Ondergronds

im gonna go ahead and reinforce the previous 2-​star rating of this bar. don’t get me wrong, i like it, but it has some serious off-​putting faults for who those who may have come here for more than the sandwich-​board of cheap drink specials.
We rocked up for post-​work drinks on a Friday and the ambiance is just weird. Its a laser-​tag course with modern club music, a lounge bar with terrariums full of fake marijuana plants, an after-​work establishment with mismatched bathroom signs and a men’s room double sink that is entirely to narrow for two grown men. It is evident that someone didn’t think this through.
I drank the $ 10 1L «jugs» of Tiger, a few mates had the $ 5 highballs, and they were certainly the best part and the reasons we’ll be back. I’m sure people come here for reasons other than this, but I’m not sure what those would be.

The idea behind Ondergronds (‘Underground’ in Dutch for all you playing at home) is that it is the one and only Amsterdam-​style lounge in all of Melbourne, but don’t go thinking you can buy some special brownies in here.
Ondergronds is what can only be described as a fancy dive-​bar. It’s dark, in a basement but has a rather elegant interior — lots of velvet, aquariums and sexy mood lighting (so you can be sure that every one looks good.)
Despite this, I have never quite been able to relax in Ondergronds like I can in a filthy, grungy dive bar. There are booth and VIP areas however no one seems particularly important and the rest of the crowd are a mix of pretentious and creepy.
They have a lengthy cocktail and shooters list which are sure to impress — in fact you can even pre-​order should you feel the need — and also boast a Dutch-​style menu including pancakes! But all up, I am fairly uninspired by Ondergronds… Once I get to Amsterdam I’ll let you know how it compares.