Bar Open

It’s kind of easy to walk straight past the entrance of this bar without even noticing it exists when distracted by the myriad of other bright and shiny things in Brunswick Street Fitzroy (people included). Do yourself a favour, notice and step inside. It took me an encounter with Google Maps, and a friend sitting inside Bar Open giving me «key landmark» directions on the other end of my mobile to find the front door (you will most likely have better luck, my sense of direction is shocking). I am very glad she, and my Google Maps companion persisted. My location savvy friend secured a comfy seat near the open fireplace, and was happily sipping on her gin & tonic by the time I found her. In solidarity, I too ordered a G&T, well, solidarity and the fact that I am equally enamoured of them. While bar staff are not overly friendly, neither are they overtly rude, and my G&T was perfect and completed with a choice of lime or lemon wedges (it’s the little things, right!?) so no complaints from this G&T loving speechie. Settling back down beside the open fireplace, Bar Open provides the perfect venue for relaxing and catching up with old friends, new friends, hell, even strangers off the street. The bar itself is filled with a range of decorative trinkets and posters that provide a source of conversation starters if you find yourself struggling a bit. My personal favourite is the mini TARDIS sitting on the wee fridge at the end of the bar… be still my geeking heart! Equally entertaining is the detailed list of the Bar Open patron ‘rules’ on the chalkboard, worth checking out, even if the conversation is flowing. While we settled in downstairs, there is a floor above where live bands play (there ends the details about upstairs… I never ventured up the stairwell, being comfortably settled and not wanting to lose my primo fireplace spot — also, let’s be honest, I probably would have got lost on the way there), but the music playing in the downstairs bar was brilliant, brilliant I say, adding to the perfect catch-​up atmosphere. It’s dimly lit, it’s grunge interesting, it has a TARDIS, what more could you want in a bar really? Oooh, just a heads up, as the Johnny Cash posters throughout the bar will delightfully remind you, it’s a cash only affair.

Cool vibe. Comfy without a pretentious feel

I find the place too crowded sometimes. But when I am with my good friends, there we can relax, talk and simply enjoy the good atmosphere. On Friday we are going to visit the Dub the magic dragon– liquid funk orchestra. There is no entry and I find this offer pretty cool.

You can stay informed if you visit the website– a lot of gigs will have performances. I can not wait to see The Staffords tomorrow. I am sure you will enjoy your time there.

Its hard to be objective when reviewing pubs, because the whole experience one has there is a totally subjective one. For example, if you have a great night with your friends, beat everyone at pool and go home with a supermodel then you see the pub in a positive light, whereas if the pub is half empty and nobody talks to you and you leave after half an hour, you hate the place forever. But here goes…
Ive been going to Bar Open off and on since it opened approx 15 years ago. In some ways it is one of the best pubs in Melbourne, whereas in other ways it is one of the worst! It is one of those places which is just so hit and miss — you will either have a great night there or really dislike the place — and you never really know what sort of night it will be until you go there.
THE GOOD:
1. It is open til 3am all through the week when the other pubs shut, and thus there will usually be enough atmosphere to warrant going out.
2. It tends to be quite busy on weeknights, especially Monday and Tuesday nights when the hospitality crowd seem to frequent it.
3. The beer garden is really nice
4. It is a small place and thus it doesnt need too many people for it to fill up and when it is crowded it is usually a lot more fun.
5. the location is great, with souvlaki and kebab shops metres away and open after it closes
THE BAD:
1. The bar staff… The owner is a really nice guy but he could do better when it comes to the staff he employs. While some of them are really nice, a lot of them are arrogant, surly and plain rude. They hate working weekends because of the «drunk suburban dickheads» who apparently abuse them, but then these «drunk suburban dickheads» are the people who bring in most of the money that pays their wages… I dont think any of the bar staff are bad people as such, but I get the impression from a lot of them that they are stale, bored, been in the same job for too long and quite frankly, need a change.
2. Droves of drunken backpackers… For the past few years, Bar Open has attracted heaps and heaps of obnoxious drunken backpackers — mostly British but from all over Europe also. The behaviour of these people is generally much much worse than the «drunk suburban dickheads» mentioned in point one. They tend to frequent Bar Open more in summer and thus you dont really have to put up with them in winter.
3. Pretentious people who are just too cool… While a lot of people who go to Bar Open are normal and lovely, there is certainly an element there who are just far too up themselves. In some ways it can be an extremely pretentious place. These people are often friends of those bar staff with excessive attitude. While Im glad its not a pub full of bogans, it really has gone a bit too far to the other extreme…
So, where does Bar Open sit? Is it a great place or a shocking one? I think the real answer is somewhere in the middle, but the pretentious attitudes of far too many people there make me give it a 2 rather than a 3… I may change this if it improves.

I like staff with atitiude, just not with a bad attitude. They were either too cool to serve customers, or the customers were not cool enough to be at Bar open… i know what you’re all thinking, and it wasnt jsut me alright?
The place is pretty groovy, the décor is too, and the ambience was still intimate enough to have a decent convesation, but I just wasnt ‘feeling the love’

Bar Open in a Brunswick Street bar and music venue, found amongst all the noise and chaos of you socialite weekender and one the occasional weeknight. My fling with the place has been in the form of a number of gigs, usually bands I’ve seen before, which is why the place has a strange effect on me. Things are different here. The music is different. The vibe is unlike many of the other places you’d see live music at.
It’s a slightly uncomfortable-​ness, a jarring of the senses that takes a while to get used to. The band room upstairs is small enough that it will on most occasions be claustrophobically full, and I’ll find myself in the next room unsure if I should keep moving in.
The sound itself isn’t the greatest, but that depends on what act you’re here to see. There are Avant Garde musicians playing improvised madness every Tuesday, and it works ok for them.
The bar itself is downstairs and often full of locals and backpackers a like. Those found behind know how to pour a beer, but on a few occasions don’t understand much more.
Ultimately, it depends on how challenging you want your night to be, and whether this is your place to be or place in between.

One of the best bars on Brunswick St. in lively Fitzroy!
I really like the patio outside on the first floor.
Usually, there is life music on the second floor. They invite some very interesting bands! I like this place very much!!!
Audience and atmosphere are great!

Y’know, I’ve actually sung at Bar Open. Nothing major, a friend of mine was celebrating another friend’s birthday, and I ended the night with a sexy happy birthday song. Another friend ended his buck’s night there.
And it’s good. Fun, loud, uncomplicated, packed. Not crazy expensive.
If I had to complain about something, it’d be the toilets. They’re nice enough, but some idiot decided that having the Egyptian male and female symbols for the markers was a good idea. Trust me: when you feel the need to upchuck, you’ll know it isn’t.

More like Bar Closed. I came here, well tried to come here, for my friend’s birthday a little while ago and was forced to stand it a line… a line people. I could see that the place was not even full but the guard standing at the door was not letting anyone inside. I think a change of name is needed. The thing that really got me annoyed was that the guard kept saying that they were not going to let anyone in then within a couple of minutes they would let more people in. The times that I have been able to get inside however were a lot of fun. The place is pretty cool with a nice outdoor area, that’s all I have to say about the good because I have the lack of a beery taste in my mouth.

What can I tell you about Bar Open that hasn’t already been mentioned in previous reviews?
How about this — every Monday night is ‘Screen Sect’, a film screening night of cult cinema classics starting at 7pm. Entry to Screen Sect is by membership only, which costs just $ 5 per month.
I’ve been to the Make It Up Club on Tuesday nights a few times to see friends perform. The acts that are booked for these Tuesday night events are very avant garde, which I realise can mean a whole spectrum of things but it is the most accurate way to describe the eclecticism and downright strangeness of the acts. Make It Up Club is a really good name for this night.
And yes I concur — Bar Open is dirty, grimey, grungey, shoddy, rude and fun.

A great venue in Fitzroy!
Cosy fireplaces with an original urban feel.
The biggest appeal here is that it’s open late most nights where on the weekends it does get quite busy and a tad rowdy but if you’re there it usually means you’re intoxicated enough to handle it.
The venue is set up really well with the bar at the front, some cool seating inside as well as a substantial beer garden. Upstairs most nights has a live band as well where I feel like I’ve always had fun there till the wee hours of the morning.

This groovy little bar is open late every night of the week. Full of a mish mash of furniture, that even sees empty beer kegs turned into stools out back. Bar flies hold the bar up during the day while the place really comes alive after dark. Many an international traveller pops in for a bevvy or two, thanks to its listing in lonely planet. As it’s open later than most along the strip, late hours is when this place is at its busiest.
Upstairs is a spacious venue that hosts an array of entertainment from film to comedy yet mainly music. The space is full of couches and cushions that make a perfect hang out location, especially seeing there is a bar up there as well. The beer garden down stairs can get jam-​packed, mainly with smokers and the bar serves possibly the best draft Guinness on the street.

This place epitomizes the «local bar» feel to a tee.
As you walk in it’s all dim lights, couches and a snug open fire in the corner. With a pretty standard selection of drinks on tap, including Carlton, Guinness and Bulmers, Bar Open has nothing to prove, and is the kind of place that kicks on at its own pace every night of the week. With a decent size courtyard out the back, free wi-​fi and a few cozy corners to hide away in, this place is good for a few drinks before or after the main event of your night.
Head upstairs and you’ll find a sizeable band room, complete with more couches and shadowy corners to sit and sip in. The stage itself is a small affair, and gigs here are usually low key and free entry. This space is also often used for art shows and as a general exhibition space for those wanting a funky place to show their wares.

Bar Open can rightly claim to be in the category of «institution» when labelling Brunswick Street and Fitzroy. Located on Brunswick Street just past Johnston Street heading away from the city it could in fact claim to be close to the epicentre of good times.
As other reviewers have pointed out it would also fit into the category of dive bars. The toilets are pretty grimey, the staff have got an attitude and mixed drinks are pretty shoddy (my advice would be stick to jugs of beer — cheapest and best).
However, despite all these faults, there is just something about Bar Open that is full of charm and character. The place gets absolutely rammo and it is impossible not to get to know other revellers. There is live music of all varieties all the time with the common thread being so much energy that you have to dance to it.
In short, if you are having a messy night and planning on getting pretty twisted, then Bar Open is the place for you as you get live music and people doing the same thing.
Faults aside, it’s impossible not to have a good time here. So I’m a fan.

An undeniably good time can be had at Bar Open. Just don’t go along expecting so much as a decent mixer or service. Bar Open’s drinks are decidedly weird and its staff downright misanthropic.
I’ve been to Bar Open on a few occasions — usually to see a gig in the upstairs bit — and it’s invariably packed. Its clientele can be a bit prickly but apart from that it’s ok. My biggest gripe with this place is the overpriced — considering the quality — drinks with nary a legit mixer in sight.
Last time I visited I ordered a vodka and tonic. I was not served a vodka and tonic. And so I returned said inexplicably awful drink and requested a vodka and tonic. My drink was not replaced with a vodka and tonic. Ad infuriating infinitum.
I can only presume that Bar Open uses the cheapest and most rubbish simulated ‘tonic’ and the like. Opt for beer or Bar Open’s extremely well priced pints of cider instead if you find yourself at this popular Brunswick Street dive bar and don’t fancy being sobered up by apoplexy.

Like most bars on Brunswick Street this place tends to pack out on the weekends.
Its assets are the small but nice backyard and the upstairs room that often has live bands playing up a storm. It’s downsides are the facts that the staff can often be a bit rude and unhelpful and that they have the most disgusting toilets I have ever seen. I am pretty sure the public toilets across the road get more cleaning attention than the ones at bar open.
On the plus side it is situated right next to a host of kebab shops. So if you get sick of any of the said live music, smokers back yard, disgusting toilets or rude staff you can opt out with a bit of wholesome greasy kebab action.

My favorite in fitzroy area !
You can get all of the openess and crazyness of Melbourne !
I especially remember the band music on the first floor. I used to be in that bar every week end and meet new people in the garden !
If I remember Well, it’s like 7 $ or 8 $ a whiskey coke !
On brunswick street, obviously !
Melbourne is missing so much !
I am still hearing the music of the bar open on Awdio:

With a warm fireplace in winter and a friendly atmosphere all year round, Bar Open is a great place for drinks, lunch and diner, catering to a wide selection of folk from students to young professionals. With a roomy upstairs area providing space to move and dance, Bar Open’s only limitation is that it is often very popular on Friday and Saturday nights, however, for those happy to share a bar with some of Melbourne’s most eclectic drinkers, this Fitzroy institution is a must. Open until late all weekend, Bar Open also provides a great food menu as well as a wide variety of beers on tap, wines and spirits from across the globe. Not to be missed!