When I come to Melbourne for work, I often stay in a hotel on Flinders St, close to the corner of Elizabeth St. It can be a sad part of town with plenty of homeless and/or disturbed people around. A constant over the 14 or so years that I’ve been coming to Melbourne has been Fifty-Five – a dive bar at – you guessed it – 55 Elizabeth Street.
Descend a set of narrow stairs and you enter a large area that reminds me of Glorious Inner West™ share house living when I was at university in the late 80s. Lumpy couches and sh1tty coffee tables abound. If this was in Sydney I reckon there would . be a couch from a famous Stanmore residence here. Hopefully everything has been steam cleaned.
Fifty-five has always been a reliable source of uniques. Tonight they are serving one of the last Burnley Brewing beers – “Danker IPA”. Made me a little misty. For a tight tap list they cover the range from lager to stout. The fridge has some pretty good cans as well. Not sure if they still do kill the keg.
Later in the evening the DJs get to work, but I’m long gone by then, but it is always open from 4pm Monday to Saturday. Definitely worth a visit.
Fifty-Five: 55 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne Victory
back of the ferry 