Barbara Fortitude Valley | Must Do Brisbane

BARBARA HAS CLOSED in 2020 AND IS BEING REPLACED BY O'SKULLIGANS ON THE DARKSIDE.

Barbara is a charming cool little Fortitude Valley bar whose motto ‘She Will Take Care of You’ greets customers as they swing through her beautiful chrome-handled art deco doors.

Nestled in the Warner St base of the landmark historic McWhirters building, Barbara retains some of the heritage features of the grand department store that was once THE destination for Protestant Brisbane shoppers.

Barbara Bar at the foot of the McWhirters building in Fortitude Valley

Along with the entry doors, the original tiles are still on the floor and pressed metal ceilings still visible while the savvy owners have added their own hand-crafted touches to make for an ambient inviting drinking den.Tables, bar tops, planter boxes and stools are fashioned by the owners from American oak while little touches like tables that fold up to create a dance floor space add to Barbara’s unique charm.

Doors opening into Barbara Fortitude Valley

For a small bar there’s a big drinks list, with, for starters, 6 craft beers and cider on tap, from Coopers, Six Strings Brewing Co, Stone and Wood, Babs, White Lies and Hills (cider). Otherwise, there’s Light/Mid Strength beers from Coopers and Rogers, Ales from 4 Pines and Newstead Brewing and Dark beers including Holgate Temptress and Brooklyn Brown. And for Cider drinkers, there’s Hills Pear Cider and The Apple Thief Pink Lady.

Beer taps behind the bar inside Barbara Bar in Fortitude Valley

A small curated wine list includes boutique reds, white and bubbles that range from Santa D’Sas Prosecco/Moscato by the glass up to Pol Roger Champagne by the bottle.Spirits run the gamut from standard to premium, with gins starting with Bombay up to Japanese Gin, Whisky ranging from Jamesons Club to Nant Sherry Wood Strength, Tequila – Espolon Reposado to Patron Silver and Rum from Sailor Jerry’s to Ron Zacapa 23yo.

People standing at the bar inside Barbara in Fortitude Valley

Apperitifs (think Campari, Limoncello and Hennessy VS) and Liqueurs (including Amaretto, Kahlua, Mt Black Coffee Liqueur and Absinthe) are also available. Continuing her quest to look after you, Barbara has a neat cocktail list including Classics like Mojito, Margarita, Espresso Martini, Old Fashioned and Negroni plus her own New School list with offerings such as Woo Woo (vodka, peach liqueur and lime shaken with cranberry), Pompton (White rum, vanilla and citrus liqueur and pomegranate) and Ricky Rozy (Cognac soaked cherries, gin and lemon shake with rose water served tall with soda).

There’s also a handful of Cocktails to Share such as Strawberry Kisses (vodka, elderflower liqueur, fresh strawberries, lime, orange and mint) and Loco (coconut tequila, fresh pineapple and lime stirred with coconut water).

Need to know – Barbara has a cracking bar food menu on the way.

Nice to know – Barbara is the perfect Valley venue to knock off early and have a drink with friends and find yourself still there dancing in the corner with them at 3am.