The Croft Institute

Rare to find cocktails priced at $13 anywhere in Melbourne CBD. Two cocktails for $25 in a place of this calibre is worth every penny. Fortunately off the map but definitely worth exploring for anyone new or old to Melbourne.

Intimate at 7pm on a weekday and gets lively on a weekend. Another reminder that Melbourne is equal if not better than East Village NYC.

Really fun experience in Melbourne, with an atypical way of drinking your beverage. Enjoy the weird science themed bar (and the bathrooms)!

Drinks are good and affordable! Hidden in a small street full of different kind of street art, this place is definitely worth to check out

Very intriguing place, especially the walk through the alleys to get there. The bartender is very friendly, outgoing, hospitable and accommodating. The drinks are good too, the syringes are an interesting novelty for sure!

Hidden in a lane, eerie hospital themed bar with a patient bed in the toilet. Definitely a must visit bar in Melbourne. Slot this in your list of bar hopping in Melbourne. Try to go during the weekdays when it is not crowded.

Interesting and quirky place, set down the end of a suspicious looking alleyway which could be off-putting for some. Decent range of drinks, the cocktails of which you get to drink through a syringe, and a nice vibe to the place. I'll visit again now that I know where it is.

Visiting The Croft Institute, you certainly don't feel like your in Melbourne anymore considering that the joint doesn't really 'fit in' to the conventional Melbourne nightlife cliché - it's not trying to.

You walk down the winding Croft Alley in the middle of Chinatown, which has this strange almost dystopic, angsty, neo-noir feel to it while also selling itself as a strange, twisted, version of what Degraves Street could look like if it was located in Dandenong - before arriving at what you'd think could be a dead end, just keep walking. There may be one or two slightly drunk 'alternative' looking characters
walking toward you as you approach the end where the bar is located.

Walking in for the first time, you initially feel this overwhelming feeling of intrigue, as if you have stumbled upon some kind of hidden secret place, as you look around you.

The windows have metal bars on them. Everyone has syringes in their drinks. The décor -couches, weird medical equipment, lights etc is of the type you probably would have found in a doctors surgery/mourge waiting room in the middle of the great depression. In saying all this, at the same time The Croft Institute has quite a low key and relaxed feel to it.

If you decide to use the bathroom, the 'female department of hygiene' has a hospital bed in it as well as hospital style sinks.

There is a gin bar on level 2 where they have music and dancing on Friday and Saturday nights. The cocktails are simplistic while at the same time maintaining a certain level of flamboyance and eccentricity. If you desire a cocktail that isn't 'on the menu' - the friendly staff will be more than happy to try to accommodate you.

Wear whatever you want here, this place attracts people really from all walks of life. This is a great place to start your night before heading off to the nightclubs.

Overall this place is absolutely worth checking out.

Considering that Google Maps doesn't work the best in the city, you may have some trouble finding this place if your not super familiar with Chinatown - but that's really part of the fun and adventure of visiting this great Melbourne bar.

Love the vibe of this bar and the drinks are always fun with friends. Tucked down a few small alleys its well worth the hunt to check Croft out!

Just the right amount of quirky and spooky, great bartender and drinks are of a very decent size for the price.

Great experience! The cocktails are a heap of fun and the music was lively.

This bar is tucked away down some gross and creepy alley ways but the walk is well worth it. The bar itself is beautiful to look at with big glass display cabinets with with medical and science supplies scattered throughout the bar. The bathroom itself is an attraction, with the medical theme continued in the bathrooms. Such a range of cocktails, although a bit expensive they're well worth the price. It can get very busy and difficult to get a seat so try and get there early in the evening. Love this place!

Really friendly staff. I walked up the the poor bar tender and just asked for a 'whatever you feel like making me' he was super knowledgeable and we had a good chat about different aspects of cocktail making. Finally when we were ready to leave we got some awesome local tips for other places to check out while in Melbourne. All in all I can't speak more highly of the staff keep up the good work guys!

Consistently amazing service, extremely knowledgable bar staff and a one of a kind atmosphere. I'd rate it higher if I could

Bartender was great - super friendly and patient while explaining to us the different options and which drinks come with syringes. He presented it in a way that we could quickly choose what we wanted based on what moods we were in. The service is the reason I give a high rating - the venue wasn't bad if you're into uni-style party environments. It feels like the chemistry department are hosting a party in their lab.

Very cool place. Love the gimmick of it. Bartenders are good at what they do and friendly. Not crowded, fun theme, definitely worth the cool walk down the graffiti filled alley alone.

Fantastic little cocktail place, custom made drinks and lovely wait staff. Tricky to find, but I think that adds to the mystique. Highly recommended.
Has places to charge your devices too.

Been here many a times, absolutely great atmosphere, music & the bar staff are amazing at making all sorts of cocktails! I regularly take my out of town friends here. They love it too!

As the legends go, The Croft Institute was once an old hospital, when modern medicine wasn't much like it is today. This hangout takes the mythos and runs with it, keeping as much of its old innards intact as possible; take a quick trip to the toilets and you'll find a small old wing stuck in history. The theme of it all sets the stage for a solid line of experimental drinks and a solid lineup of the "normal" stuff to make everyone happy.

You'll definitely want to have your phone's maps or a friend show you the way in, however; it's at the very deepest point of a very deep and winding laneway. Somehow, The Institute fits so perfectly nestled without a main street to its doorstep; some things are best tucked away out of sight of the day crowd, so the night animals can play freely.

Having just moved from overseas to Melbourne, I was in dire need of a good cocktail or 5. Hidden in the far back of a dead end alley is this gem of a place. Great ambience and music. The bartender (manager I guess) knows his stuff and whipped up an amazing cocktail on the spot. Flavour explosions galore. The decor reminds me a little bit of Silent Hill. If you're not into that sort of stuff, squeeze your blatter and don't go to the bathroom. Superfriendly staff 10/10

I thought it was going to be a little touristy and tacky since it's typically the first bar that gets recommended to visitors to Melbourne. Wasn't either of those things. Sweet beats, talented bar staff, awesome setup. The epitome of Melbourne niche bar culture.

Drinks were great, it is a bit expensive even for Australia but interesting experience. Made some Aussie friends, enjoyed the dj providing music and the ambiance of the street art. Fun locals hangout.