RMIT students drink mostly in the CBD because the campus is in the CBD - and the question ‘best student bar’ really means ‘cheap, easy to get into, doesn’t make you wait an hour’. This is the honest list of bars that won’t drain your weekly budget on a Wednesday and won’t kick you out for trainers and a hoodie.
Naked for Satan: Brunswick Street Rooftop
Naked for Satan in Fitzroy ($1 pintxos with drink purchase, happy hour 4-7pm daily) is the standard student migration target on Friday nights. Rooftop, panoramic city views, $14-$16 cocktails outside happy hour, $9-$10 schooners. 12-minute tram ride from RMIT (route 96 or 86). No dress code; smart casual fine. Queues from 9pm Friday-Saturday.
The Local Taphouse: St Kilda East
Cheap-pour craft beer ($9-$12 schooners), pub food, 30-minute tram from RMIT - far enough that students don’t all flock there but close enough for a Friday session. Casual dress code. Trivia Tuesdays with $0 entry.
Heartbreaker: Russell Street CBD
Heartbreaker on Russell Street is a rock-and-cheap-drink dive bar - $9 schooners, $10 cocktails, late close (3am Friday-Saturday). 8 minutes’ walk from RMIT main building. No dress code. Loud, dark, exactly what student-bar marketing wants to be. Music skews garage rock and grunge.
The Lincoln: Carlton
The Lincoln Hotel on Cardigan Street (Carlton) is the student-and-grad pub - $10 parmas Wednesday, $9 schooners, large beer garden. 12-minute walk from RMIT. Crowd is mixed undergrads/postgrads; quiet enough for conversation, busy enough for atmosphere. Long-running RMIT venue.
RMIT Student Bar (When Open)
Building 1, level 3, RMIT main campus - the actual student union bar. $7-$9 schooners (the cheapest in the city by some margin), $14 jugs, basic pub menu. Open Wednesday-Friday afternoons, often closes early on quiet nights. Members-only typically requires student ID. Limited operating hours during exam periods.
$10 Cocktails: Mary’s Underground
Mary’s Underground on Lonsdale Street runs $10 cocktail Tuesdays - a deal aimed squarely at the student crowd. The cocktails are decent (not Bar Americano-tier but good for the price). 5 minutes’ walk from RMIT. Smart-casual dress.
After-Hours Eating Pairing
Late-night pre- and post-bar eating: Banh Mi 234 on Swanston ($8 banh mi until 1am), Stalactites Greek on Lonsdale ($16 souvlaki plates until 2am Friday-Saturday), and HuTong Dumpling Bar (open until 11pm; longer hours weekends). For 24-hour: McDonald’s Russell or Hungry Jacks Bourke.
What This Means for You
For cheap-and-loud: Heartbreaker. For after-class quick beer: The Lincoln. For the rooftop view: Naked for Satan. For genuinely cheapest: RMIT student bar when it’s open. For dates: Mary’s Underground. Don’t try Yarra Hotel or the Espy mid-week - they’re better as planned weekend trips. For nearby food, see cheap eats near RMIT; for the wider scene, Melbourne nightlife itinerary.
Jack Carver covers Melbourne food, drink, and city life for MELBZ.
