Charles Costello
Rare to find cocktails priced at $13 anywhere in Melbourne CBD. Two cocktails for $25 in a place of this calibre is worth every penny. Fortunately off the map but definitely worth exploring for anyone new or old to Melbourne.
Intimate at 7pm on a weekday and gets lively on a weekend. Another reminder that Melbourne is equal if not better than East Village NYC.
Janmesh pandya
The place is just as advertised, although a bit darker than in the picture. The bartender knew his stuff and was pretty helpful. Don't trust the websites that say that there's a faje fridge that you have to go through to get to the bar ,there is however a winding alleyway that you need to traverse. The cocktails aren't served IN a syringe but with one( to spray them into your mouth, shall the mood strike you).
Jesse B
We had to search a bit to find this bar though loved the stroll through the ally to find the bar at the end of it. The beer and cocktails where priced very reasonably and tasted fine. Though downstairs the atmosphere underwhelmed us somewhat.
All in all a nice place to have a drink and conversation! Without feeling uncomfortable while seeing syringes everywhere around you.
Ximena Cadena Yela
This place worths a visit to see how creepy it is. The music is good. However the cocktails are not good at all. They really need a new drinks menu.
Mickael Goubin (MagicMicky)
Really fun experience in Melbourne, with an atypical way of drinking your beverage. Enjoy the weird science themed bar (and the bathrooms)!
Drinks are good and affordable! Hidden in a small street full of different kind of street art, this place is definitely worth to check out
Timothy de Ruyter
Very intriguing place, especially the walk through the alleys to get there. The bartender is very friendly, outgoing, hospitable and accommodating. The drinks are good too, the syringes are an interesting novelty for sure!
Sam Cheong
Hidden in a lane, eerie hospital themed bar with a patient bed in the toilet. Definitely a must visit bar in Melbourne. Slot this in your list of bar hopping in Melbourne. Try to go during the weekdays when it is not crowded.
B
Interesting and quirky place, set down the end of a suspicious looking alleyway which could be off-putting for some. Decent range of drinks, the cocktails of which you get to drink through a syringe, and a nice vibe to the place. I'll visit again now that I know where it is.
Peanut Butter Cup
What a cool little secret science themed bar. Had a fuzzy navel and really enjoyed the novelty of the syringe, however thought it would have a different alcohol in it to add to drink but just had the cocktail in it. $14 For vodka and juice is fairly pricey but I guess plastic syringes don't come up cheap. The music was really fun but really, really loud couldn't speak to anyone. Also only a handful of tables so don't expect a seat on busy weekend nights.
Dumba
Hidden gem down an alleyway. Drinks are cool and bar staff know their stuff. Good for some quiet drinks early in the night, or busier later on.
Wine And Food Lovers
Love a themed bar & this one is creepy as...but so cool. Its more than just a bar its an experience.<br/>Drinks are served with syringes which is fun & playful. <br/>To get there you walk thur one of Melbournes famous alley ways covered in street art. This is another place i love showing Melbourne visitors.
Gallivanting Ginthusiast
When it comes to speakeasy bars, this one surely takes the cake!<br/><br/>It's in China Town in Melbourne. It is through graffiti-laden back alleys. And you will feel like you're on an adventure till you get there. Hint - look for the psychedelic pug!<br/><br/>Great Drinks! Great Vibe, you'll love it if you're a Dexter fan! Great conversations!
Ana
Make your way down the dark alleyways and you will be rewarded. No words can describe this place, it must be experienced! This is certainly an adventure for the senses. Come for the decor, stay for the drinks.
Rohit Victor
This is an awesome hidden/ secret place to go with a friend(s) for a catch up. Check out the pics for the awesome place and drinks offered.<br/><br/>It's not too big a place, but requires you to test your conviction by getting you to walk through what feels like the same alley as Bruce Wayne and his family were on that tragic night.<br/><br/>After you do get through it, you are greeted by an absolutely delightful bar-man who will concoct drinks for you that are on the menu but also ones that aren't, you just need to let him know of your tastes.<br/><br/>I am so coming again and bring friends this time!
Chakshu Datta Bhawsar
Worst bar I have ever been to! The staff is extremely rude. When asked for a lime or lemon with shots the bartender said we dont have any inspite of some right at the bar counter right near tissues! My friend who didn't hear him picked one and the bartender started yelling that we shouldn't be reaching over the bar and he would not serve us anything now! Never going there again.
Ashley Rose
You just have to visit this place even once, not so much to spend the night but simply to check it out - even the alleyway to find this joint is 'so Melbourne!'....drinks were ok, but yet again it's more about the interesting decor (in particularly the bathrooms). Fast, friendly service too.
Vana
The Croft Institute has to be one of my favourite bars in Melbourne. Quirky vibe and theme aside, the staff members have sold this place for me. They have been fantastic every time I have visited, they're approachable, always up for a chat and are knowledgable about what they've got behind the bar. The cocktails are also reasonably priced, delicious and different to your average cocktails. Drinking out of a syringe is just as fun as it sounds, if you're patient enough lol <br/>Great music too!
Brungiel
Croft Institute is a pretty cool place, hidden away at the dead end of a long alley and fitted out like an old psych ward or madhouse. The syringe cocktails are a bit gimmicky but the one I got (rum, aperol and pineapple juice) was surprisingly tasty. Upstairs bar is alright for a boogie, while downstairs is more relaxed.
T
We went on a Thursday night to this place and had a great time. It was empty but the music was very funky and I purely loved the place because of its interesting theme!! It makes you eager to try it out! I love finding bars with something 'special'. The cocktails were Devine!
Markii_
Came here on the weekend. Was actually pretty fun walking down the alley to find this place but that's where the fun pretty much ended, the syringe drinks were purely just a novelty that wore off after a minute of it in the glass and the drinks were extremely dull, was hoping this place would have me coming back but I think it's just a once off kinda place. <br/>
FineDiners
A very unique place. Wouldn't think there'd be such a place down a dark, dodgy alley way. Loved their 'syringes' drinks. Glad we found out about it.
Anish Mohile
The first time I went to this place I had fun. It has a very unique setup with the madhouse decor. The cocktail menu is good but I was disappointed when I went again as I had now explored much better cocktail bars like americano and nieuw Amsterdam. The madhouse decor just didn't do it for me the second time and the menu seemed uninspiring. Just and pineapple juice for $15 felt like a rip off. It's good for a one time visit and for tourists. You don't need to go again.
Kevin To
This place is so cool! It very much sums up how creative and quirky Melbourne is; walking through some dodgy looking alleyways to find this gem hidden at the end. The atmosphere in here is great, with the interesting decor of test tubes and various other medical and scientific equipment on walls and in cabinets. The cocktails were interesting, served with a syringe, and the bartender was very friendly, offering to make us some drinks that were not on the menu! Don't forget to visit the "depths of hygiene" (toilets) upstairs, it's awesome!
MSY123
I somehow became the host for the night as a friend of a friend was in town from overseas.<br/>I always get a kick out of making people walk through that smelly, dank alley, to get to this place.<br/>The Croft's sciencey/mental ward visage bewilders most first-timers and the syringe drinks furthermore's the asylum experience.<br/>Even using the toilets, you have to wander past a waiting room area, down an eerie dark hallway.<br/>An oldie, but a goodie.
Ben Price
Such a cool hidden place took us ages to find it. Was here a few weeks ago and had to ask about ten people where the alley was. Cocktails were interesting if a little pricey but it is a melbourne experience
Tanmay
This place is crazzzzzy and fun to be at on a friday night!! .. Love the way the drink are poured in Syringes .. Its an altogether rare and awesome thing to try .. Fireball's are good.. Dont remember the exact name of the last shot i had but it was 70% alchol.. its a must try!
DL
Perfectly Melbourne! Small tucked away space with amazing cocktails and just enough funk to get everyone in the space talking to each other! Jak did an amazing job of running the whole bar on his own, keeping us smiling, engaged and indulged with The Pixies! Great night out thanks Melbourne!
Kady
This place is tucked away, walking through the laneway adds to the institute feel.<br/>The drinks are awesome you must have a syringe cocktails.<br/>The bathroom is a 10/10 looks amazing. Downstairs is chilled and more for having a chat where upstairs you can have a dance and a chat.
Jac Doff
what a wonderful bar. the bar staff are quiet skillful, the drinks are very tasty, and there's enough props to keep the youngies entertained. only problem was the hangover the next day, as i usually just drink straight vodka instead of cocktails.
#alwayshungry
Loved the location and the vibe. Drinks are reasonably price and the place was busy which we loved. Definitely recommend if you want to experience non-touristy Melbourne!
Food Comatose
This bar sums up the Melbourne scene perfectly - down a dark, graffiti decorated alley, set in an old mental institute serving syringe cocktails. The drinks were strong, yum and reasonably priced. The highlight of my night was going to the bathrooms - as you make your way up the stairs to the waiting room you'll see a wheelchair suspended from the ceiling and a scrambled tv screen. Then you hesitantly walk down the eerily quiet, dark corridor to the "Hygiene department" where you'll find a stretcher bed in a starchy, hospital environment surrounded by mirrors and pale tiles, illuminated by harsh fluorescent lights. So creepy and cool ahh!! I love it
The Food Traveller
The cocktails are okay. The environment is good. I liked the idea of having a bar inside an ally. It's a comfortable atmosphere! Good place to visit with your friends!
Clare Louise Wilson
The Croft Institute is definitely an experience worth having. Down one of Melbourne's many laneways the bar is tucked away in Chinatown. There is a real science lab vibe in croft which is so different from your run of the mil bar and the personalised cocktails are to die for. One of my favourite bars in Melbourne.
ReneeRainbows
Cocktails fairly priced and nice. The syringe in cocktail idea is novel and just a bit of fun. This place is not ideal if you're looking for a quiet place to chat with friends and was about crowded. Took a while to get through the crowd to get the the bar and get a drink. Overall not a bad experience.
Epicurean Of Southbank
The bar is spread out over three themed levels. Depending on how busy the place is will dictate whether the top floor will be open but it is worth a visit if it is. Before becoming a den of inequity, the site was abandoned for twenty years and the place manages to keep the general feeling of desolation and mysteriousness.
Expensive Delicious Habit.
I think I am the only person in Melbourne who hadn't been here yet. If you haven't, somehow, then you should know that it's a hospital-themed bar down a mini-alley in an alley. You should also know that it's extremely popular, fun, and that some mean bar man will snatch your drinks without warning if you take them outside. If you want drinks in syringes, this place is for you.
Kristine Nga
Now this place is the quintessential skeezy, grungy, hidden laneway bar that you’ll never stumble onto unless you know a person who has been here. Once you get past the dirty dumpters and the bad Chinatown alleyway smell, you stumble onto a pretty sweet hangout. Supposedly an old doctor’s/chemist warehouse, it’s been converted into a bar. You can get beers/wines or cocktails with plastic syringes as decoration…strange concept for a bar but fun if you’re looking for something new.
Eddie
Regardless of whatever music is playing on the night, The Croft Institute holds its form and keeps that relaxed but alternative vibe going.
Jenny L
Armed with an iPhone GPS and many eager sets of eyes and after a previous failed attempt, we finally found The Croft Institute - one of Melbourne's wonderful little hidden bars. Look for the graffiti covered lanes, dirty bins and keep an eye out for a red light at the end of the alleyway. It's one of the best bars to kick start the night off here since it's ridiculously difficult to find, but once found, it serves up amazing cocktail concoctions - both delicious and deadly. The mad science lab themed bar is downstairs filled with bunsen burners, conical flasks and all things related to a highschool science lab, and hospital themed waiting and "hygiene rooms" upstairs are creepy yet quirky. Kicked off two nights of fun here with well mixed long island ice teas and delicious cocktails. No cover charge until 10pm on most nights. And don't forgot to check out the toilets, even if you don't have to go. The Croft Institute Croft Alley Melbourne http://thecrofthinstitute.net Shar
MissPiggyEats
The Croft Institute looks a bit like a high school science lab - complete with beakers, test tubes and science benches fitted out with basins. And, of course drinks served with syringes. It sounds a bit naff - but it's not. It's fun and down to earth - the staff are cool and the crowd seems relaxed. The cocktail list is small - but the bar staff will make you whatever you want. Let's just say I was VERY happy when I left here.<br/>
Jules
Absolute joke of a bar. They took a $5 cover charge bar was very quiet and then they refused us a drink because we were laughing loudly and having a good night and they thought we were intoxicated!
Nesmar
Where is this place? Worth the walk. Tucked away at the end of a long alley way, getting to the Croft Institute involves working your way past numerous dumpsters, rubbish on the ground, and in my case little streams of running water, thanks to the rain.<br/><br/>It was however well worth the journey (cliché about the journey not the destination?). I like having to work a little to get to a bar, so I was already quite happy when I got to the bar. It was a quick visit with me only trying one drink, however I did enjoy the drink, and the pretty cool set up that they have there. I arrived quite early meaning only the first level was open, however it was already quite busy, so I imagine the place is popular.<br/><br/>Check it out, the long walk down the alley way is worth it.
Gemma Paine
Love it. The atmosphere is great here, love the dark lighting and the music-its a good place to relax. I hope that this place expands even more with their drink list: testtube shots and beaker cocktails would be so cool. Entry cost is a bit much but the bar staff were fantastic possibly the friendliest I've come across, will be coming back
Donal Gavin
Cover Charge???. Nice Bar with expensive drinks but adding a cover charge on friday and saturday is a joke. Place is so quiet.
Neenosull
Cool bar rude staff. Went there last night for some after work drinks, asked the bartender for three whiskey apple juices but if he could give them a quick shake after pouring as it makes the drink tastes so much better to which with an absolute attitude, he refused to do and told me his not wasting his time washing a shaker for any drink that costs less than $16. I cant remember how much each drink was but I am sure the round of drinks would of been $30 anyways. Don't think i would go back after been spoken to so rudely which is a shame as its a cool bar
J
Nothing says Melbourne like a bar dressed up as a medical institute down a dank dirty alley with graffiti and no signage. The cocktails are yum but not out if this world, the drink with a syringe seems a bit passé but ppl still seem to enjoy it! The boom boom cocktail was nicely refreshing and worth a try. There's only one beer on tap. Another word of warning is not to drink too much and attempt to climb the stairs - there's not much lighting!
Trendilite
Quirky Melbourne. We had fun discovering this place, through the quintessential, graffitied streets of Melbourne. The bar staff were lovely and accommodating, there isn't much seating space but we managed to find a spot. Cocktail syringes were on the sweeter end of the scale. Nice for a pre-dinner drink, especially for people from inter-state.
D.toledo22
Tres nice. Very funky design and great atmosphere
Brhee Mcgee
Very cool lay out, great little spot. And taking shots is just like "medicine"
Bigeater
My fav Melbourne Bar. The bartenders are awesome! friendly, and great vibe!<br/>everyone was so friendly and having so much fun. The cocktails are decently priced, taste amazing.
Renee H
Sweetlips is on the money here. Very helpful, informative bar staff and quirky vibe. Two syringes up!
Sweetlips
Great vibe, great drinks, great times. Cheers!
Rathdowne
Always a bit of fun. Great place to take an out of towner, to show them 'Melbourne'
Mickeydee303
The syringes are great!. Its a bit or a struggle to find but that's half the joy. the syringe drinks are good value and suit the atmosphere although... I kinda wished it was more dingy to kind of fit in with the syringe vibe. they had the lights up bright and the music down low when if it was the otherway around I think it would had a better atmosphere.
Rudi's Reviews
Secret little lane way past the bins and street art. An institution of so many sorts. Friendly & suggestive funky cocktail boys will whisk or whip or stir or pour whatever you like or whatever you ask to be tantalised with. They're artists with amazing palettes of spirits, juices, effervercents and not too bad on the vino list. Drop in for fun and ave $12 cocktail professionally made. I'm coming back
Louise Ellis
Asked for a tequila not knowing I was being poured a $22 shot!!!!! Thanks for the heads up!! Not
Alice Harvey
Syringe drinks are brilliant!!!!!!!!! A really fun place to head for drinks. I loved the quirky decor, great drinks & good bartenders.
Esther Ling
We had such a lovely, humble bartender, Ray.He is an absolute genius at his craft! No cocktail list but there wasnt any need for one<br/><br/>An absolute bonus was music choice! Very cool decor(upstairs is so eerie!!) We found our new go to bar in Melbourne - a great start to a birthday!
Florian Funel
Brilliant Bartender. That guy is AMAZING ! No cocktail list (or so)...just talk to him and you'll be delighted of some great drinks.
Sas
No cover charge. Good bar service The novelty of the place wore off in less than 5 mins of being there. The freaky part was the toilets with the waiting area. The bar on the top floor doesnt follow the same sentiments as the other 2 floors.
Kyra
Not worth the hype, a place to see once but not go back again. It's really quiet and overpriced
Mr B
Enjoyed the walk to find this place. Great bar staff,fantastic cocktails,interesting decor.
K-D
Not worth the hype. Usually a $10 cover charge on an otherwise quiet Saturday evening in the city promises better things are on offer inside. Not so here. The $10 cover charge was justified as "the cost of the DJ's" (apparently the overpriced drinks menu isn't sufficient to cover this). The service was sub-par and the said "DJ's", which the patrons paid a king's ransom to be entertained by, were notable absent from their booths for most of the night (perhaps $10 per head is the cost of replacing their iPods each week due to the extensive use they appear to have). Will not go back.
MikeJ
Great atmosphere... The bartender is second to none.
Lucie
Great bar, worth the trek down a dark dingy alleyway! Rob the bartender is passionate about his work and will make you a drink to suit your palate.
Kessler
Venue is a great concept. 5 buck cover Charge was something that tiger airlines would do. A good place as a stopover joint on a night out
Carley Ludlow
Cool bar with a bit of a difference.
Tim Martin
A nice space, but the service is woeful - it's staffed by kids who know very little about hospitality (or care enough to want to know).
Does My Bomb Look Big In This
To work up some appetite, we did a bit of walking through Melbourne at night. This is Chinatown Melbourne by night. After a little backtracking we finally found Croft Alley. It's a glorious graffiti filled alley way which is home (at the very end) to The Croft Instiitute . It's worth a peek for the theming along... think high-school science lab, with test-tubes, beakers but suprisingly understated looking cocktails like this Pear Cider Crumble ($17) . It features Zubrowka vodka, apple liqueur and egg white floated over Rekorderlig Pear Cider and cinnamon and was quite drinkable. No visit would be complete without a gander at the Department of Female Hygiene upstairs. The Croft Institute 21 Croft Alley, Melbourne Ph: (03) 9671 4399 After a bit more walking off the day's meals on picturesque but chilly streets, we were at our dinner destination, Melbourne's current it-restaurant, Chin Chin . Amongst the rich and beautiful people, we were treated to peppy, friendly service even in a
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