Lenin

I used to be so completely confused by what this bar was called; this was usually because of a combination of very late nights and alcoholic beverages. If you’re perceptive enough to look under the Russian signage for AEHNH it is clearly translated to Lenin. I was not. Instead I had the very vague description of «that-​cool-​velvety-​one-​by-​the-​inbetweeny-​Mexican-​place-​on-​the-​Waterfront».
It has a nice wide courtyard to enjoy the last of the summer sun with a Long Island Iced Tea or a small dance floor if you’re there later in the evening. The central circular bar is very eye-​catching, encompassing a mound of predominantly vodka based spirits. It can feel even more like Russia by looking through an aquarium-​esque window to the neighbouring ice bar. Just like any other Waterfront bar, it will be crowded on Fridays and Saturdays, and don’t expect to get in with sneakers.

Lenin was one of the top viaduct bars a few years ago, and still has quite a bit going for it with a mix of outdoor seating, indoor seating areas, lots of kinds of vodka shots and a decent dancefloor. It’s just a bit of a young crowd for my liking, and I feel they need to up their game with some more points of difference if they want to charge a $ 15 cover charge when so many other excellent viaduct bars are free.
I would still go back for some tasty vodka shots and concotions, but only as a last resort.

To be honest my sole excitement at the promise of going to Lenin on a Friday Night was the thought that maybe just maybe there might be russian hats involved. You know the type; those little fluffy ones that look like a dead animal perched on top of a russian guys head made for the sole purpose of keeping him warm while hes necking copious amounts of Vodka straight, like a badass. Yes I just basically reiterated every common generalisation I know about the ruski’s.
Well I was right on about the vodka part at least, sadly no russian hats. Though I did steal someones sailor’s hat but it wasnt quite the same. The drink selection here is pretty standard fare for inner city bars.
The night my friends and I went it was absolutely packed, there was only just enough room to sway appropriately, I couldn’t even do the sprinkler. Most of the times I have been here its been a pretty young crowd keen to get out on the dancefloor but this can also lead to aggro from the young males of the species marking their territory, so make sure your not doing the moonwalk all up in other peoples personal space, okay?
If you get tired of the scene inside you can head out to the outdoor seating area which is pretty nice on a balmy summers evening.

Lenin Bar is a nice bar to have a few beverages; however, I’ve only ever been here for after work drinks so I feel as though I haven’t experienced the place at its peak. They have the normal drinks you would expect from a viaduct bar (at similar prices), with quite a few decent cocktail options.
The interior of the place is nice, dominated by the large bar in the centre. The outdoor setting is the best though, with long tables for you to chill out in the summer, and in the winter months they crank the heaters for the ladies who prefer to wear rather revealing attire. If you decide to go here early in the evening, or when town is quiet, this bar will sometimes offer you the first couple of drinks at a special price.

«Lenin,» said my friend.
«What?» I asked.
«Lenin,» she repeated.
«Like the Communist guy?» I asked, bemused.
«Yeah, it’s a Russian-​Communist themed bar,» she answered.
«Erm…Right. OK…»
And yet once you get past the novelty of the Red Square (geddit?) hovering above the dancefloor and the portrait of the eponymous Russian Premier hanging proudly on the wall, there is nothing particularly Soviet-​like about the place. Yes, they have a wide range of vodka (the exotic mixes of flavoured Absolut are stacked behind the bar just waiting to be tried: Cherry, Pear, Mandarin!) as one would expect from a Russian theme bar, but other than that, the connotation is pretty lose at best. There’s nothing that really separates it from any of the other bars in the Viaduct: standard electro-​house music, relatively expensive drinks and a $ 15 cover charge on a Friday night. It’s not bad, you get a young, trendy crowd in there that are all obviously out to have a good time, it’s just nothing out of the ordinary.