The Croft Institute - Melbourne

Melbourne's lanes are famous, but they can be a bit daunting, even for locals. Croft Alley runs off Paynes Place in Chinatown. The alley is covered in graffiti but the trek is worth it. The Croft Institute is a lot of fun, its atmosphere is a bit medical and you can have your cocktail through a syringe. The cocktails are imaginative, diverse and are extremely flavourful. The Croft Institute is said to be the first of the new wave of lane-way bars. The Croft Institute also has discos on Friday and Saturday night which go until the early hours of the morning. The cocktails help make the Croft Institute a memorable experience, but you can also have beer. Cocktails are never cheap but if you don't try them, you'll never experience the Croft Institute's specialities. I enjoyed my visit, I had a few cocktails, it wasn't a busy night and the staff were friendly.

A must find if visiting Melbourne. I've never seen another bar or bar menu quite like this one! Meander through the colourful laneways until you find yourself here and whatever you do do NOT forget to check out the bathroom! If you're into science, Halloween or things like American Horror Story you have to visit The Croft Institute. Also, the bartender we had was lovely and had great conversation skills! One of our best nights in Melbourne by far!

Don't let the shady alleyway put you off. Quirky bar that is like a science lab. Bar staff are laid back and happy to have a chat.

I really liked the idea behind this bar and had heard about it so we decided to head there one night, the drinks were fairly expensive and nothing special to be honest, service was slow as it was busy as well

I was on a girls trip in Melbourne and we were looking for something new and a bit different, we saw that the Croft Institue was an old Mental hospital which was now designed into a bar. On arrival I had a great interaction with the man on the door who himself was from Brisbane, once I got to the bar with my Mum I was facinated with the alcohol and the interior design of the bar, I took a picture on my Iphone and I had a bar tender get very angry and accuse me of taking a photograph of himself, as it may have looked like it but the photo I took didn't capture him as he thought. As we proceeded to buy a drink he was very hostile and rude and made us both feel really uncomfortable and said that if I wasn't careful I would be removed from the bar. I was so shocked and it put a real downer on the vibe I had, after I had just previously had a great conversation with the security guard at the front. I wouldn't return here or recommend to any of my friends as the service I received was extremely poor