A wine bar in Balaclava running a weekly themed calendar for couples and single women — and one of the two fixed points of Melbourne’s lifestyle scene.
What it is
Between Friends trades as a wine bar, and that framing is deliberate rather than coy. It’s a licensed venue with a bar list, a room, and a calendar of events — the lifestyle element sits on top of what is recognisably a neighbourhood bar rather than replacing it.
It occupies the more established end of the Melbourne scene. Events run on a published weekly schedule, new listings go up regularly, and the programming leans social and themed: decade nights, colour themes, karaoke, age-bracketed events. It’s a venue with regulars, and it reads that way.
Where it is
Balaclava, in Melbourne’s inner south-east, on a lane between Chapel Street and Woodstock Street with parking facing the venue. The full street address is published openly on the venue’s own website — we point you there rather than republishing it, on the principle that a venue’s address is theirs to circulate.
Practically, it’s a short walk from Balaclava station and well served by the Chapel Street tram corridor, which makes it one of the easier lifestyle venues in Melbourne to reach without driving.
Event types
The calendar changes weekly and runs to a theme. Listings in recent months have included:
- 35 and Under — an age-bracketed night for a younger crowd
- Naked (or dressed down) Karaoke — exactly what it sounds like, and a good indication of the venue’s sense of humour
- A Touch of Red and UNDRESS to Impress — dress-code-led themes
- Awesome 80s, Naughty 90s, Sexy 70s — decade nights
- Newcomers Night — aimed at people attending for the first time
- MFM Night — one of the events where single men are explicitly welcome
Regular event nights are Friday and Saturday. The venue lists Sunday through Thursday as available for private functions rather than public events, and it hires the space out for parties, hen’s nights and functions, with catering either provided or brought in.
Who it’s for
The venue states its audience policy plainly, and it’s worth reading before you book. Events are for couples — described by the venue as a female-presenting and male-presenting couple — and single ladies (female-presenting).
Single men can only attend events that specifically indicate single men are welcome. Between Friends flags these in the event name itself, so there’s no ambiguity: if the listing doesn’t say so, the event isn’t open to single men. The venue maintains a dedicated page for single men on its site setting out its position in full.
In short: couples and single women can book most nights on the calendar; single men should watch for the nominated events and book those specifically.
Entry and booking
There are three ways in, and the venue is unusually flexible about it by lifestyle-venue standards.
Pre-book online. Tickets are sold through the events page on their site. This is the recommended route, particularly for popular themes.
Text to hold a place. The venue accepts a text message with your first name (or names) and the event you’d like to attend. They hold your place at the door and you pay on arrival — a genuinely low-friction option if you’re deciding late.
Walk up. Turning up on the night is possible, but with a caveat the venue states directly: if an event is a full house, entry can’t be guaranteed for walk-ups.
Whichever route you take, the entry deadline is firm. Entry is declined after 11:00pm irrespective of whether you’ve pre-purchased a ticket, unless you’ve arranged otherwise with management in advance. Doors have opened at 7:00pm for recent events, with the venue encouraging people to arrive earlier in the night; some listings show an 8:00pm start, so check the specific event.
On cancellations, the venue’s stated policy is that if an event is delayed or cancelled, your ticket is held in credit for the rescheduled event or another event of your choosing, or refunded in full.
What to expect
Arrive early. The venue explicitly encourages it, and the front half of the night is where the social side of the room happens — a bar, seating, conversation, and a crowd that skews friendly rather than intense.
Dress to the theme. With a calendar this theme-heavy, effort is part of the culture, and turning up in whatever you wore to dinner will leave you feeling out of step.
Beyond that, treat it as a bar. The venue’s own site maintains pages on what to expect, entry, and a questions-and-answers section — all worth reading before a first visit, and more authoritative than anything we could summarise.
Who it suits
Between Friends suits couples who want a social, conversational night with a theme to hang it on, and single women who want a venue with a settled regular crowd. The weekly-changing calendar rewards repeat visits — there’s a reason to come back that isn’t simply “the same night again”.
It’s a reasonable first venue for newcomers, particularly if you time your first visit to a Newcomers Night. The wine-bar framing, the walk-in option and the transport access all lower the barrier considerably.
It suits single men least, by design — the nominated events are the only route in, and they’re a minority of the calendar.
Book
Events, prices, dress codes and full entry conditions are on the venue’s own site, which is the only authoritative source. Ticket prices across their calendar currently range from around $20 to $80 depending on the event and ticket type.
We don’t sell tickets and we’re not affiliated with this venue. Everything above is drawn from Between Friends’ own public website and checked regularly — but programming and policies change, so confirm on their site before booking. See also: this weekend’s events, Pineapples, the Melbourne clubs guide, and the first-timer’s guide.