Review Bowerbird - Richmond

Hard one, I love this spot. Been there when there's great tunes,amazing atmosphere and they always have a good gin range. But....Booked a table this weekend for friends to have a few gins and some bites to eat, booking was taken but not advised the kitchen would be closed even for a cheese plate. Kinda killed our plans having to move on, could have gone to another bar from the start

I love this place! My go to each time I am there is the gin tasting. You can try 3 different gins, each served with their own garnish. The staff are super friendly and will take the time to talk you through each of your gins that you are trying!

Gin gin every where and plenty of Aussie drops to spare. So so excited that there is another fabulous bar. With gin specialties and awesome nibbles food choices. And of course exceptional bar staff.

Great wine, great staff, great venue. Highly recommend 👌

I went here on a Saturday night and my overall experience is sub par. The drinks were great, no complaint. Where this bar falls short is the service. From my understanding they were short staffed so I can understand the frustration but when a friend of mine asked the bartender “what do you recommend?” He replied “I don’t have time for this…”, he also took his frustration out on the eftpos machine and aggressively slammed it on the counter when I went to pay. Advise to the owner, don’t let your staff take out their frustration to the customer. Sadly I can’t recommend this place.

This is one of our favourite places to frequent because it is close to home, super duper vibes and the owner (and employees) are fun to talk to and know what they are talking about. One of the largest selections of local gins that I have seen. Pineapple garnish is 👌👌👌👌

Popped in and got a lovely Gin and great advice. A cool experience and good banter. Would recommend

A walk along Bridge St brings you to this fabulous place. A good selection of tapas and even better selection of beer and a great selwction of gin and cocktails. Great selection of music in a comfortable and 'funcky' place. Great place to visit.

Had a buck's and hen's night on Saturday and pre-partied at Bowerbird. The bartender had his co-worker call in sick and was handling the entire bar by himself. He totally kicked butt - made cocktails, served food, and was stressed but happy. He even got the entire group (25-30 of us) shots to apologise for the slow service. I will always prioritise going here and supporting this business because of that night.

Set up is good, fireplace in the back adds character. Good place for a couple of quiet ones - don’t worry too much about the food but do try the three cheese toastie - it’s the goods!

Love this place, hosted my birthday here, staff were fantastic and flexible and the food was incredible

This is the cutest little bar in Richmond! <br/>I think I had too many gins but it was so worth it!! It shouldn’t be a place you walk past it should be a place you stop by!

An intimate little bar in the heart of Richmond, Bowerbird is the perfect spot for a cosy date night. It may be small, but it has heaps of character, and a very friendly vibe. With lovely bar staff, we are always made to feel welcome. This place is also great for after work drinks, and is often quite busy.<br/><br/>Nothing beats a nice glass of wine and some fancy bar snacks, and Bowerbird delivers on both. There is a small, but varied drinks list and the food is heavenly. Think perfect chicken parfait, crunchy potatoes, and filo cigars. The perfect food to keep the hunger pangs away, but still allows for conversation.<br/><br/>Bowerbird is all class. We've always had great experiences here, and it's certainly the type of place that we enjoy.

Food 2.5/5<br/>Service 1/5<br/>Ambience 3.5/5<br/>Overall 1.5/5 <br/><br/>We tried the croquettes, calamari, duck filo, potato bravas and haloumi. The croquettes had a very mushy texture and were 95% potatoes. Calamari was tough and rubbery. Duck filo had decent flavour but didn’t live up to expectations. Potato bravas were better than the other dishes. Probably wouldn’t order the haloumi again.<br/><br/>Busy but relaxed vibe with a nice fireplace. Probably suitable for after work drinks - avoid the food.<br/><br/>Most of the diners around us were diners from Eatclub or the Fork. Seems like the owners must be struggling as they refused to honour happy hour prices in conjunction with a discount. Portion sizes were also smaller than stated on menu (e.g. 2 pieces instead of 3, despite being charged full price before discount). Service wasn’t great from the outset but really soured when we questioned the bill. Pretty poor customer service when there are many other great places in the area. <br/>

Great food and range of drinks. Very friendly! Can’t recommend this place enough. Croquettes and duck cigars are amazing. Thanks guys for the amazing experience!

Excellent place to try new gins, and friendly and knowledgeable staff... however, disappointed that I wasn't given the 20% discount as it was within the Sunday happy hour, which seems to have an error.

Bowerbird is a bit of an ode to Victoria and local produce. They house an extensive range of Victorian gins, wines and beers, hell even the furniture is locally sourced from around Victoria. Knowing the names of all the gin on offer is one thing but when your bartender Max knows the history of the gin, where the distillery is located, the people who make it, the flavours to expect and which tonic and garnish to complement the gin, it definitely adds to the experience. If you’re like me and like to eat while you’re drinking the drinks, Bowerbird has a selection of share plates to order so you can graze your little heart out.

I called in here for a pre dinner drink. The service was good and the drink selection nice. I like the craft beer selection and I tried a beer called Cab Licker Draught hahaha <br/><br/>I like a draught beer and this was really good. Very light, easy drinking beer. Thankfully I only had time for one drink lol<br/><br/>With reasonable prices this bar is another great addition to Bridge Road. I’m definitely going back.

Early for a meeting. A quick nip was on my mind to ward off the cold Melbourne wind. No laphroigh available here. That’s always my first choice. The manager/server here recommended a Port Charlotte scotch given I like the heavier peatier offerings. Mighty good recommendation. This drink was a beauty. Nice place here overall. Good fit out. Lovely music playing. Not much else you’d need, I’d say.

A chance meeting ... Which is always the best way. Pints of XPA during happy hour make The Dear Luncher very happy. Looks like a very cosy venue for these cold winter nights in Melbourne. Nice fireplace in the back room.

Small bar on the Bridge Rd strip , live music and open mike. Happy hour everyday 5pm to 7pm. Great cocktail list , Sunday sessions with $7.50 cocktails ...all day. Try it for a drink and music but eat elsewhere!

Great lounge amazing cocktails and bar staff! The live music and open fire are perfect for chilling out especially with a red vino! Will be back for sure!