After pouring time and energy into your career, study and life as a whole, you can’t pass up the opportunity to feel rebellious and feel like you know something magical that others don’t. What better way to quell this desire than to get a little adventurous and have a few sneaky beverages at these secret bars across the country? Get your inner explorer out.
#1 Tomcat – Fortitude Valley, Brisbane
Tomcat is a bar that you have to keep your eyes peeled to stumble upon. As it turns out, I’ve walked past it myself without knowing what it is. Once you get past the roughish exterior and ascend the flight of stairs, you’ll find you won’t be disappointed. They offer craft beers, wine, an array of cocktails, and wood fire pizzas to order if you get peckish. The walls are covered in graffiti (feel like this is a secret bars expectation these days), and pool tables are available if you’re blessed with hand-eye coordination. If that wasn’t enough to intrigue you, there is another sneaky spirit bar, The Boiler Room, hidden within Tomcat. It’s like the bar version of a Babushka doll.
#2 Pizza Pizza Pizza – CBD, Melbourne
If you’re lactose intolerant you may have refrained from stopping by this simple pizza establishment, but do you know what you’re missing out on from the menu that doesn’t involve dairy? You guessed it, alcohol. Just put on your sweetest smile, ask for their ‘secret menu’. Once the pizza makers catch your drift you’ll be transported directly to the store’s own stealthy spirits bar, or pure heaven as I like to call it. It’s a perfect place to settle into a cosy seat until all hours with your boozy indulgence.
#3 Shady Pines Saloon – Darlinghurst, Sydney
To seek out this nook you have to gather the courage to walk (or run) down an alleyway and push yourself through an unmarked door, but who doesn’t love an adrenalin rush? This bar is like something out of a western movie, with its warm lighting and hanging wall ornaments, mainly taxidermy, to give that extra kick of old American flair. If you’re known to sit back and enjoy a good bourbon or whiskey, Shady Pines definitely fits the bill. If those don’t tickle your fancy, the bartenders are wizzes with their alcohol so there’s no doubt your tastes would be catered for.
#4 Sneaky Tony’s – Northbridge, Perth
To acquire entrance into this bar, which by the way is down another alleyway, you need the password. Fear not though, this can be found on Sneaky Tony’s Facebook page. No brain teasers, puzzles, or effort in receiving said password, but as far as secret bars go, this is a very cheeky way to get entry. The door is unmarked, which again adds an element of suspense, but just look for the door with the eyeslot. The bar is dark and cosy with a massive selection of rums that can be integrated into cocktails as well. If you like Piña Coladas (yes, I just sang that while writing), they can mix up a killer one, so it’s definitely worth a try.
#5 Maybe Mae – CBD, Adelaide
This place screams 1950s art deco, with their gold patterned windows and green booths, but to experience the transportation through time, you have to find the tunnel between Leigh and Peel street. Once you do you’ll be good to settle in with one of your favourite bevvies. The bartenders are even known to cater a drink to your tastes, so if that’s not 10/10 special treatment I don’t know what is. If you were concerned about processed sugar consumption, or elements that are detrimental to your health, Maybe Mae use juice from fresh fruit to make their drink syrups, you’re actually doing yourself a favour by being healthy. At least that’s what you should tell yourself during a midweek cocktail.
Image Source: Hidden City Secrets