Goldilocks Bar

I came across this place by chance. But boy, am I glad that I found it! Located on the fourth floor of a nondescript building on Swanston Street, with only a small sign on the ground level pointing up, this spot has a rooftop bar paired with a great view of the Melbourne skyline.
I dropped in on a Sunday afternoon and it was buzzing! I’m glad I came when I did because within half an hour, every seat was taken, and the waitstaff had to turn people away. Speaking of which, the staff are super friendly and know their stuff. On arriving, I was seated at the bar and a glass of water brought up while I perused the menu. Oddly enough, sunscreen was also provided given the sunny day. I opted out of this amenity however looking at the sunburn on my leg that was in the sun, I should’ve taken it. My bad.
The Hills Pear Cider from South Australia– crisp and refreshing, just how I like it. Soft Shell Crab Tortilla– while fresh and filling, was a little on the bland side of the flavour scale.
All in all, a good experience.

Goldilocks is super-​cute. I go here from time to time because I like to eat at Gong de Lin (the vegetarian restaurant in the same building) and it’s a handy place to stop for a drink pre– or post-​dinner. The highlight of Goldilocks is, of course, its rooftop bar, which is adorable with its astroturf grass and big oak barrels to put your drinks on. It’s got a great view as well, although it’s a narrow space so it’s not really a panoramic view like Rooftop Bar. It’s somewhat hidden, and the whole «hidden bar» thing is trendy in Melbourne these days — you go into a random dumpling restaurant on Swanston St and take the elevator up to the top floor.
Goldilock’s downstairs bar is also nice, although it’s a bit more on the «let’s try to look elegant» side with dark marble tile floors, dark walls, and fancy lighting fixtures.
I’ve had a couple of their cocktails. Tasty but overpriced. Would probably recommend sticking with beer, wine or cider.
The main reason I’m down-​voting this place is because the service was TERRIBLE. The bartenders were all self-​important hipster guys who kept giving my friends grief about random things. Any time any of my friends were standing next to the table talking, the bartenders told them they had to sit down because the rooftop is «sitting only, no standing allowed.» (Whuttttt.) And one of my friends wanted to pull a spare chair up to our table and the bartender told him he wasn’t allowed to. It was just quite strange. I realize they have a small space up there on the rooftop and they need to keep paths clear for fire hazard codes and stuff like that, but no standing at all?!?
So, yeah, I’d say if you want to go to the rooftop, go with only 1 or 2 other people, possibly 3. If you have any more than that in your group, I’d suggest going elsewhere for your rooftop bar fix.

The coolest rooftop bar I’ve come across — you take the lift from the nondescript foyer (currently nestled between chinese restaurants serving peking duck and dumplings) and enter this whole new world. They have cool booths swathed in black curtains, the wallpaper looks like its been lifted straight out of a Hans Christien Anderson novel and the sommelier/​bar manager is strikingly identical to Jesse Eisenberg but with a Welsh (?) accent.
Their drink menus are leather bound in black — like a story book — and their cocktails magically named and super amazing. Climb another 2 flights of stairs and you’re granted a great view of Melbourne as you enter their rooftop bar. Its small, cramped but the atmosphere is entrancing.

The word is well and truly out on Goldilocks. What was once a hidden, secret little cocktail lounge and rooftop bar has now become a hot spot for those wishing to soak in a little sunshine and sip on a nice glass of wine. With a far more upper market feel than the neighbouring rooftop cinema bar, goldilocks has very limited capacity. The secret elevator entrance through a noodle shop on Swanston st does little to stop the crowds. I can hardly blame them though with an atmosphere this good.
If you stay on the inside level you will be treated with a nice selection of cocktails and whisky. There is a amazing cheese platter that is well worth investigating too. It’s the rooftop bar that truly shines above all else though. While not boasting as good a view as rooftop cinema, goldilocks is intimate and has table service. If you have two people it can be romantic and cool for a date. Four people can be handled with a private table to share. Any more in your group and you may be ushered away though as this bar is pretty small. We have managed a group of 8 before and it was not very comfortable. I love goldilocks. Can’t wait to spend more sunny summer days up on her rooftop.

This place has some serious issues. We arrive here with 6 people. We them see some people that we know and they take a seat next to us. We are advised if we are a party larger than 6 people we will need to leave — because we are too big a group! WTF this is ridiculous! We were about to spend at least $ 500 at this place. So we got up and left. Never go here — in today’s economy they are happy to be turning away money! Go figure

The rooftop is a great place to head for a drink and some snacks with friends, with lovely views and an unpretentious atmosphere. Each time I’ve visited, I have been pleasantly surprised to find plenty of seats available and warm, friendly service. A lovely change from the other overcrowded rooftops found close by.

I am a fan. This place is cool, its classy & the bartenders know their stuff! I’ve been twice now, first time was at night & Sat in the booths ordering drink after drink of tasty goodness but for me that night the stand out was the sweet tato fries, can’t go past good sweet tato fries! I remember thinking ouch when the bill came but on sober recollection we drank a lot of fancy cocktails so the bill was very warranted.
My next visit was a stunning Melbourne day & up to the rooftop we headed. We sat, we were waited on, we sipped delecious espresso martinis. Our waiter was a beautiful man with a bubbly personality & for me he really made my experience a fantastic one.

You gots to be somewhat in the know to stumble upon Goldilocks. There’s a small sign out the front but peering in the door you might think it’s a noodle bar. You have to enter the restaurant, veer left, dodge the noodle bar food storage vats, and enter the lift before you feel confident you’re in the right place. Ah Melbourne, where it’s uncool for potential patrons to easy find you, you got to love it.
Once out the lift you’re greeted by a stylish looking small cocktail bar with comfy booths and a few tables. There’s some cool wooden bear head decorations on the wall to tie into the name theme. Problem was on the Sunday afternoon when we dropped by — there was no one in there. No customers, no staff. Was it even open?
Exploring further we found the steps down the back and headed upstairs to the rooftop beer garden, complete with fake turf, where all the action was. T’was a typical Melbourne day with sunny bursts fighting with rainy spells to dominate the day, but that didn’t deter those few (mostly canoodling couples) who were up there enjoying a nice Sunday bevvy, just a door or so down from the higher (and much busier) Curtain house rooftop bar.
Staff were all very friendly, and drinks all top notch stuff, with some curious little food treats. Will have to return at a busier time to see what the vibe is like, but even when quiet Goldilocks is a cool little find to add to the rooftop options coming into Summer.

This is just one of the cutest little themed bars, booths for intimate gatherings and rooftop bar for fun with friends.

What a cute little rooftop bar, pretty busy so probably better to get there earlier than 630 to secure a spot. Interesting cocktail list too.

The décor was really great, sort of a speakeasy feel to it. Great music– I enjoyed the scene overall. We told the server our ingredient likes and dislikes for our drink, but I wasn’t too crazy about the cocktail that was made for me.

Über cool, or is saying that no longer cool ?? Sophisticated place to take a date but I’ve only been there with friends. Cocktails are delicious but you pay for delicious. Bar staff are professional and helpful. More importantly they have booth’s! I love a good booth. It’s also very goldilocks like. You enter from swanston street via Noodle Kingdon. Yes really. Get in the lift and go up. The roof top is great too. Plus it was open on a Monday night. Bonus.

Like everything thing cool in Melbourne this isn’t any normal bar. I mean you have to walk into Asian restaurant, and find the rather dodge looking elevator in the corner. You take the elevator to the top level, where the opposite end of the elevator opens into a dimly lit space with lots of booths.
The staff are always on top of everything and trying to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. They have an awesome knowledge and are really good at making drinks to suit your mood. Table service definitely highlights good/​bad table service and I have always thought of them on the good side. It feels really intermit in booths and just sets are great environment to relax!
Well let’s make it easy, and compare goldilocks rooftop to its neighbours rooftop. It’s is smaller than rooftop, it doesn’t show movies in summer, it’s view is comparable but different and probably not quite as good. So what makes goldilocks good, rooftop can’t compete with the service that you get at goldilocks. It’s far more intermit and the cocktails they make would be up there with some of the best. So next time you have a group of friends and you’re heading to rooftop maybe try goldilocks for a change of pace.

Stopped by Goldilocks after drinking at Curtin House Rooftop and looking down … thinking that place looks interesting.
So we went exploring, how to find that elusive rooftop. Initially we thought it was Furdyduke but alas no rooftop bar (although appearing in Melbourne’s Rooftop Bar Guide).
Then we saw an obscure little backlit sign for Goldilocks … One lift, sub bar and flight of stairs later we found what we were looking for.
It was a quiet Saturday afternoon, but Mojitos and food were definitely quality. Will be back for sure.
…
Still eating, this time tempura zucchini flowers, but the review is for another time.

Headed out for a casual drink last night. With the pleasant weather we thought we would head to Goldilocks rooftop. Been here a few times, pre-​yelpping, and I was quite looking forward to indulging in one of their cocktails on the roof.
Goldilocks really provides 2 bars in one. The warm wintery den with lots of individual separate sections for intimate gathering, some with leather couches, some booths and other with marble tables and wooden chairs. In contrast the rooftop is a bit funkier more casual rooftop upstairs. The décor is great and the designers have though out all the details of this place including a growing plants on the rooftop which is a great use of space.
So you’re probably thinking why the 2 stars? Well the service I received last night was anything but outstanding. I don’t like to give places bad reviews but this was out of order. The bar tenders clearly didn’t want any other customers and were rude to us from when we set foot onto the rooftop, even though it was an hour before the rooftop was due to shut. I will say this was in contrast to the ladies working at the main bar downstairs who were very welcoming.
We ordered our drinks, a little disappointed that I couldn’t have the special that they had on downstairs, (whisky with chocolate and hazelnut) but not to worry.
The bill before we’d finished and whisked away my cocktail even though it wasn’t finished without asking.
When he came back I let him know and without even an apology he went to the bar, fished out the rosemary sprigs that I had seen him put into my glass and bought my glass back to me.
If I hadn’t been here before I probably wouldn’t go back. It is a nice spot with a good range of beverages and I don’t expect that kind of service especially when you’re paying $ 20 per drink. Definitely not the way to get return business.

The most irritating rooftop bar in Melbourne. Sometimes they do table service, sometimes they don’t. They never seem to have all the drinks listed in the menu actually available. They can’t use the umbrellas to provide shade because the umbrellas might blow away. So it gets very hot up there.
Basically it’s run by idiots, and when you can just go next door to the Rooftop Bar and have an infinitely better experience, why would you go here? Banned.

Wow! Great stuff
Went to this location on the rooftop for Friday after work drinks! And amazing rooftop over looking Swanston street!.. Rooftop is well designed and a amazing wood-​like built bar! And this themed rolled out through the rest of the rooftop! Later with synthetic grass! And a nice palm tree in the middle!
When arrived was told just to seat wherever and someone will be around to take orders (fantastic bar service). We sat down, it was a little chilly/​windy up there however this was recognised and the heater was brought over to our spot and we were fine .
Had a few after work drinks, some ciders to finish off such a busy working week, felt great! We ordered some food as I couldn’t help myself when other tables around us where ordering what looked like some amazing food!
We ordered some sweet potato chips and spicy chicken pieces! And they were just as amazing as they looked! We demolished the plates within minutes!
Great location, rooftop with amazing views, and great food and beverage’s! A great find and little gem in Melbourne

The entrance to this place adds to the intrigue. Enter Noodle Kingdom and then brave the rickety lift up to the top. Exit in to the bar and then make yourself comfortable in a booth or lounge or head on upon again to the rooftop.
On a warm sunny day Melburnians flock to rooftops, and Goldilocks is no different, though I’m not certain they’ve made the most of the aspect with a large box object in one corner cutting off what seems to be the best vantage point over Swanston Street.
Try the on tap cocktail «Rosalita» with Tequila, Aperol, Sweet & Dry vermouth. It’s potent and a great way to start the night — though at $ 20 a pop you should probably stop at one!

Some friends of mine were questioning my sanity at very late o’clock one Saturday night, when I lead them on an adventure into the elevators from a noodle shop.
They were pleasantly surprised when the doors opened and we were greeted by the team and my reputation was restored.
The team were super accomodating — as it was international gin day, we had the tasting range. The martinez people! get on it. My friends loved the range of drinks available and their flavour combos.
They also were still serving some food and treats and make us feel incredibly welcome.
If you are looking for something a little different with great service, on your way to Goldilocks then.

And with baited breath and a high sense of anticipation, I rode
the elevator in a mix of suspense and suspicion. Will it be open?
Won’t it? What’s it like inside?
Well, I’m pleased to tell you that I was very pleasantly surprised and
delighted. There’s a great view out of the small windows and little booths
as well as what look like old fashioned reading rooms dotted around the place.
Nice tiling on the floor, and a small but very well selected spirits range behind
the bar. Open less than a week, the offerings here are, so far very good.
It’s only a small little place, but just the type that would be perfect for quiet
«drinks.»
There’s a small menu– snacking or a «picnic in the woods» type deal,
as well as Beers, Wines, and ciders that are well chosen. The Menu’s
are hidden in old books of a few sorts– there’s one with the periodic
table of the elements in it. Cool and friendly bar staff, and a worthy
addition to Melbourne’s bar scene.