You want a drink near Blackburn North, but the local list is half wine shop, half dinner spots, and one furniture store. Pick the right place fast: here is where to go, what to skip, and when Nunawading makes more sense.
The Verdict
Natural Science Wine and Liquor is the pick if you want the best Blackburn North-adjacent bar experience from this list. It has the cleanest signal: a 5/5 rating from 73 reviews, a real address at 9a Salisbury Ave in Blackburn, and a format that actually fits the brief. This is the one to choose if you are after wine, liquor, and a sharper local option than defaulting to a pub meal on Whitehorse Road.
The fallback is Blackburn Hotel at 111 Whitehorse Road, Blackburn. It is not the most interesting choice, but it is the dependable one: mid-range pricing, 1,335 reviews, and the kind of obvious main-road presence that works when you are meeting people who do not want to decode the suburb. Amor Mexico - Mexican Restaurant in Blackburn is the better pick if the night needs food first and drinks second, while Squires Loft Nunawading is the more expensive dinner-led option. Don’t treat Suave Furniture Nunawading as a nightlife recommendation just because it appears in the verified data; it is a furniture business, and you will regret planning your Friday night around it.
Local Reality
Blackburn North is not a dense bar suburb. The useful venues here sit around Blackburn, Nunawading, Box Hill North, and Doncaster East rather than one neat nightlife strip. That matters because your night will probably involve a short drive, a deliberate meetup point, or choosing the place closest to the person who least wants to travel. Natural Science Wine and Liquor on Salisbury Ave is the most focused choice, while Blackburn Hotel on Whitehorse Road is the easiest landmark pick for a group.
Whitehorse Road is the practical spine here. Squires Loft Nunawading at 54/288 Whitehorse Road and Suave Furniture Nunawading at 314 Whitehorse Road both sit on that corridor, but only one makes sense for a night out. Squires Loft is upscale and dinner-driven; Suave Furniture is not a bar stop. Amor Mexico sits at the rear shops on Blackburn Road, so it is a better call when you want Mexican food with drinks instead of a standalone bar crawl. Evangeline’s at Tunstall Square in Doncaster East stretches the geography, and Kerrimuir Noodle Bar on Middleborough Road is useful food territory, not a drinks-first venue.
Skip this list if you want a walkable run of late-night bars. If you are west of Blackburn Road, you may be better off looking toward Box Hill or another neighbouring suburb with more density instead.
Who This Suits
If you are a wine person, pick Natural Science Wine and Liquor. If you are organising a low-friction group catch-up, pick Blackburn Hotel because everyone can understand the location and the price point is mid-range. If you want dinner to carry the night, pick Amor Mexico - Mexican Restaurant in Blackburn for a mid-range meal, or Squires Loft Nunawading if the group is happy with an upscale steakhouse-style spend. If you are just hungry after work, Kerrimuir Noodle Bar may solve dinner, but it should not be your bar pick.
Cost expectations are mixed. Amor Mexico and Blackburn Hotel are marked mid-range, so they are the safer choices when you do not want the bill to dominate the night. Squires Loft Nunawading is marked upscale, so treat it as a planned dinner rather than a casual drink. Natural Science Wine and Liquor has no listed price marker in the source data, so check current hours, range, and any tasting or service details before you commit.
Time of day matters here because Blackburn North does not give you endless backup options on the same block. Early evening is the sensible window for Natural Science, Amor Mexico, and Blackburn Hotel. For later nights, group bookings, or public-holiday plans, check the latest hours first. The safest move is to choose one destination, confirm it is open, and avoid trying to improvise a crawl from this set.
What to Do Next
Start with Natural Science Wine and Liquor, then use Blackburn Hotel as the easy group fallback. Check current hours before leaving, because this is not a suburb where you can wing it. For the broader area, read the Blackburn North Suburb Guide.
| Venue | Rating | Reviews | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Science Wine and Liquor | 5/5 | 73 | — |
| Suave Furniture Nunawading | 4.7/5 | 40 | — |
| Amor Mexico - Mexican Restaurant in Blackburn | 4.3/5 | 366 | $$ |
| Squires Loft Nunawading | 4.1/5 | 793 | $$$ |
| Blackburn Hotel | 4/5 | 1335 | $$ |
| Evangeline’s | 4/5 | 264 | $$ |
| Kerrimuir Noodle Bar | 3.9/5 | 200 | — |
Venue Details
Natural Science Wine and Liquor
Address: 9a Salisbury Ave, Blackburn
Rating: 5/5 (73 reviews)
Suave Furniture Nunawading
Address: 314 Whitehorse Road, Nunawading
Rating: 4.7/5 (40 reviews)
Amor Mexico - Mexican Restaurant in Blackburn
Address: Shop 1-2 Rear Shop/20 Blackburn Road, Blackburn
Rating: 4.3/5 (366 reviews)
Price: Mid-range
Squires Loft Nunawading
Address: 54/288 Whitehorse Road, Nunawading
Rating: 4.1/5 (793 reviews)
Price: Upscale
Blackburn Hotel
Address: 111 Whitehorse Road, Blackburn
Rating: 4/5 (1,335 reviews)
Price: Mid-range
Evangeline’s
Address: 20 Tunstall Square, Doncaster East
Rating: 4/5 (264 reviews)
Price: Mid-range
Kerrimuir Noodle Bar
Address: 523 Middleborough Road, Box Hill North
Rating: 3.9/5 (200 reviews)
About This Guide
Every venue in this guide is a verified, currently operating business sourced from Google Places API. Data last refreshed: 2026-03-31. If a venue has closed or moved, let us know.
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