Looking for more than a snack but a little less than dinner? These bars deliver tempting menus, great drinks and good times.

When opening her own bar earlier this year, Kelsie Gaffey had a single guiding principle. “I just wanted to make the kind of place my friends and I like to hang out at,” says the 25-year-old owner of Gracie’s Wine Room in South Yarra, Melbourne (Naarm). “To me, a great bar is a place to socialise and have some snacks but not be forced to commit to a full meal. It keeps it open-ended so you can make the night what you want.”

Buzzing with enough energy to power the eastern seaboard, Gracie’s embodies what sociologists have termed the “third space”: a casual place where city dwellers can socialise outside of home. Since it opened in January, the bar has become the quintessential neighbourhood hang – albeit one geared to its affluent location with freshly shucked oysters and lobster rolls. “People settle in here and enjoy the snacking or they have a drink and head off for dinner nearby then come back for a nightcap,” says Gaffey. “It’s totally fluid, which I love.”

That low-commitment, high-reward formula is being replicated around Australia. Bars with thoughtful food menus are mirroring the times, keeping nights out casual (and more affordable) while ensuring everyone goes home happy.

“We aim to be a place where people can drop in, have a few drinks, a few dishes to eat, solve the world’s problems,” says Patrick Frawley, co-owner of Lokal, a natural-leaning wine bar in Surry Hills, Sydney (Warrane). The golden rule at the bijou 20-seater is that there are very few rules. One option is to claim a bar stool and let Frawley guide you around his wine list while gauging your hunger level. Or you can formalise the experience with a booking and make a meal out of Nelson Cramp’s attention-grabbing menu, where grouper is cured in mango and French toast fairy bread with mascarpone turns up for dessert. “People will come for a drink before going out and then we’ll see them the next week for a meal because they saw the food looked good,” says Frawley. “I always tell guests we play the long game.”

At Lola Underground, inside Perth’s (Boorloo’s) State Buildings, owners Nella Antonic and Michelle Forbes have found the sweet spot for a diverse crowd of couples, corporates and travellers from the adjacent COMO The Treasury hotel. The freewheeling food offering tests the definitions of “snack” and “dinner”. Think picnic-worthy share plates – “All the things you’d throw in a basket to sit by the Seine,” says hospitality veteran Antonic – along with pork and Wagyu terrine and a mushroom duxelles toastie with leek bechamel.

According to Antonic, the things that separate a good bar from a great one are intangible: “The energy, the vibe, the flexibility,” she says. “Ultimately it’s about that old-school idea of service and making people happy.”

Below, discover where else to sip and graze around Australia.

Image credit: Yusuke Oba

Wally's, Vic

1/13

Perched on a corner in Melbourne’s Albert Park, Wally’s is steeped in nostalgia for all things French. Grab a banquette to explore a Gallic-leaning wine list with blue-chip labels. Food brings its own surprises, such as salt and vinegar fried tapioca buried beneath a flurry of grated pecorino.

Image credit: Sardinas

Sardinas, Vic

2/13

This peach-walled gem in Reservoir, Melbourne, across the road from buzzy sister-spot La Pinta, does a roaring trade in natural wine and Iberian-style plates. The neighbourhood favourite turns grazing into an artform with a signature tortilla, soused sardines on toast and house-cured charcuterie. The sustainable ethos extends to a selection of largely Victorian tap wines.

Image credit: Kristoffer Paulsen

Bianchetto, Vic

3/13

Swish through the gold curtains at sleek southern Italian eatery Mister Bianco in Melbourne’s Kew to find this candlelit cocktail bar. An Americano trolley for tableside mixing is simpatico with Sicilian snacks such as ’nduja-stuffed fried olives and house-baked scaccia (flatbread) with mortadella. Visit at aperitivo hour for complimentary stuzzichini with your Sicilian Sour.

Image credit: Reggie / Instagram

Reggie, Tas

4/13

This lively laneway bar brings good times to Launceston with Studio 54 stylings, a retro vinyl collection and late-night DJ sets. Local beer and wine power a young crowd partying like it’s 1975 while snacking in 2025 style on Asian-inspired fare such as watermelon tataki, crab rolls and eggplant katsu.

Image credit: Dexter Kim

Club Fèlix, Qld

5/13

Crook a pinkie over fried whiting sandwiches – crustless, of course – at swank Club Fèlix. Tucked inside Brisbane’s three-level Naldham House precinct, the Gatsby-esque supper club is ideal for a nightcap after dinner at the downstairs Brasserie.

Image credit: Bar Miette

Bar Miette, Qld

6/13

The Euro-leaning menu at Andrew McConnell’s sweeping terrace bar shifts gears when the sun is high over the Brisbane River and Story Bridge. Produce-driven simplicity shines in whipped cod roe dip, anchovy toast and a mortadella-stacked milk bun with smoked maple syrup. Add a brunch-friendly cocktail like the Campari-based Milano Fizz or segue into a wine list that celebrates small producers.

Image credit: Paloma's / Instagram

Paloma's, ACT

7/13

Tequila is the spirit animal of this spot in Canberra’s Braddon. The citrusy namesake cocktail is joined by multiple Margaritas (the frozen chilli mango version gives upmarket slushy vibes), while the Mexican street food menu continues the feelgood theme with kingfish ceviche in a spicy marinade, corn ribs slathered in chipotle mayo and pork tacos with flamed pineapple.

Image credit: Fú Cocktail & Wine Bar

Fú Cocktail & Wine Bar, SA

8/13

Ever wondered what a Zero Inbox tastes like? This creative North Adelaide venue has the answer in its mix of gin, amaro, umami rice wine and baijiu (a traditional Chinese spirit). Sink into a seat at the gleaming black marble bar for a glass of Italian pét-nat and small plates including a super-flaky pancake with hummus and chilli oil or pan-fried dumplings.

Image credit: Yusuke Oba

Bobbie’s, NSW

9/13

It took superchef Neil Perry 38 years to open his first bar and only a minute to cement its reputation as one of Sydney’s best. A collaboration with Linden Pride of New York’s acclaimed Dante, the glam Double Bay venue will serve your Lychee Martini or Chocolate Old Fashioned on a silver tray and partner it with timeless bites: gildas, oysters and a ham and gruyère toastie.

Image credit: Letra House

Letra House, NSW

10/13

Expand your vinous horizons in a moody CBD basement off a cobblestone laneway. The latest outpost from Sydney’s Love Tilly Group, Letra House pours its 50-strong collection of mostly French and Spanish wines by the glass. Sample lesser-known varieties like the crisp white cortese and bold red monastrel and graze through zippy tapas such as manchego custard-filled doughnuts with Cantabrian anchovy.

Image credit: Beaconsfield Wine Bar / Instagram

Beaconsfield Wine Bar, WA

11/13

A collection of natural wines from Australia and around the globe anchors this breezy Fremantle-adjacent wine bar. The surprise package features an inviting urban beer garden in front of a 1970s-style shopping strip and a changing line-up of notable guest chefs. We can’t tell you what they’ll be cooking but with past luminaries such as Drew Dawson from Off Licence manning the pans, it’s bound to be good.

Image credit: Pearl's Bar

Pearl's Bar, WA

12/13

In the heart of Margaret River wine country, Pearl’s flies the flag for cocktail culture. The bartenders know their way around a Martini (seven of them, to be exact), while other crowd favourites range from the light and citrussy Southside to the brooding and sophisticated Dark Manhattan. Hungry? There’s a great selection of salumi, cheeses and pickled bits and pieces to fuel your spirited adventures.