I love going to the movies and I’m glad it’s still a thing! As I was keen to watch Dune: Part Two on the weekend I decided to visit my local cinema, Cinebar in Paddington, which is actually in Rosalie Village (which is a part of Paddington). As the name suggests, this Cinebar serves drinks, dinner and dessert and they bring it straight to your seat.
As I decided to go at the last minute and the family weren’t keen to see Dune, I went on a solo date to the Cinebar. I also love going to the movies on my own, but I rarely do that these days so I was excited for some time out. Additionally, I hadn’t been to the Cinebar in Paddington’s Rosalie Village before and I was keen to try it out for this blog.
The Atmosphere
The red carpet was literally rolled out for me when I arrived at the Cinebar, so I walked along its course, past restaurants and bars before arriving at the hotel lobby-like entrance. The Cinebar was fairly empty when I arrived, as it was 6pm and my movie wasn’t starting for another 30 minutes. This gave me enough time to scope out the place and do some snooping, filming (see my video at the end) and snapping.
There’s a spacious foyer in front of the bar and ticket booth. Beyond this, the bar walls (which curve overhead) were decorated with translucent bottles and the effect was subtle yet eye-catching. Further past the bar were benches and tables where you could sit and drink or eat a meal pre-movie. Opposite the bar sits an adjoining restaurant (which I’ll talk about more later).
Upstairs, Cinebar in Paddington has another bar/snack area and foyer, so you could also hang here before you enter your cinema. I noticed it was busier here just before the movie opened, so it functioned as a pre-entry area/hang. I grabbed a vanilla choc top ice cream here before I went in to see my film. However, before that, I killed some time with a drink at the downstairs bar…
The Drinks at Cinebar in Paddington
I enjoyed a glass of pinot noir while I was waiting for my film, as I didn’t feel like drinking a beer tonight. The first thing I noticed about this place is that it really is a CineBAR. There are loads of drink varieties here! For starters, there are nine signature cocktails which cover the classics, half a dozen varieties of champagne and three different bottles of white wine, served by the glass or bottle.
There are also a dozen different types of red wine (mine was the Opawa pinot noir from Marlborough, New Zealand), two types of Rose, two types of ginger beer, four different craft and four different bottled beers. For tap beers, both the upstairs and downstairs bars have Coopers Pale Ale, Sapporo Premium Beer and Stone & Wood Pacific Ale. There’s also Thatchers Apple Cider on tap here too.
Other drinks at the Cinebar in Paddington include eight different types of spirits, a selection of soft drinks, juice, iced chocolate/coffee, milkshakes, tea/coffee and hot chocolate.
Cinema Comfort
Cinebar in Paddington isn’t a luxurious establishment, being a local, independent cinema/bar yet it’s certainly comfortable enough. I sat up the back in a little two-seater and had a large fold-out table to myself. I was sitting in the seat probably farthest from the screen and I could see the film fine.
The chairs were comfortable, although I wouldn’t say they were heavenly. Probably the only thing about the night that annoyed me slightly comfort wise, was that there was a chilly air conditioner on throughout the whole length of the film. Bring a jumper just in case you feel the cold like me!
The Food
Call me old fashioned but I get pretty excited when people bring drinks and food straight to your table in the cinema. I know people have grown up with this being the norm but it certainly wasn’t in my day. So, I was pretty happy when the attendant brought me my nasi goreng, which I ordered from the restaurant adjacent to the downstairs foyer, Thai Terrace. I totally recommend Thai Terrace!
This Cinebar in Paddington is lucky to have a good Thai restaurant on hand. My nasi goreng had tofu, egg, spicy curry and chilli sauce and jasmine rice. It contained a variety of textures/flavours (crunchy, soft, spongy, spicy, aromatic) and it was well-portioned. I tried my best to get a shot in the dark under the seat light, but as you can see it didn’t turn out too well.
Thai Terrace has half a dozen varieties of mains and desserts for you to try. Alternative food at Cinebar in Paddington includes pizzas, cheese plates, dip platters, Asian share plates, fries, spring rolls, gyozas and more. Check out Cinebars’ website to see the full range of food options. In all, there are plenty of options here.
The Service
I read a few negative comments on Google reviews before coming about the service. Well, I paid particular attention to the staff on the night I was here and I thought they were polite, fast and nimble. Of course, I can only tell you what I experienced, and I was impressed with what I saw.
The attendants had to duck while the movie was on to serve people, do it quickly and balance food and drinks all the while. These guys and girls were the courteous ninjas of Rosalie! Thanks team, good job.
Ordering Food & Drinks from the Cinema
I thought the system here was simple and effective. Once you’re given your paper cinema ticket, it has a bar code on it, which you scan while you’re in the cinema to order food and/or drinks. Now the only caveat to this is you might have your phone light on during the movie, although strangely I didn’t see this happening at all. You can also pre-order drinks and food for a certain time, which is perhaps what other people were doing.
Value
I paid $18 for my ticket to see Dune: Part Two, which I thought was pretty reasonable considering the service I got. I also thought the food and drinks at this Cinebar in Paddington were okay price wise. I wouldn’t say a bargain, nor a rip-off, and the quality was solid. My Nazi Goreng was $21, my glass of pinot $13 and my choc top $7.50. Pretty standard in Brissie really. Let me know in the comments if you think otherwise.
Final Thoughts
In all, I enjoyed my solo night out, testing the waters at this Cinebar in Paddington. In fact, I’m keen to return with the family in the near future. I thought the prices were reasonable, the service excellent and I enjoyed the venue, as I thought it was cosy. It also had a certain art deco vibe about it with the entrance and the foyer, and I loved Thai Terrace!
With the predominance of online streaming sites, it’s great to support smaller businesses like this. I love going to the movies and I hope this cultural activity lives on! Keep it alive by heading on down to Rosalie Village to check out this little Cinebar for a fun slice of Brissie life.
Check out my video below to get a better idea of what it’s like.
A Few Fast Facts
- This Cinebar in Paddington is located in Rosalie Village.
- Cinebar is a family-owned business that’s been running since 2005.
- There’s another Cinebar in Coolangatta.
- Cinebar does private event packages such as a ‘party package’, a ‘deluxe package’ and a ‘cocktail party’. Check out their website to find out more.
- Cinebar is wheelchair accessible, as there are lifts and the cinemas are accessible by a ramp.
