Charlie’s Bar

Best part about Charlie’s Bar is you can sit outside and enjoy the buskers, or head downstairs for a dim bar feel with booths and all!
The drinks are reasonably priced particularly during happy hour (2−4−1 cocktails). The food on the other hand is a bit pricey for the amount and quality.
I’d go back as there is always room here and you don’t get pestered like you would if you went to another spot in hardware lane but I wouldn’t say it is a highlight of Melbourne.

Charlie’s Bar & Mill Restaurant — great location in Hardware Lane, BUT unfortunately, the service, food and attention to detail a BIG disappointment. The Mill Restaurant had been hired out for an exclusive function and the food had been pre-​discussed weeks before the event.
Rather than passing around the food platters for all the guests to sample, the platters were left on the bar counter and only those closest to the food were even aware the food was there.
Savoury food was brought out after the dessert and the birthday cake made its appearance 5 minutes before the end of the night. No follow up or apology from management despite email and phone call messages being left to discuss what had occurred.
Many other excellent bars in Melbourne to choose from — don’t bother with this one!

Located in hardware lane, we attended a private function at Charlie’s bar. Cute and clean décor, friendly bar staff.
They have a 2 for 1 drinks special which is good value however could be a bit clearer in the menu as to which cocktails the deal includes.
We also ordered snacks chips with Mayo and the prawn. Both were good. Nice music.
A nice place to go for after work drinks. But not spectacular.

I came here with a group for a people for a going away party on a Saturday. I had never been there before but will Definately we coming back.
Located on hardware lane it can sometimes be difficult to get to as you fight your way through all the hawkers trying to get you into to their sub-​par restaurants. Once your there though you arrive in a cool basement bar with lots of little nooks and crannies for settling in with some close friends for a bevy or two. The music on this particular Saturday night was great with some epic beats that got the party started.
Drinks are pretty standard pricing for hardware lane and CBD. We didn’t get a chance to order any food but I’m sure it’s okay, the group next to us was ordering food and seemed to enjoy it.
Overall a cool place to go any night of week for some chilled out bevies

Let me start with the important thing about this place $ 10 martini’s until 11 pm on Saturday.
You can choose from gin, vodka, Cosmopolitan, vesper (for the bond fans), and there was one more but I think the vesper got that brain cell
In the midst of Hardware Lane restaurants there is a open door with stairs leading down to the bar. If you are looking a t the wrong side of the street or blinking at the wrong time then there is opportunity to miss it.
At the bottom of the stairs the bar offers two areas, to the left is the bar with a couple of tables and high bars stools and an enclave with couch seats and table — could fit five or six quite comfortably, if you venture to the right then you find yourself with the tough decision about where to sit, in the booths along the back wall or chilling on the couches.
It got quite busy whilst we were there so the background noise level did rise enough to drown out the background music but neither really stood in the way of having a conversation without needing to raise you voice.
The G & T was one of the best I have had and the vesper was fantastic.
Great place for catching up with small group of friends (4 – 6 people otherwise you may struggle to get seating all together on a busy night) or a sophisticated cocktail to finish a date.
Service was excellent

You walk in through the front door off Hardware Lane, tucked between the Italian restaurants. Down the flight of stairs and Charlie’s Bar awaits. It’s the perfect underground Melbourne bar — dimly light with candles scattered, a superb range of drinks and expert bar staff. The cosy little booths for couples on dates run along the brick wall decorated by a random assortment of bottles and vintage books. There is also a selection of leather couches that would happily suit groups of around eight people. Different nights offer a range of different drink specials, making this an excellent venue for after-​work drinks or perhaps, a post-​dinner drink after a night at one of Hardware lane’s many restaurants. All in all, Charlie’s Bar is classy, elegant but not pretentious so you can easily indulge in a cocktail.

Ah I love this place. But not on Fridays and Saturdays. It gets so stupidly packed on those days, the atmosphere of the place changes. For starters you can’t even get to the bar, hell I couldn’t move off the last step on the staircase it was that crowded. Plus everyone is also drinking beer and bubbles cause of the happy hour specials. However, on any other day, Charlie’s Bar is an elegantly decked out cocktail lounge with dim lights, sexy private booths, and some of the most finely crafted cocktails around. If you can get past the name, the Chocolate Starfish is like a boozy dessert in a glass. And in my opinion they also make one of the best Vodka Espresso Martini I’ve had to date.