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These are the best bars in Victoria in 2026, according to bartenders

All the results from the fourth annual Boothby Best Bars VIC Awards.

These are the best bars in Victoria in 2026, according to bartenders

What makes a great bar? There's the hospitality, first and foremost — it helps, too, if the drinks are delicious. You want a well designed place, somewhere nice to spend some time in — you want atmosphere, experience, and a good time. You also want a sense of place.

That sense of place is what the Boothby Best Bars VIC awards are about. We asked Victorian bartenders and bar owners to nominate the bars they think are best in their state. And then we polled the industry — elite bartenders, influential bar operators, and the smartest bar minds going around — to find out how the rankings should look.

Get a look at the list below.

The 2026 winners

Danielle Whitehart

2026 Person of the Year VIC presented by Jack Daniel's Bonded

Danielle Whitehart

Danielle Whitehart is the host and co-owner of Bar Bellamy, the Carlton cocktail bar she opened with partner Oska Whitehart in 2023. Bar Bellamy’s popularity in large part relies on the warmth of its welcome as much as on its drinks, and that is thanks to Whitehart setting the tone. The room placed third on this year’s list and took Best Bar Eats for a second year in a row. Danielle Whitehart is an outstanding figure in the Melbourne bar scene, and is Victoria’s 2026 Person of the Year.