August 21, 2009 [ Updated November 24, 2009 ]
Upscale bar and restaurant in the heart of Melbourne city. The tap list was ridiculously boring on my visit, which was disappointing, though the beer menu is OK. The first 5 beers I tried ordering off the menu they were out of stock! Poor form but what can you do, I didn’t have much of a choice after that. It appears to be mainly international beers and there really wasn’t much of a range of local micros available at all. The plus was the staff were enthusiastic and clued up about beer and themselves were disappointed with the short supply of stock. I guess most patrons that enter the establishment would be happy with the Fat Yak on tap. Pretty exy for the beers, and when I came back another day for food they were fully booked. An extremely popular place that constantly busy and if you’re visiting on a weekend definitely book for a table. November 2009 - Still a boring tap list and extremely limited bottled range available. Food is so so and can’t say I’m a fan of this place. I found the staff to be bordering obnoxious this time round too. Over hyped and over priced? Well of course.

July 31, 2009
Great ambiance, smooth easy going atmosphere. Good service, John seemed to know what he was on about, had a couple of good suggestions Just got in the Epic Pale ale. Big beer, Big place, Big Night!

June 21, 2009
Nice balcony in the sun. Good and friendly staff! Very helpfull. Even printed out a top 100 list of Ratebeer from Ozzi. Very nice selection of brews. Had some nice ones. International brews too. A must visit!

April 11, 2009
Great range of beers, food looks ok and right in the middle of Melbourne

February 5, 2009
Outstanding food/beer in the center of Melbourne. An oasis for the beer lover on a street filled with VB joints. A tad on the pricey side, but worth it. When I was there, there were 5-6 special drafts on offer, including a local belgian farmhouse style (forget the brewery/name...long evening) that was vigorously and accurately described by our bartender. The food is great, the asian fusion dishes are pretty unique, particularly for a ’serious’ beer bar. Visited a few months ago with a colleague from Singapore and they were impressed with the food, which i’ve found to be a solidendorsement. P.S., better ’pure’ thai food at a couple of hole-in-the-wall places about 1/2 mile up the street, but the food here is well worth it.

December 15, 2008
Entices me to move to Melbourne. A beer menu I want to take home me and cuddle up to in bed. The Thai food is unique and delicious. And the bill comes out in a Little Golden Winnie the Pooh book.

August 6, 2007 [ Updated August 10, 2007 ]
Excellent beer bar in central Melbourne, well presented menu with loads of local, NZ and international beers, price range is about on par with trendy(ish) bars in the city. $9 for a pint of the beast was a good deal though imo. The tap range is large, covering a lot of German and Belgian beers... staff, although busy were very friendly and actually started conversation about beers when you order something slightly different. Didnt eat. The crowd is trendy and young. Great layout and music too.

April 16, 2007
In years gone by this place was probably not worthy of inclusion on the venue guide as a true beer destination. Don’t get me wrong - great fit-out and location, it’s just that 6 CUB associated beers doesn’t really cut the mustard. Well, I’m now pleased to report this place is on the verge of becoming the nation’s best beer bar. The drinks strategy has undergone a dramatic change such that they now may have around 200 bottled beers. Not crap stuff, genuinely good gear like Jamieson’s IPA, Rochefort, Chimay, Emerson’s, Sinha Stout, La Chouffe etc etc. Pricing is ok, $5 - $6 for basic Oz stuff through to $15 for a Rochefort 10. The only problem is that the ’in-stock’ levels are very poor; I probably had a 1 in 3 strike rate. Not really good enough but an easy problem to improve. Food is awesome, left field Thai done very well and perhaps the best I have had in Melbourne.

September 3, 2006
The first time I went to Cookie they only had a few beers to choose from and the emphasis was definatley more on the wine list and cocktails. Now though after visiting again, I was pleasantly surprised. The guest beer on tap that week was Chimay White and the beer list was awesome !! Around 220 different beers on offer including the new release Emersons Bourbon Porter, the new Jamiesons IPA ( so new it didnt even have a label ) and a shit load of German’s, Belgian’s and Italian’s with a respectable salute also to the local boys with about 50 Aussies to choose from. NICE WORK !

August 7, 2005 [ Updated September 21, 2005 ]
Odd place. I almost turned at the entrance, but it was a good thing I didn’t. They’re fairly well stocked on Australian and NZ micros and part of the staff knows their beer. Maybe not the best beer destination in Melbourne but definitely worth a stop.