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Cookie

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A beautiful, eccentric haunt just behind the shop fronts of Swanston Street, this luscious bar has great beer, delicious Thai food and sexy pirate staff!

Editorial


Cookie is a magical escape from the bustling crowds of somewhat tacky Swanston Street. It never ceases to amaze me that one of Melbourne's main thoroughfare has been tarnished with cheapo tourist shops, junk food takeaways and, until recently, a porn cinema. But walk through the doors of Curtin House and up one flight of stairs and all is forgotten.

High vaulted ceilings with heavy chandeliers, dark, heavy wooden furniture, stained-glass windows and eccentric shelving groaning under the weight of so many unusual ephemera - all of this and more makes Cookie an excellent escape from the city outside. It's almost like a timeworn to more glamorous days. The crowd takes in all sorts, but can be more suity on Friday nights. It's not cheap, but it's worth it.

The staff all look like pirates returned form the high seas, and this is good. The place has multiple personalities, with a mishmash of beer hall (ten beers on tap, heaps more in bottles), cocktail lounge (with its own stylish, candlelit area hidden behind the main bar) and Thai restaurant. Seriously. And the food is lush!

One half of the venue is a more dedicated, seated restaurant, while the other half is a more casual affair. There is a long shared table in front of the bar, and plenty of stools to be had to, if you prefer your pirates up close and personal.

Stephen Russell, March 2010

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11 User reviews (add yours)

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Emily
October 02, 2006


Cookie has unfortunately gone very far downhill, swapping a great atmosphere coupled with a wide array of beers and cocktails to move toward pretentious staff who appear to feel it is their duty to make patrons feel uncomfortable...don't dare laugh when a staff member walks past, as you will upset them! Cookie is a great space and should be a wonderfully relaxing and enjoyable bar, unfortunately it is anything but.

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Felicity
November 08, 2006


Eating at Cookie can be a disappointing experience. You might have to wait for over an hour for the meals to arrive. Beware, you might be forced to purchase water for your meal by staff who are quick to remind you that we???re in a drought. Don???t forget to order rice with your meal as it???s not spelled out on the menu that the curries & stir-fries come as is. It seems as though Cookie are trying to shamelessly make money rather than provide a pleasant dining experience.

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Matty
December 06, 2006


Great atmosphere. Very impressive selection of beers and other alcoholic beverages. would highly recommend it.

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Chelsea
December 13, 2006


Last night I arrived straight after work, saved a table which was piled with glasses and then waited in a line for over 15 minutes to order a drink with other frustrated customers. I discovered there were 25+ staff on, that's 25 staff that have no idea how a queue works and how to keep after-work goers happy. Too cool for school and the slowest service I've ever come across. This experience follows last week's event of a cookie manager sitting with his mates and joking about how slack he was!

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Adam
May 19, 2008


I like Cookies and Cream

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Jan C
September 21, 2008


Beautiful venue. Disappointing overpriced food.

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July 02, 2010


Great beer, except Kane disliked the Dunkel and Dave thought the Bees Knees was only 5.5 out of 10.

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Andre Di Cioccio
July 16, 2010


Have to agree with the other reviews... this place has gone downhill... just not the same place it used to be

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taccardo
August 08, 2010


Used to be good. Unprofessional waiting staff and extremely unprofessional bouncers and security have let it down. Used to be a favourite place for thai meal ,enjoyable drinks and good rooftob bar. May consider for lunch meal but after 6.00 I would advise you give tis place a miss

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Nicole
October 23, 2010


One of the worst spots to go in Melbourne. The bouncers at the front are rude. I had a friend say she was rejected entry bc of her race and looks bc she was completely sober and she was wearing the right dress code. I was shocked to hear that considering the place is not even any good. The times I have been, the place is overcrowded and the service is shockingly bad. I stopped going there because It's filled with people that just turned 18yr old and don't know what a good bar is yet.

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Jess
October 23, 2010


Don't go. The place is sticky everywhere, the staff don't clean. The music is extremely loud you can barely talk, even in the booths. The service is slow and the wait is way too long. The food when you finally get it, is oily and not that good. We went at about 8.30pm on a Friday. never again

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