The Best Bars On The South Bank, Brisbane

Celebrate the sun in the newly refurbished Bacchus pool bar, now christened Soleil Pool Bar and glamorously clad in gold, white and timber. The emphasis is entirely on soaking up the summer at this rooftop pool bar. Customers can tan on the deck or lounge around the main bar while local DJs spin discs and the team of mixologists behind the bar serve up cocktails such as ‘She’s A Daydreamer’ (Belvedere pure vodka, lemon and vanilla syrup, raspberry purée and lemonade fizz over a scoop of vanilla ice cream). With the poolside party lasting from sunrise to sunset, the eventual food cravings can be taken care of by the in-house snacks provided by Bacchus, including pizzas, charcuterie and cheese boards.

Food and drink are given equal star billing at Sangria Bar, and both are served right up until midnight when those cravings start to hit. The namesake drink comes in traditional red and white forms, but you can also progress to blueberry and passion fruit red sangria and the refreshing grapefruit and lychee white sangria. Beer lovers are catered for with Estrella Damm on tap along with nine other Spanish beers. The delectable food menu ranges from the light bites (bocaditos), which features patatas bravas and the recommended Alitas de Pollo (spicy chicken wings and pimiento rojo aioli), to more substantial share plates (raciones) which include gambas con chorizo and Vieras Con Calamres Y Chorizo (pan-fried scallop, squid, chorizo and lemon). Once you’ve stuffed your face and your mouth is on fire, stoke the flames by taking to the dancefloor when the venue transitions into a small Latin dance venue on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

Hop and Pickle call their style ‘Hop Culture’, signalling their brazen mission to remind Brisbane’s South Bank what the heart and soul of a truly great pub should be. Certainly, they’ve attempted this quest with aplomb in their Little Stanley Street nook that retains the feel of your local. Craft beer is served on tap, and on Saturdays Hop and Pickle pay homage to the ‘Pub Classics’. Expect plenty of parmas, bangers and mash and greasy sliders. Sundays are roast lunch days, and the regular bar nibbles menu is quite daring, try the braised octopus with romesco sauce or the Asian glazed pork belly with cucumber relish.

Hoo Ha Bar doesn’t need to be told it’s cool, it just is by sheer virtue of its unpretentiousness and refusal to conform to mass appeal. Situated off the main tourist throng on Tribune Street, Hoo Ha is an authentic local hangout, but friendly and relaxed enough to cater for newcomers. Four craft brews are constantly rotating on tap, such as the current Brewcult ‘Buggin Out’ Black IPA and Croft Biscuit Brown. Playfulness is also abundant in Hoo Ha’s cocktail menu which is onomatopoeia-themed. You’ll be exclaiming ZING! at the concoction of Hayman’s gin, lychee, fresh coriander, lime juice and sparkling wine.