Gin Palace

Gin Palace hides at 10 Russell Place, a laneway off Bourke Street in the CBD, and has held the same room since 1997. Broadsheet calls it one of Melbourne's most iconic cocktail bars, built on a gin list that now passes 300 bottles.

Vernon Chalker's lounge predates the city's small bar boom and outlasted most of it. The formula has barely moved: martinis, velvet, low light, and service until 3am.

Who would hate it? Anyone who wants a quick standing beer. This is a sit down room that rewards a slow second round.

A basement level lounge of mismatched velvet chaises, heavy drapes, and candlelit corners that Broadsheet describes as opulent without the stiffness. Yelp reviewers point to the private nooks and tray service; the room swallows conversation rather than amplifying it.

The menu opens with a full page of martinis before a double spread of gin serves, and the back bar holds more than 300 bottles from every gin producing country that matters. Cocktails sit around A$25, which Tripadvisor reviewers call fair for the pour quality.

Order a classic martini and the famous chicken sandwich; Broadsheet rates the sandwich a Melbourne late night essential in its own right. Skip nothing on the gin wall, but ask the floor staff before defaulting to the brands you know.

Early evening brings the theatre and dinner crowd from Bourke Street; after midnight the couches turn over to hospitality staff finishing shifts. Tripadvisor scores it 4.3 and ranks it among the CBD's most consistent rooms.

What regulars say:

• Broadsheet credits the 200 strong gin menu, the chicken sandwich, and the lush interiors as the reasons it endures.
• Yelp reviewers praise bartenders who treat a gin recommendation as a conversation, not a transaction.
• Tripadvisor reviewers note drinks around A$25 that vary in generosity but rarely in quality.

Who it is for:

• A late date that needs a couch and candlelight
• Gin obsessives working through a 300 bottle wall
• Avoid if you want bright lights and standing room; Bar Americano in Melbourne does the fast standing classic instead

Melbourne's definitive gin room and one of its great late night sits. Take the couch, order the martini, stay for the sandwich.

Getting there: 10 Russell Place, a laneway off Bourke Street between Russell and Exhibition; Parliament Station is six minutes on foot.

Timing: Open nightly into the small hours; couches go first from Thursday onward, walk ins flow all night.

Cost: Cocktails A$25 to A$26, gin and tonics from A$18; no door charge.