X & Y Bar

The staff at this new version of XY2 are fucking awesome. Definitely recommend their Sunday kickons. Nothing like going to a bar and NOT having to fight through an impossibly long line just to get a drink. Friendly and kinda cosy.
Sundays is for chilling out with ur friends and getting decent service from the bar and In that respect they tick all the boxes. So 5 stars

Being from interstate and looking for a bar similar to Melbourne’s finest I found this bar hitting right home.
It’s a great little place — Good music, Good drinks cocktails and a easy going crowd and it’s a nice cozy place. Great place to start the night or if you just want a chilled vibe to knock back a few after a busy week. It does get a little quieter after 11:30−12.
Also fairly relaxed with dress code (guys best to have a shirt tho) but not the usual 18 – 25 year old place like elsewhere in the valley so I like it a lot.

I can’t help but put in my two cents worth here. I’ll put in one good point and one bad point and summarise.
The Good Point.
X & Y is free to get into, and they have some seriously good bands playing of a weeknight and weekend. It’s a reliably good spot to catch a band.
The Bad Point.
X & Y is awful to look at. It’s got fake graffiti everywhere, tacky blue and red neon lighting and big circular holes in the wall that sometimes have fish in them, and others times don’t.
Summary.
Ignore the setting and go there for the great local music.

Whenever I go to X and Y bar I can never know if I’m about to have a great night, or the worst night ever.
My favourite thing about this place is that it’s free to enter, the bouncers are friendly, and the cocktails are (or were) delicious. There are two separate bars in X and Y: the bar upstairs where you can buy your basics (beers, spirits, etc) and the bar downstairs where all of the cocktail bar staff are stationed.
I came here for my 19^th birthday and told the barman I wanted something that was refreshing and had lychees in it. What he concocted was the most delicious cocktail I’d ever had.
But when I went to X and Y on New Years Eve 2011, I was incredibly disappointed. Still on a high from the mojito I’d just ordered from Kerbside, I ordered the same at the cocktail bar at X and Y. But they’d run out of mint. The barman assured me this wasn’t a problem though – he’d make me something similar using passionfruit and it would be amazing.
Long story short, it was the most awful cocktail I’d ever had and my incredibly wasted friend ended up doing me a favour and downing it before count down. Overall, it was a pretty underwhelming new years, and the highlight of my night at X and Y was staring at the tropical fish in the girl’s toilets and watching the bar staff thrusting at each other twenty minutes after they’d realised it had clocked over to 2012.

I went to X&Y to see a gig. For small, intimate shows, this venue is pretty great. The sound was good, however the bands I saw were just vocalists and guitars. I’m not sure how drums would sound in this small space. I’m sure it would be loud!
$ 8 for basic vodka was a bit of a rip, but maybe this is average for all bars in the Valley these days.
I only stayed in the upstairs bar for the gig, however there were lots of dressed up, high-​heeled girls stomping their way downstairs, and it got pretty busy and loud closer to midnight.
There is lots of cute little seating in the upstairs bar, overall this is a nice venue.
Back in mid-​2011 I did come to X&Y early on a Friday afternoon after work and I liked the downstairs bar. The music was only quiet, so it was a great bar for conversations and catch ups.

It’s interesting to listen to people about what they think of X and Y. Lots of people love it and would go there every weekend and others have no interest or aren’t fussed enough to go back. It’s a pretty expensive bar as basics aren’t cheap. I’d advise drinking beers simply because of the price difference from spirits to a simple lager.
Having two different levels is the biggest draw card for X and Y in my books, downstairs is literally like walking into a completely different planet, away from the hectic vibe of the street at peak time in the Valley there is some serious fun to be had in this out of the way bar.
If there is a DJ who at least knows what he or she is doing then expect the dance floor to be full, you can see it from the street through the windows, which is pretty cool. But give this place a go, it won’t be full of dickheads or anyone wanting to start a fight, just people who are looking to have a good night out. There is no cover charge either so take full advantage of that.

X and Y is just not my kind of place but I have given it a few gos anyway. I find it pretentious, over crowded and noisy. It just has this whole «trying to look cool» vibe that does not mix well with me.
I first went to this place when it first opened, coming from a girl who does not like waiting in line, I thought I’d just go since I had herd a few people say good things about it. The place was packed, loud and it was hard to get from one end to the other. The music was alright, mainly the popular alternative stuff that is going around.
Since my first experience, I have noticed more things I did not like about it — the fake graffiti on the walls, posters and weird traffic signs decorations just look like this place is trying too hard to look «grungy». I would rather go to a bar that is actually old and has real graffiti on walls than this bar, at least it would be authentic.
Sorry guys but X and Y is just not the place for me. There are obviously people who love this place so I guess the best thing to do would be to check it out and make your own evaluations.

Going out on a Thursday night can be tricky and can be really good if you choose the venue well. The problem with going out on a Thursday night is that everything is usually empty and you feel weird being the only group in a big club. X & Y was to my surprise quite the opposite situation and it was full on a Thursday night.
X & Y was quite different than what we expected it to be though. The music was more emo/​punk than any thing else and it went all night long. The crowd was therefore also different than what we expected and I did feel a bit out of place with jeans and a polo shirt on and because my hair was not blue and im not covered in tattoos I stuck out strangely enough.
All this did not matter though and we did still have quite a good night, this could possibly be due to the 5 dollar cider pints all night which is great because no where else does cider deals! I do like the lay out of the place and the fact that you don’t have to leave the whole club to go for a smoke. The staff were also really good and because of the huge bar drinks came quickly.
I will definitely go back and see what its like on the weekend too because i hear good things and it looks like it could be a good night.

X and Y lives and breathes cool. And I don’t just mean cool as in pretty awesome, the whole place has a chilled out, laid back vibe accentuated through its ambience, lights, and design. Walking in, the place is illuminated by neon lights that cast spellbinding shadows across the dark walls and floors. You can head straight for the bar to grab a drink, wander to your right and dance to whatever tunes the DJ is kind enough to play, collapse in one of the lounges hidden behind grille walls, or mosey on outside to chat to your friends in the smoking area. X and Y is really quite laid back and you can choose whether you want to be a dancing queen or chill on the lounges and glare at everyone.
Downstairs, another bar awaits you with a casual lounge area and a tiny dance floor. When I’ve gone, we’ve always been lucky enough to convince the DJ to play us some Beatles and Beach Boys while the heavier beats rage on upstairs. Whether I’m up for a bit of a dance or to hang out with friends in a chilled atmosphere, X and Y always provides a great stop along the way of a Saturday night. Here you’ll always run into someone you know and if you take advantage of all it has to offer, you’ll rarely have a bad time.
Keep your eyes and ears peeled for gigs, live music, and opportunities to book it for a function.

I first went to X & Y on Friday night for a private function in the downstairs bar and I was quite impressed. The bar seems intimate with is couches and small stage but don’t be fooled. It has a sizable cocktail bar downstairs, and the smoking area outside is in a funky cube with nice graffiti on the walls. There is also a fish tank in the bathroom.
The bar staff were very nice (even turning down the music at the start of the night so we could all talk more easily at the party) and knew how to whip up some nice drinks. One bonus here is that they still serve a Vodka redbulls with the whole can of redbull, unlike other places which give you a third of the can. And when I tipped the bartender he was so thankful and when I tried to tip him again later in the night he flat out refused to take it from «such a lovely girl» :-)

I found X & Y Bar one night when my brother’s band played there. What a surprise! As a long term Valley visitor I can’t even remember what used to be there, which either means X & Y has done a great job of settling in, or my memory is going. I’m hoping it’s the former.
What I love best about this place is its size. It’s small and intimate and not full of idiots (The Bank, I’m looking at you). It also is one of Brisbane’s new crop of flourishing small venues that are supporting live, local bands who have been pushed out of their previous homes at the Empire and Rics Bar. As a fan of live music I’m very grateful to these places as they are the front line of the battle to stop the Valley becoming one big giant teen club.
The bar staff are also a plus, they’ve obviously been hired for more than just good looks, so feel free to ask them for something obscure.
Cool, funky décor and a wee smoking cube out the back round off this venue for me. Definitely worth a visit.

I was wandering aimlessly along Ann Street in Fortitude Valley one night when I decided on an impulse to go into a small nightclub. I’m now glad that I did.
X & Y Bar is one of my favourite night spots to visit now, and I always start a big night there, regardless of who I’m with. On a Thursday night, it is a great place to check out local bands, and it’s worth looking at the specials board and experimenting with a new spirit if you’re feeling adventurous.
X & Y also has a smoking area out the back, as well as an atm opposite the toilets. It’s a good place to go with a large group of friends, or if you’re brave enough to hit Brisbane’s nightlife scene alone, don’t miss it. They have a cocktail bar downstairs with a different DJ and plenty of seating. X & Y is definitely a place to check out, and a great place for those who have never experienced Brisbane’s nightlife before. Their staff are friendly and know their alcohol, and are capable of understanding you after eight or nine drinks, when your speech is horribly slurred.
One thing to watch out for at X & Y, though, is the fact that the floors are all concrete — so long as you stay standing, you’ll be fine.