NOW EXPERIENCING:Dom’s Bar & Lounge
Drinks Directory|After work drinks|Date night|Darwin

Dom’s Bar & Lounge

Friday: 4:00 PM – 1:00 AM
60 Aralia Street Nightcliff NT 0810
Phone
0439 534 353
Website
domsdarwin.com.au
Instagram
@domsbarandlounge

Read time 3 Mins

Posted 29 Apr 2022

By
Sam McCue

Slip on your thongs and head to this laid-back bar in a seaside Darwin suburb for a warm welcome and chilled cocktails brimming with the flavours of its tropical surrounds.

Why you goDom’s isn’t the type of place you just stumble upon – it’s tucked away in the seaside suburb of Nightcliff, 10 kilometres from Darwin’s CBD, so you kind of have to be in the know. Sure, there’s a small sign out the front of the shopping arcade, but you’d never guess it’s the entrance to a fun bar that captures Darwin’s irreverent and creative tropical spirit. Then again, since Dom’s opened in 2019 word has got around, the clientele has expanded and the venue has doubled in size – and the cocktails, wine list and menu have only improved along the way.
Why you stayPeople stay at Dom’s because it’s so damn easy and relaxed, and there’s nowhere else like it. You know that smart and funny friend who’s always the first to suggest “come back to mine”, and then five minutes later, somehow, it’s actually five hours later? That’s Dom. A former environmental scientist who dabbled in hospitality while at uni, Dominic Wundke has magically turned the back of this 1970s suburban shopping arcade – mustard-coloured floor tiles and all – into a homey bar that attracts a casting call of characters: date-nighters, senior public servants, teachers, dancers, hairdressers from the neighbouring salon and their freshly coiffed clients. Inside, Dom’s is all dark walls, tables made from local trees toppled by Cyclone Marcus in 2018, padded banquette seating and cheeky neon signs including, of course, a crocodile. The music might be chosen by Wundke, or even performed by Wundke himself as the frontman of his band, The New Savages.
Cocktail glass
What drink to orderAlthough the wine list is one of Darwin’s best – and the staff use wine-saver stoppers to allow premium bottles to be served by the glass – the cocktails star at Dom’s. They’re mostly inspired by the region and feature plenty of local ingredients. The Pandana Colada, for instance, adds pandan leaves to white rum, coconut and pineapple in a nod to the pandanus growing on the nearby Nightcliff foreshore; the Rambutan Jam is a jacked-up Mojito with, naturally, rambutan, in honour of Melbourne-via-Darwin musos the Rambutan Jam Band; and the Seabreeze combines whisky, rosemary, lime and egg white in a tribute to a much-loved hotel that stood atop the cliffs from 1947 until its destruction by Cyclone Tracy in 1974. Dom’s list of 15 gins includes Darwin Craft Gin (suggested pairing: tonic, lime and rosemary). But the standout cocktail is the Territori-tini. Created by Dom’s star barkeep Andrew “Drew” Mander-Jones, it won the inaugural Darwin Mango Cup in 2020, and rightly so. It’s a perfectly calibrated marriage of white rum, mango, coconut and pandan with a quintessential Darwin garnish – a sweet, lip-puckering, rust-red preserved salty plum.
What to pair it withLightly spiced popcorn will arrive at your table soon after you do, but you might want to save your stomach space for something more interesting: perhaps bruschetta topped with cured zucchini, lemon, feta and mint, or an excellent cheese platter or charcuterie board. To complement the Territori-tini, Wundke recommends the chicken, jalapeño and red pepper quesadilla with fennel and radish salsa. Among the steamed dumplings, the pork and chive or vegetarian versions are equally good, owing largely to the accompanying house-made chilli oil infused with Sichuan peppercorns and local birdseye chillies.
Why we love itDom’s is so laid-back it’s almost horizontal. You’d be hard-pressed to spot someone in a suit here, unless there’s a stray groomsman or two after a wedding. The uniform is tropical shirts, shorts, bright or boho dresses; wear your thongs or your boots or your high heels. However you show up, your welcome will be as warm as a Darwin December.
Who to takeTake someone who’s never been to Dom’s before. They’ll almost certainly thank you for it.
Regular's tipGet onto Dom’s Facebook page or Instagram to find out what’s on when. Dom’s might host a Sunday arvo quiz, say, or be transformed one evening into Dom’s House of Blues Speakeasy Jam Night, featuring performances by Wundke’s own The New Savages.
image credits: Jenni Collier & Leah Sanderson
Authour image
Sam McCueDarwin writer Sam McCue loves food, words and travelling, even if it’s close to home.
Tags
Drinks DirectoryAfter work drinksDarwinBarA+ spirits listWheelchair accessibleDate night
REPORT A VENUE CLOSURE/REPORT AN ERROR
Related Articles