Halford Bar

Another classy establishment in the dining and drinking firmament that is the renovated State Buildings, Halford Bar is in the basement at the corner of Hay Street and Cathedral Avenue, the site of the safe room of the old Titles Office. Entering down some stairs you find the bar area, with a striking marble topped bar, then through an archway to a couple of sitting areas, or down more stairs to another intimate space.
Furnished with an array of velvet couches and chairs, dimly and moodily lit, Halford — from the same stable as the Standard in Roe Street — is an eye catching and impressive space.
A snappy little drinks list has a range of cocktails, beer, spirits and wine on offer — the wine across a number of varietals and regions, both from Australia and abroad.
Lady FWO and I were on our way to dinner nearby and stopped in for a drink while waiting for our daughter. A glass of prosecco — San Martino — from Veneto was a perfect apéritif to our evening. Elegant and delicate with aromas of almonds, spice, and hints of biscuit, it has flavours of peaches and lemon, crisp and dry.
With the kids still not there we decided one more drink would do no harm — and so a glass of 2014 Mt Barker Galafrey Dry Grown Riesling for me — lime and lemon blossom aromas, a little talc as well, while the palate is all intense citrus flavours, a touch of minerality, and a lovely long and dry finish — while the good Lady FWO settled on the 2015 Dormilona rosé from Margaret River — made from tempranillo with lifted raspberry aromas, strawberry and pomegranate flavours, with a hint of spice on the crisp palate.
A small menu offers food to complement the drinks — and the crayfish brioche jaffle with dill and salmon roe mayo has my name on it when next I visit.
Halford is destined to be another hit — the State Buildings continues to turn up excellent places to drink, dine and shop — and this is right up there with them. Recommended.

Such a great experience. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here. Cold brew martini is a winner. Lovely interior, staff and v comfortable couches! Beautiful addition, along with the many other beauties might I add, that are situated inside the State Building premises.
Worth a visit indeed.

What a swanky little spot. Crushed velvet, the most AMAZING swan taps in the bathrooms and exceptional staff! The quirky espresso martini with a ginger twist was delightful and who doesn’t like a menu with pictures!!! I’ll be back again and again!

I really enjoyed this place.
The service was friendly and attentive. The vibe is quirky, I believe they said they were going for late 50’s vibe, other people have added it’s a 80’s disco vibe, either way it is cool.
The drinks list is quite impressive, and the food is respectable.
It is a small bar, but large enough that you are not jumping around people all the time and by allocating tables to groups the staff manages to avoid going over capacity.
The cocktails are the main event, but they have managed to not disregard the beer and wine with a list that focuses on quality, which I was very happy sampling.
Will certainly come back.

Halford bar was our last stop of the girls progressive evening organised by Unilocal for the Unilocal elite ladies.
It is located on cathedral avenue and is incospicuous however you need to get here. Named after the owners grandad Hal, Halford is a combo lounge bar and cocktail bar with a space donated to each theme. You go down a set of stairs to come to this amazing venue with walls adorned with photos of hal from his boxing days. The owner of halford is also the owner of the standard in Northbridge.
The cocktail menu contains images of each cocktail and a list of ingredients. Very helpful. I had the sweet afternoon tea cocktail which contains black tea syrup, strawberry, and alcohol. :)
I also tried the coconut blossom which contains sake and coconut water.
Both were easy to drink, not sweet, and would be great for hot summery days around the pool and the bbq. Could definitely have tried a few more.
Oh and the menu looks amazing. They do a crayfish salmon brioche roll. Can’t wait to get my teeth into it.

Halford Bar is a kinda quirky, kinda sexy new cocktail bar underground in the State Buildings complex. I say quirky and sexy because I’m not quite sure of how else to describe what could be seen through less kind eyes as quite naff. It somehow manages to feel like a late 70’s/early 80’s disco nightclub and feel early 90s dance at the same time. There was even a waitress who was dressed as if she’d just stepped out of the Hit Me Baby One More Time film set. It has a distinct Night at the Roxbury feel to it, but it’s done with such plush décor and sincerity that it does manage to feel sexy, rather than tacky. However, it’s apparently an ode to a 1950s cocktail lounge. It’s no doubt my lack of knowledge that missed this part and interpreted it from my own experiences.
The drinks slant is definitely towards the cocktail, although there’s a reasonable wine list. The food offerings are minimal — this is definitely a drinking venue, not a restaurant bar. The cocktail list was… generally not to my tastes, if I’m honest. The majority of them sounded fruity and sweet, which isn’t really my style. My husband ordered the cold-​brew martini which was very well constructed. Both a coffee and alcohol hit in a balanced way. My smokey martini was a bit of a let-​down. The smoke (from a peaty whisky wash) wasn’t very present and it had a strong bitter flavour, without the complexity of an actual bitters. Maybe I just didn’t get it.
There’s an even further underground ‘den’ which is perfect for large groups, a few areas where 8 – 10 people can sit comfortably and couples areas. Lighting moodily ambient (with a wall of disco lights) and the taps in the bathroom are definitely worth checking out. I’d definitely come back to for a cold-​brew martini or maybe to share a bottle of wine with some girlfriends.

Staff were super nice and knowledgeable. Could not help us enough. We went there for a drink after dinner at Petition. We thought we would get a cocktail, but unless you like gin or tequila there was not really any option. Zero rum based cocktails and only a couple of vodka which didn’t look too appetizing. We couldn’t order anything that wasn’t in the menu (i.e. French martini). In saying that, I had a beautiful port night cap, and my friends enjoyed their baileys– but considering you can get that anywhere, there is not a huge draw for me to go back.

This place is in the new Treasury building and we did find it a bit tricky to find and had to ask for directions not once but twice! Ha ha! Once we found it though, I was impressed. The fit out is lovely and we found this cute little downstairs area decked out in purple velvet (sounds hideous I know, but it wasn’t!). The cocktail list is extensive and they offer table service. There are a few food options too, but nothing that took my fancy. I had a Singapore Sling and it was lovely. The boys had a Cold Brew Martini which was pretty tasty and not sickly like some espresso martinis are. Definitely give it a go, but ask for directions!!!

Great cocktail menu.
Tried this for a Saturday night drink. It’s a little tricky to find at the renovated Treasury building but worth seeking out. The specialist cocktail menu offers a range of delights. I went for the cold press martini and was not disappointed. With a hint of ginger each sip has a warm finish.
The food options are limited but the place has great atmosphere and service so I will be back to drink something else.
As another reviewer mentioned the bathroom fit out is first class and yes the taps are special so you must wash your hands.

From the people behind The Standard comes another great little bar; they have made sure to create some interesting cocktails plus they sell toasties!!! I cannot think of a better bar snack food, they have a couple of other items too and a very decent drinks list beyond the cocktails; this most could be the ultimate before or after dinner venue in the area for a meet up or nightcap.

THE TAPS !! You have to go for those alone. In the bathroom. Fabulous.
But the service, selection, décor and flavour of the cocktail I had was pretty damn good too!
The dude who tried to steal my purse was not. But that’s got nothing to do with the venue and everything to do with the fact he is a grub. Hopefully he won’t be there next time I visit.

Underground bar with a chilled out vibe …
A 1950s style lounge bar that discreetly opens beneath the footpath of Cathedral Square greeted me and Susan as we stumbled upon one of Perth’s hottest new bars after dinner in the city.
Halford opens today and we counted ourselves lucky to grab a velvety lounge seat all to ourselves. Greeted with warm smiles and a professional demeanor we found ourselves at home very quickly.
Not long were we seated when an aromatic plate of savoury goodness (Camembert and mushroom brioche jaffle) was placed in front of us. We regrettably informed the waitress we hadn’t ordered anything and she replied without skipping a beat that it was a complementary offering for coming down on the first night.
The staff have a sound knowledge of their drink menu and after sampling several of the cocktails on offer, I believe its safe to say there is a bit of talent behind the bar.
The Mi Amante packs an afterbite with a strong hint of Ginger whilst the Smokey lives true to its name also. With such a relaxed atmosphere, awesome bar snacks with a kitchen open till 2am and such comfy seating what’s not to like?!