Canberra Full of "Stylish Lounges" and "Pumping Clubs"

Less bloody clubs with wall to wall pokies.

Fewer

bloody clubs!

I think dress codes are a great idea if I’m heading out to a nightclub and am attempting to woo a young lady. If i just want to go to a pub for a beer with friends, why does it matter if i’m wearing a hat or sandals.

I walked into the Belconnen Labour Club for a meeting and had both arms full. I had my card in my hand to show staff. I had a cap on. I was told to take my cap off. I said my hands were full and I’d remove it as soon as I put my things down. The receptionist was apoplectic – especially as i simply walked off defying them to the sounds of ‘Security to reception…’ over the PA. I deliberately waited until i could see security head my way before i removed my cap. Its the fricking LABOR CLUB.

sadly, the club movement seems to have sucked the life out of many smaller venues. killed live music and created an addictive poker machine culture.

just dont wear a cap in there while gambling your families savings away.

How_Canberran said :

Aaaah, memories! Bring back JD’s tavern, the Elbow Room and the Copacabana in Dickson!
Now those were places where a dapper young Canberran ‘out on the town’ could get a drink in the 80’s.

Weren’t these bars in Phillip? Along with Honeys and Zanzibar.

Maquara, they’ve used a bar with no patrons because if it showed the usual crowd (who think G-Star Raw is the height of fashion), tourists wouldn’t go anywhere near the place.

Holden Caulfield said :

Also disappointed that Mooseheads didn’t make the list.

Me too.
I mean it isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but the setup they have there is fairly impressive and it’s sure as hell popular with the younger crowd.

It’s not as though it’s the trashiest bar/club in Canberra anyway when you have places like Academy, where you can snort coke, meet an eager skank, take her to an alleyway to attempt dry anal and punch her repeatedly when you fail to get in.

Though even then it’s probably still a better bet than places like Krave or Shooters.

Aaaah, memories! Bring back JD’s tavern, the Elbow Room and the Copacabana in Dickson!
Now those were places where a dapper young Canberran ‘out on the town’ could get a drink in the 80’s.

Damien you’ve hit the nail on the head when you mentioned no dress code. 15 years ago if you’d tried to get into Bobby McGees dressed like males do these days, the bouncer would’ve given you a clip on the ear for taking the piss! Rascals and yes even upstairs at the Bin used to require the wearing of a button down shirt. Are the any bars/clubs in Canberra that won’t let males in wearing t-shirts or is it that young males don’t know how to button a shirt?

Why have they illustrated this with a bar with no patrons whatsoever?

Flippant said :

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

Very few decent bars in this town.

…Referring to one of my previous comments on another thread these changes in a few short years have included… liquor fee increases (2009 max paid $3K – 2012 max paid $23.5K), smoking bans, outdoor seating fee increases, trading hour restrictions, complex risk assessment plans, compiling alcohol data (unique to the ACT), a host of penalties from new regulation (lining PS coffers) and then on top of that is the never ending paper-burden imposed by the bureaucratic machine turning service providers into administrators……

I suppose the question is, have any of these changes – and increases in fees gained by the Govt – made Civic (and other places) safer? Are there more cops on the beat? Less overly-drunk yobbos? Seems about the same as it’s always been to me, but surely the Govt must be doing some eval before/after these changes?
I imagine all the extra $ collected just goes into consolidated revenue, so we can have nice art and stuff! 🙂
Seriously, it would be a lot more sensible if such money went ‘transparently’ into paying for things related to the industry. E.g a few extra cop shifts for Fri and Sat night, towards nightrider buses – and maybe some extra staff in ED for those nights too!

I see the Pot Belly has already received a mention, and thought I’d remind people of Belconnens ‘The Basement’.

Its accessable by bus – theres a stop about 20 metres away, it hosts a lot of live music – Frenzal Rhomb on Saturday, and they will let you wear a cap inside, in fact i dont even think it has a dress code. It has a great seedy pub atmosphere and friendly staff.

Brisbane has better bars the Canberra.
How *do* they create those cosy, chic establishments in places other than Canberra?
Apparently the people who do fit-outs in the ACT are unfamiliar with the concept of sound dampening.
Then again, when you’re chasing the $$ spent by drug-fuelled yelling tattooed 20-year-olds on trays of shots, style doesn’t really come into it, does it…

Not Hippo again .. seriously that place gets way too much hype. They need to work out their acoustics before they can ever hope to be hip. Making decent cocktails is only part of the package the rest involves the patrons enjoying your time there, listening to good music and being able to hear each other talk.

And Tongue & Groove .. if I wanted to spend my Friday nights brushing past prickly, bare chested young men or orange/tangaring hybrid women I’d go to Foreshore – or just watch The Shire .. eewww.

There is a real shortage of classy venues in this town .. as much as I love it here.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

Very few decent bars in this town.

C&G Nerd… You are right and there is a simple answer for this… After a tireless creep in regulation and a host of changes in a few short years running a bar is very difficult.

Referring to one of my previous comments on another thread these changes in a few short years have included… liquor fee increases (2009 max paid $3K – 2012 max paid $23.5K), smoking bans, outdoor seating fee increases, trading hour restrictions, complex risk assessment plans, compiling alcohol data (unique to the ACT), a host of penalties from new regulation (lining PS coffers) and then on top of that is the never ending paper-burden imposed by the bureaucratic machine turning service providers into administrators.

Bureaucrats who set policy having never worked a day in a business and yet protest good governance is something that will always remain to baffle me.

Why would anyone in this town open up a small business let alone a bar when the ACT Government keeps sticking their hands in your pocket like the Sheriff of Nottingham.

For those of you reading you may not be aware that those ‘bars’ mentioned… if they are defined as bars (under the liquor license regime) represent just over one third of our total bar stock. There really isn’t that many and that is very sad! So when Tourism Australia gives the poor Capital a bit of a plug lets get out and support those businesses that are hanging in there.

Newley opened Keneddy room …..newly open 3 years ago.

Its got to be a paid thing, I can’t imagine anyone going to Public more than once on purpose

Very few decent bars in this town.

“Melbourne-like chic interiors”

CRINGE

Curious that the Pot Belly or Lighthouse in Belco didn’t rate a mention… must be an oversight.

No mention of Kambah Tavern?

I think one will find it’s spelt “nite spot”!

Mess said :

Northbar stylish and sophisticated. Hmmm…. clearly weren’t there on a Friday night then.

Or at all.

One could only imagine how they would have described The Private Bin.

Also disappointed that Mooseheads didn’t make the list.

To thier merit, Kremlin and Honkeytonks are probably the two least-crap nightclub venues this city has.

Northbar stylish and sophisticated. Hmmm…. clearly weren’t there on a Friday night then.