This Caribbean-inspired bar slings rum-powered drinks until late and offers a choose-your-own-adventure menu starring fried chicken, all backed up by a soundtrack of tropical beats.
The cultural and hospitality explosion in Hobart’s Midtown can be partly credited to Rude Boy’s arrival more than six years ago. Inspired by owner Alexia Kallis’s travels through Cuba and Colombia, and named after the 2010 Rihanna track ‘Rude Boy’, the Caribbean-themed bar delivers everything you’d expect from a venue with the tagline “We rum this city”.
The sign outside, emblazoned with “fried chicken and cocktails”, signals you have arrived. Outdoor seating allows revellers to spill onto the street and enjoy a drink al fresco, but it’s inside where Rude Boy shines. It has a vibrant fiesta vibe thanks to Afro-Caribbean beats and bright wallpaper splashed with exotic flora and fauna. Old meets new in the contemporary mirrored wall, the original pressed-tin roof, neon signage and exposed brick walls, all blending to create a space that’s inviting and exciting. Rude Boy subscribes to the more-is-more approach to interiors, and it works. But no mere gimmick, it has real substance and consideration. The food is crowd-pleasing, the staff are a friendly and knowledgeable crew, but it’s the creative drinks that steal the show.
Winner of Australian Bartender’s 2022 Rum Bar of the Year, Rude Boy has a bewildering 200-plus rums on pour. A good place to start is with a flight – four 15ml shots that either explore a single distillery or offer a more global perspective.
Naturally, the rum action extends to the classic cocktails like Piña Colada and Dark and Stormy. If you’re feeling more adventurous, opt for the Breakfast in the Emerald Forest, a tropical concoction of Bacardi, yellow Chartreuse liqueur, chocolate liqueur, salt, berries and butter – it’s strangely delicious – or the Banana Squadron, a mix of dark banana rum, Italy’s bittersweet Aperol and Montenegro liqueurs and lemon; it’s the bar’s riff on a Lost Plane.
A board details the ever-changing list of wines by the glass, and the extensive beer list covers lagers, IPAs, dark beers, sour beers and non-alcoholic options. The on-theme Royal Jamaican Ginger Beer, meanwhile, is crisp and sweet – a standout example of alcoholic ginger beer. After a three-year hiatus, it has just relaunched and made its way to the Apple Isle.
