Wonderland Bar

A kitten goes missing.
Two days later, it’s found darting around inside a large bar situated right outside Windsor train station. Staff are perplexed as to how it arrived, as it hides itself inside an old vault, turned into a private area in the bar.
What happens next? Staff are called in and they wait. They wait patiently. They wait until that kitten is ready to venture out of its own accord, and wrap it up safe to make sure it’s OK.
I love cats more than most humans. It’s pretty much impossible for me to hear a story like that, coming from the Wonderland Bar on the Dandenong Road end of Chapel Street and not instantly fall in love with the venue. This is a cool place.
Copious amounts of outdoor benches mean you’re not lost for a seat unless it’s packed. Quality funk/​hip hop provides the soundtrack. Inside, an extended bar with seating catering for the lone traveller and a hearty group is everywhere, but disabled access is good (a rarity for this end of Chapel Street) and a Commonwealth Bank ATM is just outside to offset the $ 1.50 surcharge they levy anyone paying by any kind of card.
It’s a good bar. It lacks the character and cosy charm of a venue worthy of a maximum rating, but it earns a solid four stars. There’s a happy hour but often revolving around a gimmick you’ll need to ask about. Try doing that after 4pm and see what happens.
Oh, and the kitten? Reunited with its owner who’d been frantic for her for days. :)

You know what’s really cool about this place? The vault. It’s like an old safe that has been turned into a private room, which makes me think if this place used to be a bank or professional offices at some stage. However what it was is not really important, what it now is is that it is one really cool bar. Okay, I’m not really into the hip and trendy scene, but when I see a bar that I like I really don’t care, and this is certainly one of those bars. Mind you, it certainly isn’t the cheapest place to drink, but then again I probably wouldn’t expect it to be. It could almost be considered my favourite bar on Chapel Street, however there are a number of other places that also come pretty close. Mind you, it does get crowded on a Friday and Saturday night, which was why I ended up having a drink here on a Sunday afternoon.

If IKEA had a catalogue page for «Generic South of the River Bar», it would look just like Wonderland.
Harsh? Yes. But eventually we all shop at IKEA, so perhaps we shouldn’t throw stones. Ok. I shouldn’t throw stones.
Fine. The décor isn’t everything, but it’s certainly not a source of inspiration. You can escape outside. Watch the bustle of Chapel Street and the trains rumbling past at Windsor station. This is much more entertaining.
When you’re sitting outside, it’s happy hour and there is a crowd, your concerns on Interior Design do fade a little.
I wouldn’t make this a destination, but it’s a perfectly functional bar. Best used as a place to meet and then strike out to Windor and South Yarra.

Great happy hour specials here! Love sitting outside on a warm sunny day. Hmmm. Thinking about this place makes me want to go there now!
Not so great when all the non Windsor people rock up and get drunk and loud…

Airy bar in the heart of Windsor. Good for a drink on a hot summer’s night.

Is this the best happy hour in town?
I think it’s definitely up there! $ 3 – 4 for taps, basic spirits, and house wines. Doesn’t get much cheaper :)
There’s ample seating inside and there is a nice modern fireplace when it gets too cold outside. In winter they also do mulled wine in a glass teacup :)
The bar menu is not bad, I mean you can walk down the road for cheaper and wider range of pizza but if you choose to stay it’s not bad either. I think the cheap drinks makes it worthwhile :)
I do agree with other Unilocaler, the service can be slow particularly around 7:55pm ;)

Always a favorite for happy hour. Great fireplace or outdoor heat lamp couch seating areas, dirt cheap prices for 4 hours every night (it costs more to stay at home!) and who doesn’t love a bar open on Christmas day? Perfect to break up overly lengthy family functions. A great regular spot for a good drink, and a great meeting place for further evening debauchery.

I was ready to love Wonderland because the sign reminds me of scrabble tiles. Yes, Im just that cool.
The décor while attempting style is just a bit shabby. So it has an awesome backpacker hostel vibe… just without the cute Irish backpackers. But I digress.
On the plus side it does have a great happy hour in which I could down $ 3 glasses of house sparkling and groove to 90’s RnB before heading to the Astor. The pizzas are of the same elk as Holy Grail and Lucky Coq, so cheap, salty and tasty.
I suspect Wonderland would improve if you had slammed away a few, and judging by the crowd outside past midnight it does!

The only thing I really like about Wonderland Bar is the fact that is has happy hour everyday. From 4pm — 8pm you can get $ 3 house wines, $ 3.50 beers and $ 4 basic spirits. That being said I have found the service at Wonderland to be below average of more than one occasion.
Meeting a friend for a few drinks after work one night we thought we would give the somewhat new Windsor bar a try, there was only one staff member working and although it was a night during the week, she could barely keep up with the few tables of customers there. Our drinks were mixed up and sometimes not brought over at all, if we went up to the bar to order we would have to wait while the poor waitress ran between the kitchen, bar and tables. Then feeling a but peckish after a few rounds of beers, we decided to order a pizza. The waitress then informed us that they do not make the pizzas on site and she would have to order it which could be a bit of a wait! This all seemed very strange to me, but ordered it anyway. The pizza was forgotten and then finally arrived 50 minutes later, it was small, low on toppings and very unsatisfying.
I have not been to Wonderland on the weekend, but I am told it is a bit of fun, hopefully more staff are employed to help out on the busier nights of the week.

Located at the Windsor end of Chapel St, Wonderland is a great spot to enjoy the long sunny summer days on the extended sidewalk on some comfortable outdoor furniture as you enjoy a refreshingly cold beer.
Although I have never stayed after dark, I have been told that this is a good place to go out. They can offer a good place for functions and can create a private area for you. One of the best things about going out in this area is that if you get hungry you can always just go for a little stroll down the road and get something to eat.