Apollo Inn
2/9/25, 2:00 am
Step through the leather doors on Flinders Lane and @apolloinn.bar feels like you’ve slipped into another time. It’s intimate, polished, and just the right side of mysterious—an elegant nod to Europe’s great cocktail rooms, but rooted in Melbourne’s own rhythm.
This is the first standalone cocktail bar from Andrew McConnell and Jo McGann, and you can feel the pedigree in the details: the glint of cut glassware, the hum of quiet conversation, the precision of the pour.
The martini list alone is worth the trip: four styles, each executed with intention. We went dirty, and it was textbook: icy cold, silky, and briny without being blunt. The Corpse Reviver No. 2 was balanced and bright, all the sharper edges smoothed into elegance.
To snack, gnocco fritto—pillowy, crisp, and perfect with prosciutto—plus jamón ibérico and flatbread with hot honey that bridged savoury and sweet with ease. Service was attentive without being overbearing, a rare balance in a room this refined.
Ratings?
Drinks 8/10
Food 7.5/10
Service 9/10
Apollo Inn may be small, but it’s the kind of place you linger—half for the cocktails, half for the feeling you’ve stumbled on something worth keeping to yourself.