietnamese-inspired mignonette. Plus, $10 Negronis, tap wines and beers and sparkling.
When: Daily: 5–6pm
Bookings: Recommended via their website. Walk-ins welcome.
Saké
Melbourne’s contemporary Japanese diner Saké has launched Saké Hour. Available exclusively in the bar area, the happy hour sees $7 beers, $12 wines and $22 saké, plus a stack of signature snacks — think edamame, chicken karaage, and popcorn shrimp from $14.
When: Mon-Sun: 4–5pm
Bookings: Recommended via SevenRooms. Walk-ins welcome.
Bang Bang
Bang Bang’s happy hour goes off with a, well… bang. Guests are invited to enjoy shucked-to-order oysters and glossy eggplant skewers for just $2 a pop. Enjoy with rotating cocktail specials for just $15 each or $10 Bang Bang wines and Lienert Piquepoul.
When: Daily: 5-6pm; Friday to Sunday: 4–6pm
Bookings: Required via their website.
Mesa Verde
How does a $10 margarita sound? Make that a Tommy’s, and we think Mesa Verde might be slinging some of the most affordable happy hour Margs in Melbourne. This very happy hour runs from 4-6pm every day, alongside its Taco Tuesdays, where you can get every taco on Mesa Verde’s menu for $5 each.
When: Daily: 4–6pm
Bookings: Required via OpenTable.
Half Moon
We see an oyster and Moët deal, and we fall a little bit in love. If you’re looking for a pre-dinner treat or a casual catch-up with some friends, Half Moon is serving $3 freshly shucked oysters and $15 glasses of perfectly chilled Moët on Fridays from 4-6pm. Salud!
When: Fridays from 4–6pm
Bookings: Recommended via SevenRooms. Walk-ins welcome.
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