Cheeky cocktail and jaffles before dinner 🍽 lovely bar just off a main street with beautiful decor. Wish I took more photos of the bar tbh. I had the pepperberry fizz (pictured) and while my partner had a GnT with the dasher + fisher ocean gin. Both very tasty options and went down well with the classic jaffle (plus ham). 9/10
Helps to know one of the staff... but it’s a cheap and cheerful bar (if you’re having the jaffles) with an extensive Australian spirits list (extensive means thousands, and the sky is the limit for budget!).
We fed a classic cheese jaffle to the child (sure to be a crowd pleaser). The supremo pizza sure tasted like a pizza, but the winner just be the lamington jaffle. So good it got Rachel Khoo to rave about it. A must visit.
Haven't (yet) tried jaffles from Bad Frankie, but I'm a huge fan of the extensive drinks selection. I'm a whisky lover and the range here is great. I'm also obsessed with the Lamington ale that this spot stocks. It's the perfect cosy drinking hole off Smith.
Bad Frankie is a small bar in Fitzroy that showcases an impressive range of boutique Australian spirits and complements them with the iconic Aussie jaffle. It’s a simple proposition, and one that works very well.
This is a really chilled out and friendly place. Perfect if you are looking for a semi quiet place to chat and drink with friends. Drinks are very nice and service is perfect. I love how chatty and welcoming the staff are! The venue was so good that after dinner I had to come back with all my other friends for a 2nd visit in the one night!
Friendly welcome, great ambiance, brilliant Gin, Whiskey, and Rum menu. Great to see so many local distillers supported. Jaffles were delicious with the highlight being the hot jam donut jaffle to finish on (washed down with a Sloe Gin). We will definitely be back!!
A nice little place serving alcohol and toasted sandwiches. A great Australian whisky list for whisky lovers. Knowledgeable bar staff in a simple setting.
Wine And Food Lovers
+4.5
What a fun place... the cocktails were absolutely delicious. Unfortunately we did not get to try the jaffels but they smelt amazing and will be pulling us in for a second visit.
Came to Bad Frankie for a drink. Stayed much longer talking to bar staff and enjoying some of their food. Bangers and Mash (pork sausage) was brilliant value at $7.50.
Great jaffles, service and drinks! What else is there!? Staff were very helpful in picking out different gins to try and the vibe in the place is great. Traditional cheese Jaffle was a winner!
Love this joint! Stumbling across this humble place was the best thing that happened that night! Love the bangers and mash toastie as well as their extensive list of Aussie liquor 👌🏼
Had such a great experience at Bad Frankie. Comprehensive drinks list with great wine and beer choices. Really friendly and accommodating staff who bent over backwards to help.
The jaffles are game changing. Mushroom and Corned Beef the highlights.
Overall a really great place and will be back!
Cool little place off Smith St with a huge assortment of drink options but more importantly, a late night option for dessert. And the dessert jaffles, the Lamington and the Anzac ($8 each) were amazing. Rich and sweet but they still held their shape so you could eat it like a normal jaffle.
I'm sure the savoury jaffles would be great too, because the whole bar had an amazing smell of melted cheese!
What a journey. We came here in a party of about 12 and were guided through a list of excellent Gin and Cocktail options. I ended up having an Archie Rose gin with an Australian Finger lime.
The waitress was excellent at balancing a demanding role and great with recommendations as well. Apparently the focus at Bad Frankie is showcasing Australian botanicals. A noble cause I say.
Great place to have some drinks with friends. Cocktail list has some originals and a few unique twists on classic drinks. Also have a great Australian whisky list which is definitely worth sampling. Was heading out for dinner after coming here, so didn't have a jaffle, but will definitely come back to give em a shot based on the quality of everything else we experienced - from drinks to decor to service.
A great place to have a few drinks with friends. There's a good reason Bad Frankie is held in such high regard by so many. The staff are really cool people with a good working knowledge of the cocktails they serve. The jaffles are awesome - with several options to snack on throughout the night at a fantastic price. A warning to you, this place is fairly busy so you might have to have a few drinks at the bar whilst you wait for a table to become available (depending on the night you attend).
Popped in for a drink after a few other drinks. Girl behind the bar was helpful and knowledgable. Had a lamington jaffle as well - it was interesting! Would like to try it again when I'm sober.
We love this bar. Delicious jaffles, delicious whiskeys, amazing and really knowledgeable service. Great place for a date, a catch up or a whiskey sampling. Love.
Best bar in the area. Just off smith street you'll find this little gem serving the best local spirits and beers that australia has to offer. Couple that with an innovative toastie menu (who doesn't love a good jaffle) and awesome staff who know their product and you have the perfect cozy little watering hole. Seb the man is passionate about his craft and will share stories and educate you on new and exciting things to try and how they are made. Could not recommend highly enough. The area has plenty of great bars. But this one holds is own and really knocks it out of the park with everything it has to offer.
Went to Bad Frankie after hearing all the stories. Felt likt we could eat something so also tried the famous jaffles! We got a Pepperberry Fizz and a Captain of the Ship. Both cocktails were really good, and the prices under $20, which is rare for a good cocktail nowadays. We had the Chunky House Tartare & Fish Finger jaffle and The Shroom. I would not go for the jaffles again and not recommending them. They were okay at the most.
The service was good, the waiters seemed happy. When we came in the airconditioning was on, but that was way too cold. They turned it off immediately when we said we were going to sit on the bar because it was to called where the tables were.
Would definitely go back for a cocktail!
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We dropped by Bad Frankie after dinner with my cousin and his wife who were visiting from New Zealand. What makes this particular cousin special is that he was the one that got me and Helen into fine dining roughly 10 years ago! After an awesome 6PM-8PM dinner session at Saint Crispin, the waiter there recommended we go to Bad Frankie for a drink. My eyes lit up because people had told me about Bad Frankie but I wasn't aware it was so close to Saint Crispin.
We rocked up in no time at all. We were already buzzing from the champagne, wine and cocktails from Saint Crispin. We were greeted warmly and seated in a nice corner spot which overlooks the whole place. It's such a nice cosy chill out place, throughout the whole time there we never felt rushed at all. It was decorated nicely with funky wallpaper and the edison light bulbs just topped it off. We mainly had cocktails here and the prices seemed reasonable. None of the cocktails were over $20, one thing I realised is that a lot of other places hover around the $22 mark these days. All the cocktails tasted great, my Anzac Old Fashioned was smooth and well balanced. The Salty Dog Martini packed a punch! The West Winds Cutlas gin they used was very aromatic and had a very earthy character about it. Really high quality cocktails for the price, and that makes me happy =)
Their service was just impeccable and left a really good impression with all of us. I find with some bars they treat you a bit differently if they see you've had a few drinks before hand. It's hard to describe, but they don't seem as welcoming, no such problem here at Bad Frankie. The staff were not only accommodating, but also polite and courteous. They were also down for a chat and can recommend or tailor different cocktails for you. They made sure we were well looked after at all times, and even though we stopped ordering drinks from them (aka they were no longer making money from us), the service did not drop one bit. The service staff even kept topping up our water to ensure we could sober up and even said we could take our time. The service at Bad Frankie has certainly won me over, I'm a huge fan.
I also love how they really support local businesses. From what I could see on their menu, their alcohol is predominantly from Australian companies. This is a rarity these days and is great to see, I'm all for using local resources and produce. In saying so, a part of me still misses my Scotch whisky. I regret not trying out their jaffles as we were absolutely stuffed from dinner, but I'll be back that's for sure. Reasonable prices + great cocktails + nice ambiance + impeccable service + supporting local businesses = WINNING COMBINATION!
Forgot how good a jaffle can be - these are super tasty and way better than what you may remember having as a kid! Top it off with a great cocktail and you have the perfect combo.
The only thing better than the cocktails, jaffles and all round service is that Jack babe. He kills it.Perfect spot to kick off for a belter or a quiet night in with a rig.
This Diner Is Anonymous
+5
What a little nugget! Just off Smith Street in a quiet back street is this gem, Bad Frankie, that serves up sensational service, cocktails and jaffles. Eating jaffles always invites a sense of nostalgia; those after-school afternoon teas just weren't the same without them. Bad Frankie's absolutely nails the art of contemporary toasties, and I'll definitely be back for more.
Support Australian craft spirits industry. If you didnt believe we had a thriving spirits industry in this country, then you must visit Bad Frankie. This place deserves far more respect & credit for its brilliant selection of Australian spirits and its great staff.
A great bar with fantastic Australian product. It may have taken us 20 years to catch up with the states in terms of craft beer, but we are certainly having a crack with our spirits. A little bit of government assistance is all we need now!
Amazing! The concept works, jafles are such comfort food that so compliment the wide choice on offer at the bar. Super friendly staff amongst a warm and low lit comfortable decor. What an absolute gem, I'm going back and I'm bringing others!!!
Can't wait to return. Loved the place and the jaffles are spot on! Perfect for a catchup and snack.... Or if you have 2 or 3 jaffels make it a meal! It's worth it!
Local spirits are a winner for me too!
The owner made himself known by saying hello and touching base trough out the night which was impressive.
Well done
Popped in on the way home and was so impressed with the local spirits and tasty jaffles especially the mushroom. But by far the friendly staff were the highlight. Definitely will be recommending and returning.
Amazing place. Such an unusual but great idea! Fancy exotic cocktails and gourmet jaffles. The shroooom is my fave with the lamington coming in a close second. Cant wait to try everything on the menu! Lovely owners and staff and a great set up.
Have you ever tried Australian Gin with native green ants??!!! 🤯 You must visit this bar! 😍🤪😁
This bar is a must go to in Melbourne. I’ve visited this place a few times and they always surprise me with their selection of local spirits.
It is such a good place to chill and enjoy the company of friends.
I love this bar 🥰
Love the atmosphere, the experience and knowledge staff shared with me in relation to each of the ingredients. It felt like I was getting a tour of each of Australia's distilleries from Shim shortly after preparing one masterful cocktail after another. Thanks for being a terrific host and see you all soon!
Amazing place to have post dinner drinks, we went there after dinner on Thursday and tried a few spirits. They have a huge variety of Australian spirits, the bartender is keen to chat about it too and made me a special gin sour. The classic jaffle with chutney was delicious as well. Also that's the image of special absinthe shot the bartender made for us.
Mushriom and cheese toasties, red wine and brilliant staff. Heaven. Friends had lasagne jaffles... wow. Best place around for late night snacks and chats.
Had really good chicken jaffles here. The staff is very nice and knowledgeable but cocktails were a bit of a hit or miss. I will still go in again to try the all Aussie spirit collection.
Such a good time getting to taste all the different gins! Can't wait to get back in to try the rest.
So, that jaffle (lasagne) was absolutely amazing. The way the cheese oozed out was an absolute dream. Just delicious! The Thirsty Little Piggy was lovely too, nice and lemony without being too sweet or sour. The interior makes for a really nice cozy atmosphere! 10/10, would visit again!
Definitely worth a trip for the vibe and the amazing cocktails. The staff were super attentive and knowledgeable which elevated the whole experience. Highly recommend a visit!
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