The Bottom End – OLD

It’s been a while since I had the pleasure of travelling back through the states and every now and again I truly miss a dining experience that is akin to playing coronary Russian roulette with each mouthful. When those cravings strike this is one of the places that I go.
Unfortunately the place seems a little confused. There’s a full bar that will happily serve shots but also has $ 1,000 bottles of Champagne out, with a diner-​esque menu and then a little later it turns into a nightclub. I’m sure for many people this may be considered perfect but I found myself getting diner’s whiplash!
This being said they do have mouth watering dishes that are not too far astray from what you would find in North Eastern USA, even down to the cheese-​wizz on the Philly Cheesesteak!
Wash everything down with a couple of Samuel Adams’ and you’ll feel like you’ve travelled 20,000 miles (have a couple more and you may wake up the next morning believing you actually have!

This is my personal favourite burger place in Melbourne. The burger patty’s are infused with cheese… enough said.

Great/​cool bar staff (especially Kate, who take very good care of our crew of 12+ folks), good ambiance, strong Bloody Marys with a good variety, and a decent DJ who kept drawing us back to the dance floor. Good french fries. Should’ve been a 4 at least.
So what’s the problem? Well, other than the bizarre reflective toilet troughs, lack of towels, some appetizers are a little small (fries ftw, anything else is iffy) which are minor complaints, the big one is the bouncers, who pretty much ruined the evening and killed the fun. I respect folks doing their job, but when they threaten to throw you out for being *loud* at 9:30pm on a Friday night at a club playing dance music? While I can understand the place was pretty dead by that point, that’s just another negative. No return visits for us, it could have all been settled if they’d simply politely asked rather than being jerks about it.

OMG. how did it take me so long to find out about The Bottom End? I almost don’t want to write a good review because I don’t want more people to go there. they already sell out of some of the burgers as it is.
Kind of like American diner food but better. Has the vibe of the Lounge Upstairs back when it used to be good.

Here’s the deal
The food — interesting — sometimes good
The service — absolute SHITE
The atmosphere — fairly cool
So, go I guess but don’t expect to get your food forevz but it will at least be interesting to look at and might be good to eat. Nothing too memborable though.

Was very excited to dine to here after reading great reviews. Shouldn’t have been.
After arriving at 7.30pm I was worried it wasn’t opened. However they were — just no customers (warning sign #1).
After a quick look at the menu and ordering the «cheap» wine ($ 25) was a little surprised to find the bottle with s huge «cheap» label. (warning sign #2) ?!?
The bath rooms are dirty and I now feel the need to shower after using them. (warning sign #3).
Service — none. Staff were too busy talking to their mates to bother. No welcome. No interest.
I ordered the sort shell crab burger. wish I didn’t. The «crab» was heavily crumbed and deep fried for at least a week or so. Whilst I’m fairly sure it was crab it could well have been onion or tofu.
I have not written s bad review on Unilocal — but now I have.
I would not recommend this place at all.

Recently started going to The Bottom End for the Saturday Night Poof Doof Parties. Such a great crowd and music and sexy bartenders but the venue really steals the show. There are fish tanks in the walls!!! FISH TANKS IN THE WALLS! Über classy for a party that goes on until the sun comes up. Drinks up here are reasonably priced and there is a stripper pole on the podium on the dancefloor. Will be back most saturdays if even just to tie a few more drinks on before bed.

I came here for the Melbourne scout par-​tay and I definitely will be back.
Atmosphere: One thing I really like about The Bottom End is that it’s large. This is fairly surprising because in Melbourne, especially in the CBD, things tend to be a little more cramped and cosy. The Bottom End almost has an entirely different style compared to other spots in Melbourne. However, this isn’t even necessarily a bad thing — the large setting makes it great for bigger groups and you don’t even need to shout over anyone nearby to talk.
Food: Their chips are delicious. Fellow Unilocaler Kate D. witnessed my shameless pigging out on them. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, great with their dipping sauce (I think it was Thousand Island? Not sure, but it tasted awfully similar).
—
I had a great time at The Bottom End and I look forward to my next visit.

I was thrilled to discover a new pub (or pub /​diner /​bar /​whatever) was opening down Spencer Street way. As much as I’ve grown to love Saint & Rogue, it’s a bit embarrassing when half the bar staff know you by name.
It was pretty late on a Friday evening when I first staggered in to The Bottom End, but hearing Paul Simon’s ’50 Ways to Leave Your Lover’ being blasted like nobody’s business instantly gave me a second wind. Yep, adult contemporary music from the 80’s is what excites me these days.
The venue itself is dark, but packed full of interesting bits and pieces to look at. I was delighted to see the few patrons still out at that late hour were ripping up the dance floor to the songs of heartache, but I’d had a pretty big night so settled into one of the diner booths. We only had a couple of rounds before home time, but I really enjoyed the crazy-​tacky ambience of the place. It’s in part a homage to British pubs, but with a younger sense of humor. I’ll definitely be back again, hopefully with a bit of dance in my shoes next time.

I’d seen The Bottom End advertised as being open from 4pm on Sundays, so dragged a friend all the way down to the business district on a windy afternoon for a beer and burger to check out this new-​ish diner pub run by the owners of Sorry Grandma. Once we got there, though, the doors were shut — despite the opening times painted on the outside of the building confirming that it’s open FROM 4PM ON SUNDAYS. Nice one, guys. A paper menu on the door advertised different opening hours that didn’t include Sundays, so I guess they changed the hours since opening. Can’t say we were in the best mood after that. The lesson here is: don’t go to The Bottom End on Sundays. It’s not open.

Walking in to this brand new Melbourne venue, it is instantly evident that this is place is going to be popular. Hinting towards a similar décor as it’s sister venue Sorry Grandma and previously Honky Tonks there are odd classical styled paintings hung randomly about the place, red and white gingham picnic type booths and two very large fully stocked bars.
The Bottom End pride themselves on their impressive cocktail list, there is a huge range of cleverly named drinks such as The Boston Tea Party, Tropic Thunder and even a Lindsay Lohan! There is a good wine list as well and being quite a large venue (bigger than I expected) it is great for either some after work cocktails, or a big night out on the weekend.

It was with quite some excitement that I announced to a — very camp — friend visiting Melbourne from New Zealand to star in a play as a 12 year old refugee child that the first stop on our Melbourne bar itinerary was called ‘The Bottom End.’
Much guffawing later we arrived at a bar that can only be described as a cross between the diner from that short-​lived — but much loved round my way — Roswell show and Joan Rivers’ East Side Duplex with a couple of questionable portraits of stars like John Travolta thrown in for good measure.
As others have noted, The Bottom End is capacious. Capacious and weirdly, kind of seedily baroque. There’s the bar on the left all pendulous fifties lights, low ceilings and pleather upholstered booth style seating and then the bar on the right, all brightly coloured gingham seating and odd ornate opulence.
The drinks list is unusual. Taking in cocktail favourites such as espresso martinis, as well as odd beer/​tequila concoctions with spiffy names that you just know are going to leave you in the gutter. An unusual beast, The Bottom End is worth a look to see if it’s your thing. Me? I’d rather hang out with Joan Rivers at the Roswell diner.

This is literally Melbourne’s newest addition of odd bod décor bar, diner and disco club. The Bottom End opened just 7 weeks ago to a welcoming public, keen to check out it’s not-​so-​cheap American diner menu, smooth soul sounds, vast array of cocktails and gaudy dark interior.
And the gaudy dark interior really does deserve a mention. As I walked in there one sunny Friday afternoon, it took about two verses into Sam Cooke’s song ‘Chain Gang’ playing on the sound system, for me to adjust to the low light levels. Oh and it took me just as long to go to the toilet the first time too — you will understand when you go yourself, trust me.
The drinks here — which can be purchased from either of the two, yes two bars — are pretty expensive. They don’t do pints or pots, only schooners, which they sell at pint prices. Most cocktails are around the $ 18 mark too. But if you are looking for a good deal, then they have happy hours between 4pm-​6pm every day, where you can get a schooner of beer and a small plate of (stodgy) bar snacks. for $ 7.00
All in all The Bottom End is definitely a place to check out, if only for its interesting interior. And I suspect that the ‘disco’ on Saturday nights may be worth a go. Whether you think it a place to frequent every Friday after work finishes up for the week, will entirely depend on how much you actually like tacky. old school Americana, with a pinch of soul.

Look, I’ll admit, the first time I went to Bottom End I may or may not have got a bit boozed. I blame the fact that you can buy an entire litre of beer in one jug. I also blame the fact that I had more than one of those (I was sharing them, guys!) Besides this, I do recall having a fabulous time.
The menu is… a heart attack waiting to happen. Cheese balls and greasy fries and buffalo wings. Oh my! And all very reasonably priced under $ 20.
But unfortunately, I’m just not sure if Melbourne is the right place for Bottom End. It’s a gorgeous venue, but Just. So. Big. We are a town that loves a small, secret bar and The Bottom End is the complete opposite.
It was also a bit unsettling that there were twice as many staff members than customers… I do recommend you go in and check it out though — the interior is incredible, and the staff definitely know what they’re doing.