The Barber Shop

We've seen bars in record stores, bars in shirt shops and bars in laundromats – why not a bar in a barber shop? The Barber Shop features a functioning barber shop with an attached tavern.

Climb the steps past the barber shop and you'll find yourself in a large room housing an elegant bar covered with white tiles. Tables and chairs sit atop concrete floors and tea light candles flicker through the murky light. There's an outdoor area out back. It's a pleasant spot, made so by dangling plants and funky old stools. And if the laneway looks familiar, that's because it's also home to The Baxter Inn.

To drink, there's a good list of Australian beers and a wine list that's heavy on bottles from South Oz and France. But this being a cocktail bar, you're really here for the outstanding list of spirits and drinks made with them. Gin is a real passion and there are more than 300 to choose from, plus respectable ranges of whisky, rum, tequila and mezcal. They're paired with intriguing ingredients such as basil distillate (i.e. a spirit made from basil); almond oil and snowpea tincture.

The one-page food menu lists olives, oysters, charcuterie, ceviche and most substantially, juniper and red wine lamb chops, to match all that gin.