Inuman: Filipino cocktails on an East End rooftop
A courtyard perched above Askal
Opened in late 2024 by the team behind Askal, the Filipino restaurant at 167 Exhibition Street, Inuman bills itself as Melbourne's first Filipino cocktail bar. You reach it by the stairs from the restaurant, three levels up: a small indoor bar with green curtains, then an open-air courtyard filled with striped-cushion banquettes, umbrellas and potted shrubs, warmed by portable heaters on cool evenings. The view is no panorama: you look out over neighbouring office buildings, treetops and a few old façades of the East End, in a relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere. In Tagalog, the name evokes the idea of drinking together.
Calamansi, lambanog and pulutan
The cocktail list changes with the seasons but keeps a common thread: the flavours of the archipelago. Calamansi, a small, tangy citrus fruit, appears often, alongside pandan, tamarind or lambanog, a palm-sap spirit. Recent creations range from A$24 to A$27, and there are also Filipino beers such as San Miguel or Red Horse, plus Australian wines. On the food side, the focus is on pulutan, snacks designed to go with drinks: prawn crackers, seasoned fries, chicharon, pork siomai or a longganisa sausage burger; from 5pm to 9pm, a few dishes also come from Askal's kitchen. The “Sips & Snacks” package (A$65 per person, from 5pm to 8.30pm) combines two hours of bottomless house beer, wine and spritzes with a sharing selection.
Practical information
Open Tuesday to Thursday from 5pm to 11pm, Friday and Saturday from 5pm to midnight; closed Sunday and Monday. Online booking is available; the terrace can be hired exclusively for up to 40 people, the whole venue for up to 50. As the courtyard is open-air, a group booking may be postponed in bad weather. Getting there: Parliament station, a few minutes' walk away; trams 86 and 96 on nearby Bourke Street, within the city centre's Free Tram Zone.
Inuman: frequently asked questions
Inuman: what is the address?
Inuman is located at the following address: 167 Exhibition Street 3e étage (toit) – au-dessus du restaurant Askal, CBD (East End), 3000 Melbourne.
Inuman: how expensive is it?
On our scale, Inuman has a price level of 4 out of 5 ($$$$).
