Cookie

Vibrant atmosphere, great food, incredible selection of beer and wine. But service and support abysmal.
Twice I tried to order a beer, and twice they brought a glass of wine; the first time, bartender returned with a different beer, second time, after pointing to it in the menu, waiter said they were out.
Six of us at a table, waited 10 minutes and two requests for water before getting it ourselves.
Food for four arrived, then 15 minutes later, food for the other two arrived.
Menu is quite varied, but no indications anywhere of dishes that are, oh, say, spicy? Vegan or vegetarian? Gluten free? Contain nuts? Spicy? One ordered soup only to find that it was too spicy for her
Good condiment tray with chilies three ways, but, while we were eating, a waiter asked if we were done with it! We said no; yet, 10 minutes later, it was gone even though we were still eating. STOP BEING IN SUCH A HURRY TO GET HOME!!!
Didn’t help that kitchen staff, with kitchen closing at 11:00, began to occupy the balcony tables, making it difficult to walk by; and that they were smoking. And that one of us wanted to get some fresh air but couldn’t sit at what should have been an unoccupied balcony table.
When I asked the manager to turn the music down slightly, the volume rose. Yes, a big ask but when I explained that one of us wanted to get some fresh air and escape a bit of the noise but all three balcony tables were occupied. By staff! The manager expressed a modicum of sympathy and asked if she’s okay. But he didn’t see fit to go and check. Or to apologize. Or to comp even one dish.
All of this on a Friday night just after 11:00, when dining area is still ¹⁄₃ occupied. Sorry but, when you spend $ 50 – 70 per person, we should not feel rushed to finish the meal or that we have to compete for space or air with the staff!

Had a great feed, insane variety of beers, great atmosphere, don’t forget to have a drink at the rooftop bar, just fabulous with brilliant views.

I come here for the beer. Not living in Melbourne I don’t get to the suburban bars so it is nice to find a place that have a good vibe and knowledgeable bar staff. Go range of beer on tap and more by the bottle.

This place was well hidden between the ghetto looking takeaway places in an interesting looking building, would’ve never found it if I didn’t know what I was looking for. Even though I booked a table we decided to sit in the bar area because it was much quieter for our baby asleep in his pram, we ended up moving onto the balcony in the most romantic table overlooking the street, very dark and quiet just the way we like it. The bar section didn’t have waiters to take your orders, we ordered and paid for our food at the bar (didn’t mind) and got water ourselves. The food was spectacular. The eggplant and lamb Penang was something I’ve ever had and I absolutely loved it and pad Thai was done well. A very successful date night with the baby asleep throughout! And service was great :)

A common cool bar but with amazing Thai food. Perfect for dates or dinner with friends. Long drinks menu.

The food here is amazing and delicious, worth every penny. We ordered randomly and everything was delicious.
Their wine menu looks extensive, but they are «out of stock» on just about everything. We tried ordering a couple different bottles, none of which they had in stock, so we gave up and ordered mixed drinks.

What a cool place, with a great vibe, smooth tunes and gorgeous décor.
The food, Thai based, is light and flavoursome with tastes well balanced. On a low FODMAPS diet it was easy for me to identify things I could eat. The banana leaf chicken was my personal favourite. My mum said it was the best Thai she has ever had.
The wine, cocktail and beer lists are long and expansive– however there’s no sparkling red to be had.
There didn’t seem to be a rhythm to the order food was delivered– some quickly after ordering, and some much longer. It didn’t make much sense, especially as the rice (which would have been good from the start), came out last.
This place loses a star because not all of our order came, because it turned out it was never ordered. It’s extremely frustrating when restaurants adopt a notepad free method of taking orders, for orders to end up incomplete. It was a non event for us really, who were quite full– but when you’re looking forward to something, finding out at 10.40pm that it’s not on its way is annoying. The waiter said it could be made, but after you’ve been waiting a while, it just sucks to find out.
Anyway. I’ll be back, for sure. Hopefully to try the meal I missed!

If you are only in Melbourne for one day, one meal, one hour… This is the place you need to be. The food is a gastronomical delight and will forever be remembered as the best meal of all time.
You may need to sacrifice a few things like your dignity to get in here. Getting to the restaurant by 5pm will mean you can get in without a massive wait. Of course you can always book (if you are like a weird planning person who thinks ahead — ha!).
The staff are magnificent as is the awesome atmosphere trumped only by the food. Try the pork belly curry, coconut rice, spring rolls… EVERYTHING.

Mel is right, the service is not great. I don’t know about the food (I only had drinks) but the bar service is not great. Is it worse than average for Melbourne? Probably not. Bar service here tends to be indifferent to bad (except at Catfish, Local taphouse, and a couple of other notable standouts). Plus the place is typically super crowded with less access to the bar than you might think. The drinks are well made and good (though a martini is like $ 25 dollars, a three martini lunch will set you back almost $ 100) but you have to wait a while for them.
More annoyingly, many of the beers are served in hilariously small glasses. Look, I get it, there is an insanely regressive, pointless, and paternalistic excise on booze making a decent beer the price of a cheap bottle of whisky, but charging me $ 25 bucks for a beer (one of the strong, read «american» IPAs) in what amounts to a champagne glass is both ludicrous and insulting. We live in Melbourne and we go to crazy bars and, to be honest, we are all (if you are planning on going out at all in this town) extremely wealthy by world standards, but we are not crazy. This craziness coupled with the schnoorization of beer service in Melbourne makes me barely want to go to a bar at all. People are willing to pay for quality, but if the business model requires the customer to be a mark, it can’t last for long. That said, the place is always busy and people seem to be comfortable paying $ 12 for a schooner of beer, so maybe I am the crazy one.

Love this place, great food and atmosphere always great and awesome beer, spirits and wine list.

Cool little restaurant. I been told to come here since arriving in Melbourne and finally popped in for lunch.
I came in about 4:30 when it was empty, and was later told it never usually is. It’s decorated in a way that’s half «grandma’s house» half «stylish foodie joint» — sounds weird, but makes for a cool mix. The menus are huge. Three big books for drinks, and about 80 items on the food menu (small dishes, medium, large). It can be a little overwhelming at first but eventually settled on a couple things.
We ordered: Two medium dishes: fat rice noodles with duck, green peppercorns; and grilled salmon with ginger/​chili; and one small dish: prawn firecrackers (like spring rolls with prawn tail still attached to hold). And two glasses of wine.
Everything was delicious. And service was really friendly. In all honesty, it did seem a little pricey for the size of what is offered — about $ 15 small, $ 25 medium, $ 40 large; which one person could easily tackle a small + medium if not more — but I had a really lovely meal. And now familiar with the place, I’d return to try out other things.

This place is a gem.
If you haven’t been there yet, do it.
Oh, don’t expect fast service at the bar though — they’re hopeless. You’ll come to accept this though whilst you’re there because the venue and feel of this place is awesome.
I repeat, don’t expect fast service.
When it comes to the food though — holy shit, it’s amazing. Some of the tasty-​ess Thai food I’ve had in Melbourne.
It’s a Melbourne fav, so do yourself a favour and get there.

This place is tucked away in the first floor of Curtin House on Swanston St.
Busy, noisy, open and spacious don’t plan on a quiet intimate get together at this place but it’s great for friends to catch up and enjoy good food, and spend a good deal of time looking over the insanely long wine and beer lists available.
Service was a little slow at times but we weren’t in a rush so we didn’t mind as long as the wine still flowed.
We selected a variety of ‘small’ dishes to share as entrees. I selected the pumpkin & coconut curry which was delicious with a real kick to it. The others chose fish dumplings and some kind of prawn number which they all assured me was really good.
For main I had green chicken curry with steamed rice & roti. Bloody lovely.
Someone had mussels, someone had pork belly, others had more fish dishes. Everyone was very satisfied.
Sadly no room for dessert, besides, we needed to get to the rooftop bar before the storm hit.

The famous Cookie has remained faithful to its incredibly successful recipe of good atmosphere, beer hall and Thai restaurant.
But before I launch into why I love this place there is one thing I must point out; the beer is expensive and the bar part of Cookie has the worst service in Melbourne. It doesn’t matter how many staff they have, it takes an unbelievable long time to get served. There is no logical reason why — it just is and just you just need to accept it because…
Cookie is just awesome!!!
The food has remained pretty much the same price without loss of size for over 7 years. The quality and taste is fantastic. I love love love the duck dish with fat noodles and he adores the fish dishes. We’ve eaten here a lot, dragged friends and family here and it’s always a success.
Then there is the beer. The selection is fantastic, the beer menu is over 1 cm thick! My only complaint is that they need to clean their pipes better for their regular beers. The Erdinger has been off so many times (I come here a lot though) that I’ve stopped drinking it. Other than that — it’s wonderful.
In all the years I’ve been here I’ve only eaten in the restaurant part once, a few months back and that’s where I discover that the service can be good, great actually. You need to book ahead and there are 2 sittings and if you pick the earlier you must be gone by 8pm. We had the «banquet» which is a set price per person and you lost your likes /​dislikes and they pick for you. We (8 of us) all came away very pleased and very stuffed!
The oddest thing is the adorable little birds that make it inside and fly around tweeting– I’ve never seen them eat from a table but they are always here.

Good times had at cookie. Its always a destination that you bring someone that is new to Melbourne or hasn’t been here before. Its a good meeting point for friends to come to and there is lots to do at the Curtain house building.
I find that i don’t always attend cookie level, its more like the toff or rooftop where you’ll see me at.
Worth a check out and a good destination to show people. Def is a good representation of what melbourne is all about

We went here for a work drinks/​dinner night. We decided to order off the «per head «menu and had the selection that was $ 50 per head. The service and food was great however there was way to much food we had to stop the waiter from being out more dishes! I recommend doing the per head because it’s a great idea for sharing but get the cheaper option which I think is $ 30 per head. The food is a Asian combination and they are great at brining out other options for those with dietary requirements!

A Melbourne institution cookie is one of those fail safe places to bring out of town visitors for a taste of the Melbourne vibe.
I love the cocktail options and the intimate back room tucked behind the bar for a secluded rendez vous.
I’ve eaten here serveral times but recently went for a work lunch with 10 coworkers promoting my review. I’ve tried a few different dishes in my time but this was an excellent way to sample a broad array of the lengthy menu.
Colourful plates of delectable Thai speciaties kept appearing on our table. I loved the communal sharing vibe and importantly for a work function the food service was fast and efficient.
The beverage menu is extensive with separate books for beers and wines there will be something to impress even the most discerning of palates.
Would I come here again? Would I recommend it to out of towers? Absolutely.

It’s so reliable and such a big part of Melbourne life now that reviewing Cookie seems a but redundant. «Let’s meet at Cookie and decide what to do from there» is just a part of the lexicon now.
Cookie just is.
Their selection of alcoholic beverages is ridiculously large. If you’re in a rush just go with what you know. If you have some time up your sleeve, use it to get to know a new drink from a different part of the world.
The Thai inspired restaurant menu is also large with many vegan and vegetarian choices, as well as plenty for the omnivorous.
It can be a bit pricey and loud and full of arseholes, but it’s so large there’s something for pretty much everyone.

So many good beers and wines.
Such delicious food options!
Staff are trendy but unpretentious (in my experience).
Has a lovely ambience, but yes, it does get loud on busy nights!
Advise getting in around 5pm on a Friday if you want to score a table before the rush.

Oh Cookie, you were the first bar to ever serve me alcohol legally. For that, you will always have a special place in my heart.
I first came here with my cousin for a late dinner for her birthday. It was a nice restaurant down the street from her apartment at the time. I think it was love at first site for me. The décor is very sleek without trying to be overly pretentious. Definitely a nice place to just hang out for and just catch up. I loved the lounge seating because it made for a very intimate night with great company. Every time I’m back, my friends know this is one of my favorite bars to hit– I’m sure by now they’re sick of it. The bouncers, bartenders and staff are so personable and friendly. They can definitely craft some awesome cocktails if you just tell them what you like– and trust that it’ll be awesome. The mint mojitos are definitely refreshing for one of those hot January summer days.