the lobo plantation

the entrance had potted plants and the stairway to the underground was laced with vines. the room was very large, ceilings were low and the walls had paint peeling off. i'm not sure now but they had table service during the weekday and the waiters will sit down beside you to take orders. lively, friendly and intimate bar.

the cocktails were great, with a variety of different cocktails that will surely satisfy everyone. it mainly sells cocktails, so the wine and spirits menu weren't as comprehensive. i thoroughly enjoyed the drinks and service. would recommend to give it a try.

this place is super sexy and i love the decor in the space. ive been really late at night where the place is packed and there are no seats but i still really enjoyed it. the banana chips on the bar are awesome.

nice night out but super packed and super loud for a thursday night. ate the 3 cheese sweet potato fritters, chicken empanadas and cuban sandwich. the cuban sandwich was awesome! cool cocktails and quirky spot!

situated in the basement on the clarence street, the lobo plantation is one of the many bars i like to frequent on this strip & for a good reason ! the drinks here, although i feel a bit more on the pricier side ~$20-22, are all very delicious! the drinks come out well presented and 'instagram worthy' with little decors to match their names. came here with a few pals from the gang and all 6 out of 6 drinks we ordered were delicious and would order again. it's not common that every drink you order at a bar is both unique in taste and presentation, which is why this place deserves a lot of credit. not to forget to mention, the decor of this bar is also very latin american and sets you into good vibes all around. only wished that the music at this bar better suited the surroundings and decor of the place.

super chic place with a cosy and stylish ambience, bar was a bit hard to find as it was underground. friendly service, enjoyed 2 drinks on some comfy sofas - place is quite popular as it starts getting packed around 6. great cocktails !

this is a very busy underground bar and restaurant in the city. they have a large range of drinks and in terms of food, i really liked their cuban sandwich and cured kingfish ceviche. the dining area is very dim so i don't have any good photos to upload. the place also gets quite noisy but the service was excellent.

the ambience sold it for me. with classic rum cocktails and hard to find caribbean local beers, the bar is great for an after work drink.

tip-try the cocktail with cinnamon sticks.
the bar tenders roast the sticks with a gasoline flame and stick it in the glass..flame it on the bar!

this is the coolest find ever. i love this place, with the long leather lounges and candles everywhere, how can you not feel right at home?
the bar tenders are friendly and know what they’re doing. they even use fire during the process of creating some cocktails (ahh so cool!).
being on clarence street also makes this bar very accessible as it’s quite close to town hall station and there are usually taxis driving up and down the street for you to catch if need be.
the only issue would be with actually getting into the bar itself if you’re disabled.. although the spiral stairs have a rail for people to hold, those who struggle in their feet may find the stairs difficult and a little dangerous as they are a little steep, winding and poorly lit. hopefully there’s a lift for people who wouldn’t be able to manage the stairs.
overall though, i love this place and plan to have many more cocktails here 👌🏻

cuban and creole rhythm to get you going. coming from an island, the soothing touches of green and reminders of plantation days made me smile. i loved my little duck in my cocktail, had a few cocktails with cuban tunes playing in the background. nice little place.

very interesting, lively and unique bar. super friendly floor staff and you even get topless bartenders. (i went on a friday). they have so many different cocktails, spirits, liquor and wines to offer you. the music gets a bit loud at times and it can be hard to communicate with your friends as you can’t always hear them. but overall very trendy and bubbly atmosphere.

we came here due to a urbanlist review of best mulled wines...however came disappointed as they no longer served it (my mistake as the review was 2016 and obviously outdated!) but the waitress was quite apologetic despite it not being her fault... she was able to recommend a similar but different alternative - the old grogram which had cinnamon, lemon and flames!
also had the raspberry cobbler#2 (being a tequila fan)

they have an extensive cocktail list with a rum focus but also have wines, beers and ciders available.

loved the ambience, quaint, loungey, chill music.

opted for table service and had the three cheese potato balls and the cuban sandwich. started drinks with the old gramper and classic paris. the food was a lot better than we expected for food ordered at the bar. the drinks were absolutely unreal though, with the rum being both flavorful and spicy and the overall sweetness perfectly balanced and complimentary to the spirits. the service was also top notch. we will definitely come back for the rum flights and i have a feeling this place might be a new hangout for mid week drinks since it's right on the bus line coming home.

an underground dungeon with some creative and fiery drinks, lobo plantation can get a little crowded and loud during fridays for a casual chat with your mates. still worth a go for its intimate setting and friendly bartenders

after loving the cocktails at kittyhawk, i really should have gone directly to the lobo plantation. it’s the precursor bar, owned by the same trio; jared merlino, michael hwang and eddie levy. the sticking point for me was the focus on rum…

the bar is named for the most famous havana sugar baron, julio lobo, who lived the high life in cuba. cuba’s richest man at the time, he was one of the last wealthy people to leave, a year after the 1959 revolution. on his way out, his art collection – which included paintings by diego rivera and salvador dalí – was confiscated by the state.

you enter this bar modelled on lobo’s exiled hideout through a candlelit row of potted palms, descending a grand curved staircase into a richly decorated room with hints of plantation mansion. the leather-bound cocktail menu gives a good selection of cocktail choices with plenty of detail, from a position statement to ingredients and an image so you’ll know if your resulting drink will be long or short. the bar’s real resource however, is its bartenders, like daniel “paris” hilton on the evening i visited. they’re happy to save you some reading and create you a bespoke drink centred upon your personal predilections. they’re also great ambassadors for rum...

an interesting pub set in the basement of a commercial building. it's got an interesting decor.
it's a spot hit up by the locals who work around the area who frequent the place for after work drinks and nibbles. it's also an nice spot for couples although the music gets a bit too loud later on making it difficult for couples to continue their conversation.

hits: rum based cocktails (except for )
miss: nibbles - mexican starters
big miss: found the prices of cocktails to be steep (between aud 17-22)

my rating says it all.