Loop

Every time Ive been to Loop, it hasn’t been overcrowded and the staff really attentive.
I love the wine list and enjoy the cocktails although a tad pricey.
Its located at the back of Spleen so it can be a little noisy but overall my experiences at Loop have been great.
I always end up chatting to other people there and have always enjoyed my times there.

Surprisingly enough, I’ve yet to review Loop bar, regardless of
the fact that I first went several years ago, and have been since.
It’s a little mix of hospo bar/​low key nights, after work drinks, arts
space and occasional Doof. They usually throw between some sort
of student presentation or project. It’s a small place but it has a mix
of some cocktails, beers, wines, ciders, the usual suspects, plus
things on tap and a bloom closet iddy biddy little smoking area, known
as the sardine tin.
Sometimes busy sometimes quiet, but very busy and packed when it is busy,
there is space for wall projections, a dance area, couches and lounges, a DJ
/​decks — mixing area as well as an elongated bar. Selection of beverages is pretty
reasonable.

Like most bars, you’ll get a very different experience depending on what day/​time/​state of inebriation in which you attend.
I have been to Loop on a quiet Sunday evening while waiting for a restaurant across the road to open. It was peaceful, fairly sparse and my drinking partner and I had a good old chat with the bartenders.
I have also been here on a Friday night after consuming drinks elsewhere to crash a birthday party. Much louder, jam-​packed and all walls used as a screen for projected media. At that point, I wasn’t paying attention to the bar so much but had a good time anyway.
Lots of meetups seem to be taking place here for the Comms and Tech industries I’ve noticed. Wonder if the media walls played a part or if it’s coincidence?

From first glance, Loop is a bit of a dodgy, small, and cheap-​looking venue but it is actually pretty cool. There’s a lounge area and a projector screening all sorts of things which makes for a very interesting and unique atmosphere. But should a projector really be what saves an establishment from being bad…
NOTES:
~ The customer service is respectful and good.
~ It’s not too ultra-​crowded.
~ From my experience, the people aren’t sketchy.
This is a nice establishment just to hang out, but probably not for a nice night out on the town.

When I think of Loop Bar all I can think of is projectors. Not projectiles; as that would be a bad thing. But projectors and projections.
There is definitely a media emphasis in the space found on Meyers Place in Melbourne. You don’t really notice it until you’re inside, and while the music may not be that great it’s not long before your eyes are drawn to the changing patterns and flashing images on the big wall near the bar. I’m one of those people who have trouble having a conversation when the TVs on. My focus gets sucked into the lights and flashing pictures. So for me, this is not a favourite to take someone and have a Deep and Meaningful conversation.
The bar is fully stocked and people behind are nice, got an order wrong once and I got it for free, so that’s a winner in my books.
Lots of small stools to sit on that are often pushed into large flat spaces which don’t make sense.
The back room is often booked out for media related events. Be it a book launch by the young media makers of Melbourne, or one design group’s ‘Youtube Tuesday’, highlighting everything they found funny on the internets that week, it will usually be of some strange interest even for a moment.

I have only used Loop bar in the context of a screening for uni. I know, lame, but it was actually a pretty cool space. This definitely won’t check the boxes for hip digs around town, it’s looking pretty tired these days. It will, however, satisfy any boxes that need to be ticked as far as functions and event spaces go.
If you’d like to start an underground screening society, this would be the place for you. The staff are really friendly and they’re willing to go the extra mile to satisfy your worries, hassles, mood swings and drink orders.

If you are into any kind of dance music from house, techno, hip hop, electro„ breakbeats, side trance or even a little drum ‘n’ base on rare occasions, then Loop is the place for you. In fact it isn’t a bad space to check out in general. They usually have DJ’s playing on the busy nights and even a VJ accompanying if you are lucky. Regardless of whether you do want to dance to a particular genre of music or not, loop is a good place to hang out with friends. It has two small outdoor smoking areas and a number of comfy couches. There is always somewhere to sit and chat if you don’t feel like hanging on the dance floor.
Loop also holds a number of festivals and events. If you are into the visual arts then it is well worth keeping an eye on. The place can get packed, particularly later on in the night. But the bouncers are always friendly and you can usually get in. There is sometimes a cover charge on the door, but more often than not it is a free venue.

Loop’s not really designed for tall people, or for heavy people. To be sure, to be sure. All the wee benches and the tiny theatrette are fine for the little people, but us bigjobs end up a wee little bit uncomfortable. So, unless you’re a leprechaun, you might want to give up the illusion of space for somewhere with a seat you actually like sitting on.
If you are a leprechaun, make sure you bring along your pot of gold — while they’re not the most expensive bar in town, they’re certainly a long way from the cheapest.

I love a bar that has items like ‘six small pies’ on the snack menu. Firstly, because six is an easily divided number if you’re in a group of two, three or six, and not too hard if there are four of you. Also, if you’re still drinking at 1am on a Thursday you physically need a little pie or two to keep you going.
The outside and indoor/​outdoor sections are definitely the spots to grab if you want to sit down and have a chat. Inside it can get a bit hectic when the DJs really get going, which is great for dancing but not so good for talking. There are light and multimedia installations often featured at the back of the bar, which are interesting at first, but after a few drinks can make you feel a bit disoriented. Tip — wear sensible shoes. The other ‘danger’ is the glass door around the back on the way to the bathrooms — I saw a girl walk directly into it! I found it hilarious, but I’m not sure she agreed.
There’s a good range of beer and cocktails, but they’re pricey for style of venue (no doubt to cover the cost of the extended license). If you’re having a big night on the town it’s probably more economical to start somewhere else and finish up here.

The Loop Bar in Melbourne is nifty little outdoor/​indoor, pub/​venue that has a good vibe. I went there to see a Fringe Festival show and was impressed by the organisation and presentation of the room out the back. The bar staff, however, has some issues. Especially one guy who seems to think it’s ok to just yell «Beer?» into the open until a customer says, «Yes? Ok… one beer please»…a tad abrupt and a little bit rude I thought. He was fun to ignore though and apparently he has been there for a long… long…time. The other guys were nice and even recommended the prosciutto pizza and I really enjoyed it so that was a plus.
The set up of the open windows and smoking areas make it a nice place to debrief after seeing a show and it does have the «Melbourne charm» of being down an alley and around a corner. Sometimes it can be cramped in there so I’d stick to going on a weeknight rather than spending a Saturday night there.

Loop, or, more properly ‘Loop project art space & bar’ is a nifty little bar on Meyers Place, just off Bourke Street with an emphasis on live arts, a cool, classy interior and some of the nicest bar staff in Melbourne.
A visit to Loop is kind of like a visit to your much cooler — and artier — friend’s living room; playing host to a programme of film, festival, fringe and creative events and an ever changing roster of DJs and visual artists, while the bar itself is sweetness incarnate: all comfy sofas, sweet smoking terraces and excellently atmospheric lighting.
Loop boasts some pretty scrumptious little $ 8 pizzas alongside a predictably awesome drinks list comprising cocktails, a good selection of wine, any spirit you can imagine and a great range of ciders such as Rekorderlig’s scrummy strawberry & lime and pear ciders. All round awesome.