Best Pubs and Bars in Bendigo (2026 Guide)

For a drink in Bendigo, start with The Dispensary Bar & Diner in Chancery Lane, Wine Bank On View in an old bank building and the independent-beer garden at Handle Bar on Mitchell St. For a classic pub, The Rifle Brigade Hotel on View St and the Gold Mines Hotel in Golden Square are the ones to know, and Bendigo Brewing and Brewers Collective brew their own beer in town.

How we chose

We read the venues' own websites where they loaded, Bendigo Advertiser reporting and guides from Broadsheet, Australian Traveller, Time Out, Eatability and Wanderlog, and last checked them on 20 October 2026. We left out Nimbus Rooftop and Flight Bar & Bottleshop because we couldn't confirm that either is still trading. We haven't listed opening hours, so check with the venue before you go.

To eat first, see where to eat in Bendigo, or for the morning after, the best coffee and brunch.

Cocktail and wine bars

The Dispensary Bar & Diner

The Dispensary Bar & Diner at 9 Chancery Lane is a laneway bar and diner with a long list of wine, beer, spirits and cocktails, good for friends who like to try something new. It also runs gin and whisky classes. Australian Traveller mentions local homebrew, signature cocktails and a champagne list, in a space with murals, fairy lights and outdoor heaters. The kitchen serves shared plates, so you can stay for dinner.

Wine Bank On View

Wine Bank On View at 45 View St is a wine bar and wine merchant in a heritage-listed Victorian bank built in 1876, once the Union Bank. Its website lists wines by the glass, tastings, a membership and a tapas-style sharing menu, so it works for a glass of something local before dinner on View St. Australian Traveller says the list has included Jasper Hill from Heathcote, Cullen from Western Australia and Mount Langi Ghiran from the Grampians. Eatability describes a fire and sofas in the old banking hall, and beer on tap.

Ms Batterhams

Ms Batterhams is a speakeasy and lounge bar with a restaurant attached, at MacKenzie Quarters, 10-12 MacKenzie St, in the Arts Precinct. If you want to eat there too, the restaurant side is in our where to eat guide. Broadsheet describes velvet booths and low lighting, which suit a date or a nightcap, and local gin served neat, with tonic or soda, or as a Martini.

Craft beer

Handle Bar

Handle Bar at 73 Mitchell St is a garden bar for independent beer, started in 2014 by a group of friends and owned by more than 30 local co-founders. Its website describes a backyard with string lights, astroturf and brick and timber floors, with free entry and no bookings, which makes it easy to bring a big group. The venue lists free live music every weekend. There's no food menu on site, so order in or bring your own.

Bendigo Brewing

Bendigo Brewing is a brewpub on Farmer Lane in the CBD, opposite the Dai Gum San precinct, brewing its beer on site and running a wood-fired pizza oven. Broadsheet mentions trivia, live music and board game nights, so it's a good pick for pizza and a pint with friends. The Bendigo Advertiser wrote about two of its beers that celebrate Bendigo's Chinese heritage: Epic Journey, an IPA, and Dragon City, made with lapsang tea and Tasmanian raspberry.

Brewers Collective

Brewers Collective is a brewpub at 50 Short St, in a former Salvation Army hall beneath the Catholic cathedral spire, a good spot for beer drinkers who like to sit close to where it's made. It opened to the public in March 2023. The Bendigo Advertiser reported that it brews its own beers and also pours local beer, wine and spirits. One Hour Out reported that it doesn't sell food and suggests ordering from nearby restaurants, so check before you arrive hungry.

The Cambrian Hotel

The Cambrian Hotel on Arnold St in North Bendigo calls itself a historic pub pouring real craft beer, and its website has a page for Korean barbecue. Its site lists weeknight bar specials: a braise on Monday, fresh pasta on Tuesday, curry on Wednesday, Korean fried chicken on Thursday and fish and chips on Friday. That makes it a good local for a weeknight meal with a craft beer, though specials change, so check before you go.

Pubs

The Rifle Brigade Hotel

The Rifle Brigade Hotel at 137 View St is a Victorian-era pub that Australian Traveller says is known as the Gun Club. It has a courtyard out the back that suits a long lunch on a sunny day, plus pavement tables, a timber bar and a drinks list focused on Victorian wines. The pub food runs to burgers, pizzas, steak and seafood. Its sister coffee shop, Lou's, is next door.

Gold Mines Hotel

Gold Mines Hotel at 49-57 Marong Rd, Golden Square, has a Front Bar, a Spirits Cellar, a courtyard and a garden that's worth the trip on a warm afternoon. Expect rotating craft beers, regional wines, cocktails and ciders. Australian Traveller describes a heritage building with fretwork verandahs hung with wisteria and fireplaces throughout. The kitchen leans on steak, which our where to eat guide covers.

Lake View Hotel

The Lake View Hotel at 204 McCrae St is a pub with all-day dining and a wine list focused on Bendigo and Victorian wines, good for a pub dinner with a local drop. Its website says bookings are essential and there's a free car park at the back. Eatability mentions a beer garden and dishes such as a southern fried chicken burger, crispy Asian duck salad and crumbed lamb cutlets.

The Foundry

The Foundry on Old High St in Golden Square is a large pub complex. Australian Traveller lists the Miss Molly cocktail lounge, the Mister Bobs sports bar, a courtyard, plenty of big screens and a bistro with a kids menu, so the game and the kids are both covered under one roof. It also mentioned a Saturday Martini Madness session.

Dancing and something different

Babylon Lounge & Garden Bar

Babylon Lounge & Garden Bar is a central bar at 94 Pall Mall, with a greenhouse-style garden and a lounge with velvet sofas. Australian Traveller mentions craft beer on tap and in tinnies, a mezze menu, and a dance floor with DJs for when you want to dance after dinner. The Dispensary's laneway runs off the same street, so the two pair easily.

Tap It Inn

Tap It Inn, on the corner of Williamson and Hargreaves Streets, has taken over the former Piano Bar site. The Bendigo Advertiser describes a bar alongside axe-throwing, mini-golf and karaoke, which suits a birthday or work night out. Some guides still list the Piano Bar there. It is one of the newer venues in town, so there are few reviews to go on yet.

Quick picks

• Wine: Wine Bank On View is a wine bar and merchant in an 1876 bank building.
• Beer garden: Handle Bar pours independent beer in its backyard garden.
• Beer brewed on site, with pizza: Bendigo Brewing has a wood-fired pizza oven.
• Cocktails somewhere dim: Ms Batterhams is a speakeasy with velvet booths and low lighting.
• Weeknight pub meal: The Cambrian Hotel lists a different bar special each weeknight.
• Kids in tow: The Foundry has a bistro with a kids menu.
• Live music: Handle Bar lists free live music every weekend.
• Something to do: Tap It Inn has axe-throwing, mini-golf and karaoke.