Franklin’s Bar

With upbeat tunes resonating in the lofty ceilings and a buzzy local vibe, it’s easy to feel at home at Franklin’s, a neighbourhood bar from the team behind Eydie’s. In this converted warehouse (formerly home to Trumpy Bar) you’ll find some of High Street’s best cocktails and smashable pizzas late into the night.

Its cocktails use native ingredients wherever possible (most of which come from Melbourne Bushfood), and make heroes of Australian spirits. You might try the zingy crowd favourite Franklin’s Spritz, which mixes Australian-made vodka with lemon myrtle sherbet, grapefruit, and Strangelove’s mandarin soda. Or the bittersweet Plum Boulevard, which marries The Gospel’s Solera Rye whiskey with Dolin Rouge Vermouth, Davo Plum Aperitivo, tart Davidson’s plum and orange.

The concise list of beers and whiskies broadly represents the current market, without shining a light in every far-flung corner. On tap, you’ll find rotating brews from mostly Victorian breweries including Burnley Brewing, Co-Conspirators, Wolf of the Willows and Stomping Ground, as well as up to 30 different whiskies on the shelves.

The wines mostly come from local winemaker Rewine, but French bottles of Taittinger champagne and Fabien Jouves skin contact might get a look-in, too. Unusually for the area, Franklin’s has a 3am licence, so there’s plenty of time to explore the selection.

The same goes for the pizzas, which are available until close and use ciabatta dough from Billy Cart Bread Co (just around the corner in Psarakos Market). The menu calls in blistery classics like margherita, capricciosa and pepperoni, and offers meat-free options that might be topped with mushroom or roasted pumpkin and rocket.

To complement the late trading hours, Franklin’s is also a hotspot for DJs spinning everything from afrobeat to ’80s Japanese synth-pop. There’s also a cosy beer garden to soak up the last of the day’s rays, or a late-night happy hour if you’re settling in for the long haul.