Bar Rochford

Welcome to Canberra’s finest drinking den, Bar Rochford, where sophistication and ease meet under the elegant arches of the historic Melbourne Building. This is the sort of bar that makes everyone look good: firelit and snug in winter, cool and breezy come summer, always soundtracked by vinyl and good conversation.

Wine is the headline act, with a list that leans toward Europe—France, Italy, the Loire and Catalunya feature prominently—but there’s ample pride of place for Victoria and the Canberra district. Cocktails, however, are no supporting act: the Any Port in a Storm, a riff on the Dark and Stormy with orgeat and lime, is reason enough to linger.

The food is equally deft, a cosmopolitan spread of snackable plates that bridge continents with ease. Think oysters with jalapeño mignonette, flame cockles with habanero mezcal, or crisp potato galette with perilla kimchi. Every detail feels effortlessly right, from the service to the soundtrack.

This isn’t just the best bar in Canberra—it’s the bar you wish you had in your own city.

Tatler Tip

It’s pronounced rock-ford, like the files, not roch-ford, like the Lady. Order a Martini, settle in by the window, and you’ll soon sound like a regular anyway.