Gin Palace — Restaurant in Melbourne

Covid dining elsewhere saw us finished eating by just after 8pm. This had us wandering the streets in search of a post dinner drink venue with capacity to take us in. Fortunately Gin Palace had the space after a brief wait and we enjoyed a couple of rounds for a couple of hours. I last visited here more than three years ago and gin has become even more popular so great to see the menu (accessed via smartphone) had evolved too. I started with a Larakin bramble gin and soda which was a tasty refreshing combination. I also enjoyed the Haymans Sloe Gin in a big bold glass with plenty of additions. It would have loved to see the wider gin list but it simply wasn’t available so anything off the cocktail list provided online required asking, pointing and guessing. Drink prices were up there with two rounds for 4 costing about $160.

Previous Review Nestled in a laneway between Bourke street and Little Collins, Gin Palace is a dimly lit intimate venue with a variety of nooks and crannies, comfy chairs and flamboyant picture frames all giving me a comfortable closed in feel. This palace has been around well before gin has gained its recent popularity. We chose a particularly dark corner and once my eyes had adjusted to the dimness I viewed the drinks menu. The menu has the most Gin varieties I have seen in one place and I was excited to try never before tasted gins while we visited. Cocktails sounded and looked quite delicious and were obviously Gin based but we chose to try a just gins varieties with tonic. It's quite surprising how varied Gin can be based on aromatics. Would recommend this place for anyone who loves gins like I do. Similarly would suggest you don't come here if you don't like gin. Simple really. My favourite gin here was the Bulldog which I discovered here many moons ago and now have at home thanks to the expanded range of gins at...

I don’t know what has happened to the gin palace, but last night’s experience with my partner was dreadful. I’ve been bringing friends and colleagues to this bar, on and off for 16 years. However, we won’t be returning anytime soon. We asked for some cocktail recommendations based on our tastes, because the menu is always evolving and changing and the drinks we received were nothing like what we described we were after.

When we were placing our first order, as soon as I said the two drinks we would like, the waiter bolted, even though I had continued speaking because we wanted to order some food and other drinks as well. I was literally in the middle of a sentence and he walked off. It was bizarre to say the very least. I’ve never had a waiter walk off in the middle of placing an order.

The strawberry cheesecake martini’s are terrible and not at all as described regarding flavour and palette. The atmosphere was really off as well and the random 80s pop that was playing throughout the venue only added to the absurdity of the whole experience.

Safe to say, we left as soon as we finished our first round and my partner and I have not felt well since having those terrible drinks either. I wouldn’t recommend anyone that has fond memories of the gin palace to go back. I felt really let down by the...

We had 2 gin based cocktails. My partner thought hers was average and mine was a bit disappointing. In my view both were terrible. I had ‘Moroccan mint tea’. It was served in a wine glas full of ice, without a straw and decorated by a bunch of mint leaves. It tasted like a weak home made ice tea from a bag of Earl Grey Lipton spiked by a bit of cheap vodka. Or at least that’s how I imagine such a mixture to taste like. My partner had some fruit punch goblet, which was in my view completely off ballance. It tasted like a very sour passionfruit juice with tones of crushed ice in a very boring glas garnished by a few strawberry slices. Very underwhelming for 36 Dollars. Staff is friendly and the place is cozy, with nice decor and ambience. Hence the 2 stars. EDIT: To be clear, to serve a cocktail called ‘Moroccan mint tea’ in a wine glass (!) and full of icecubes (without a straw), so first thing you get with every sip is a hit of icy cold and over time a notable loss of flavour due to watter dilution, makes absolutely no...