Six Cocktail Bar

Six Cocktail Bar is a casual cocktail bar at 90 3rd Avenue in Melville, the leafy, student-friendly suburb west of central Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa. Melville's 7th Street and surrounding avenues form one of the city's most walkable nightlife pockets, and Six is regarded as a long-running staple of that scene. The crowd is relaxed and mixed: university students and recent graduates, creatives, neighbourhood regulars and visitors staying in nearby guesthouses. Dress is casual, with jeans and sneakers entirely normal, and no strict door policy is associated with the venue. The atmosphere is friendly and unpretentious, more about sociable evenings than exclusivity. The specialty is affordable cocktails paired with live music. Cocktails cost roughly R90 to R150, about $5.50 to $9, which places the bar in the $$ range and makes it a budget-friendly alternative to Johannesburg's premium cocktail rooms in Rosebank and Sandton. Live acts add to the programme, and the music varies with the night, so checking the venue's social media before going helps to find out who is playing. The bar keeps long hours, opening daily from 11:00 and running until 02:00, which means it can serve as an afternoon drink stop and a late-night finish. Weeknights are relaxed and easy for a conversation, while Friday and Saturday are the busiest, with live music drawing bigger groups. No cover charge is listed, and reservations are generally unnecessary for small groups, though larger parties may want to phone or message ahead on busy weekends. Bottle-service culture is not a feature; most guests order cocktails and beer by the round. Melville is best explored on foot in a group while the streets are busy, but for the trip home late at night most visitors use Uber or Bolt rather than walk. Combining Six with neighbouring Melville bars such as Smoking Kills makes a natural bar crawl within a few minutes' walk.