Lodge-style joint with exposed brick, wood & taxidermy decor for cocktails, whisky & live jazz.
Dine in
Takeout
Delivery
Service Options
Highlights
Great cocktails
Live music
Live performances
Amenities
Restroom
Crowd
Groups
Payments
Credit cards
Debit cards
Offerings
Alcohol
Beer
Cocktails
Food
Food at bar
Hard liquor
Wine
Atmosphere
Casual
Cozy
Upscale
Planning
Accepts reservations
Map
Hippo Co Reviews
Average user rating
4.79
28 reviews
Rating breakdown
5
27
4
27
3
4
2
1
1
1
- C Mac
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
We came and enjoyed the whisky tasting on a Thursday night on a recent trip to Canberra. Our host was knowledge, engaging and had a great sense of humour. Lovely cheese board supplied for the experience. Cute bar with great decor. Very glad we decided to stop in here.
- Rob “Bear” Bruce
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
This place was at the top of my must see venues in Canberra. I thought I knew my whiskeys but these guys were like the yoda of whiskey conosusers.... Brilliant. Will be definitely going back next time were down...
- Derek Lee
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
The best whisky bar in Canberra. Australia doesn't have much of a whisky culture, so it seemed like most other patrons were doing beer/cocktails/wine on a Saturday night, but they have a legit Scotch and whisky selection. They got the American-style whisky bar vibe right.
- Melissa Lei
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
Stumbled across Hippo on a night time stroll, would make it a regular haunt. Live music is fantastic. The vibe is fantastic, great place to sit and chill post dinner.
- Joseph Woll
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
Stopped by here on Sunday, excellent place for a post dinner drink, impressive selection of whiskey and delightful service.
- J Gator
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
4.0/5
Really good cocktail bar, just a little small and hard to get a seat on the weekend. My advice for any cocktail bar is to let the bartender fix you something custom. One of their creations. If they're a reputable bar then they will have plenty of experience and expertise to make something great.
Hippo Co made me a custom cocktail with who knows what in it but it was delightful.
- tanisha
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
Nich and eamon were great. Made the most delicious cocktails, were friendly and personable. Will be coming back !!
- Olivia “Livi” H
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
4.0/5
Nice atmosphere and vibe.
Sadly both of my fav drinks weren't made properly.
- Espresso Martini was rather boring. Boring taste and looks sad. The coffee part tasted like instant/artificial coffee... Would be nice if it was real coffee. The alcohol part was not strong enough to qualify for a real drink.
- Old fashioned is too sweet, they used syrup instead of crushed sugar.
The orange was nice and fragrant, so somewhat saved the drink on the fragrant part.
Unfortunately, the whiskey was drowned by the syrup, they may as well have used Woodstock.
- Ivamere Ratulailai
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
Love the comical sign you find half way up the staircase, as you reach the top floor you are welcomed by friendly staff. The open floor rustic decore creates a saloon style setting, as we walked to the bar we were instantly in awe of the overwhelming variety of alcohol perched high above us. We enjoyed great banter with the bartenders as we watched them make our delightful cocktails, I enjoyed all the background stories about each bottle and cocktail. This was such a pleasurable experince. I am so glad we decided to walk in one Saturday night.
- Amy Tran
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
Little cocktail bar on the balcony floor, with good vibes. The staff were friendly and made room for us even without a booking. But I would recommend booking for peak hours. Strong but elegant tasting cocktails. Thank you.
- Peter Waywood
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
I feel like this has always been a “must-go” whenever people visit Canberra, or even as a local. The selection is great, while the staffs recommendations are always on point.
It becomes something of a social experience when you repeatedly talk to the same staff, and so I’d highly recommend a Penicillin from Eamon. 👍
- James Humphreys
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
Had some great cocktails and conversation with Nick last night.
Keep up the good work.
See you next time. James and emma.
- Sandra P
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
Great vibe and space. Impressive cocktails. Would recommend the "Sex Panther" cocktail for a consistently well balanced drink.
- Lawrence Petroni
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
Great night tasting scotch single malt whisky- thanks to Ben who was awesome, very knowledgeable and looked after us. We’ll be back fo sho…
- Chris Crowley
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
Great cocktails. Attentive bar tenders. Good music on several nights. I've traveled to Canberra in multiple occasions, and this is my go to bar.
- B O
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
Great bar, friendly staff and very nice cocktails. Very cool jazz band playing while we were there too
- Sofia Ardaiz
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
Great atmosphere! Delicious cocktails, ended up there by luck, so glad we walked in!
- David Kearins
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
Fantastic bar that specialises in Whiskey's from Australia and beyond. The friendly staff are always available to have a chat about about their faviourite Whiskey or offer suggestions on something you can try.
Not a Whiskey drinker? No problem they also have a range of wines and cocktails to choose from and a range of food to snack on if you are looking for something to eat.
- Pete H
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
Fabulous find! This place is awesome. Friendly and attentive staff. Magnificent old fashioned and super vibe and atmosphere. A must stop if you are in Canberra and craving a sophisticated but not pretentious evening.
- Freya McLaughlan
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
4.0/5
Cool little whiskey bar upstairs with moody lighting and a huge range of whiskies. Also cocktails, beers and wines and also toasties if you’re snacky.
- WolfeyeMcWolf
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
Benn coming here as a regular for two years now. Couldn’t imagine a better place to chill out and have a well made drink. Their whisky range is incredible, the staff is friendly, caring and they know what they do. Atmosphere is like a cute, cozy and dim mountain lodge. Their live Jazz sessions on Wednesdays are absolutely amazing.
- Ingrid Bown
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
2.0/5
A sweet, cosy bar with a reasonable selection of whiskey and delicious cocktails, but the most miserable bartender I’ve ever encountered.
- Mohamed Irba
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
Amazing staff and atmosphere. We went for cocktails after dinner and had an Old Smoke, Old fashioned, Amygdyla Highjack, The Herbalist, and Mr Perfectly fine.
All were excellent and watching the Herbalist being made is quiet a show :)
Eamon was very knowledgeable and fantastic mixologist and Courtney, Ben, and Nick always make us feel welcome here. Will definitely be back.
- T M
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
A low-lit whiskey bar that serves high-end cocktails. Staff are very knowledgeable and provide a professional level of service. There is inside and outside balcony seating. It's great for small groups but not too many (max 6-8) as their capacity is limited. They often run at capacity so recommend a booking, even for 2 people.
- Raymond Robinson
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
A Great Selection Of Whisk(e)y! I mean- I'd been hunting for STARWARD (Port Melbourne, Australian made) for a long time, and Hippo Co not only had it, but had a selection of them at the bar. Great vibes, wonderful live music. I gotta hit up this place more often!
- Stuff ToClutterYourHouse
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
A great place to start the night with a few cocktails. It has a great selection of cocktails and others... I'm always amazed at how many bottles of alcohol are above the bar. And the decor is perfect for a nice quite night to a party nighty. And they have a picture of dolly parton on the wall...
- Shaun O'Keeffe
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
A fantastic speakeasy style bar. A vast selection of spirits, good advice if you're unsure, and a great cocktail menu and IBA trained staff to knock up the classics. If you can, come when there's a band playing, as you'll find wonderfully talented musicians jamming around with free jazz, blues, and funk. Highly recommend.
- T Reckless
5 Fri 2024 at 11.49 pm
5.0/5
Absolutely great place. Tried the whisky tasting, it was great. I was guided through the histories and the flavours. What an amazing experience. Definitely recommend.
- C Mac