lonely planet

This is an amazing bar/restaurant for a Sunday afternoon cocktail, after a day of surf and sun at Bondi Beach. Good people, great vibe, fantastic food, and a stunning view.

Want the best of Argentine wines, and to receive the most friendly and knowledgeable service and a variety of local cheeses all at arm’s length? Then The Vines of Mendoza is the only location for you. A fusion of sights, smells and tastes in a beautifully restored tasting room and wine bar in the heart of the thriving hip city of Mendoza. Overlooked by the awe inspiring Andes Mountains, this is one bar where you could quite easily blow your time schedule out the window and enjoy the best Malbec you will ever taste!

Frank Zappa’s on Candolim Beach is frequented by eclectics. Like most of the beach shacks in Goa, it induces you to a state of reverie as you watch time and tide pass. Recline on the cane chairs and let your feet settle in the sand. While sipping Kingfishers or a sublime cocktail, watch the light of the setting sun wash away your senses.

Laid-back, trendy, but inviting to everyone. Relaxed, interesting music, from main-stream to indie. Reasonable prices. Located in trendy part of Helsinki, Alppila. Tourists haven´t found this place yet but when they do, it will be worth it… young people, families, old geezers and ladies, all enjoy the atmosphere!

The neon sign says “Get In Here!”. Do it and you’ll find a narrow diner with a wooden bar, a kitchen on one side and wooden booths on the other. The waitress’s shirt proclaims: “Too small, too crowded, too noisy, too bad.” But it’s all good including the no-nonsense service. With a huge selection of Tequila and great New Mexican cuisine, you’ll never regret getting in there (if you don’t mind the lines, that is).

This casual bar serves Western-style lunch and dinner to a mixed crowd. Its pine paneling and wooden tables, plus a veranda that gives it a beach-bar feel, make Malibu West the perfect environment to relax, drink and chat. It’s also equipped with pool tables, and a wireless broadband connection for your convenience.

Complete with its own heliport, Lotus is the place where wealth and beauty meet amid glossy, sleek decor. Music varies from electronica to bossa nova. Very expensive.

It’s true that in the last few years construction has started around Golden Gai, but some of those hammers are wielded by a new generation of iconoclastic bar masters rather than a major developer. Bar Plastic Model is one of the new joints, with an ‘80s soundtrack and decorated with retro knick-knacks.

Chimera is two bars in one - a basement filled with aging furniture and bric-a-brac, and an outside courtyard perfect for people watching. It’s just outside the Old Town and a wonderful place to relax after a long wander.

No mention of Montparnasse, once at the centre of Paris’ artistic endeavours, would be complete without Le Select. Opened in the mid-20s, it was the first of the area’s grande dame cafes to open late into the night and still draws everyone from beer-swigging students to whisky-swilling politicians.