Like so many places in Melbourne, Sentido Funf looks extremely unimpressive from the outside on Gertrude Street near the corner with Smith Street. I’ve walked past the bar at least five times and hardly even noticed it. In fact, it almost looks like an office, with two windows covered by venetian blinds hiding what’s happening inside.
But what’s inside is quite remarkable. The small, crowded entrance leads to a narrow corridor and you feel like you’ve probably seen all there is to see and are about to reach the toilets, when you realise there is something at the end of the corridor.
The whole place opens up to a large room with glass windows, lanterns hanging from the ceiling and a large tree holding up the roof in one corner. This leads to a green, leafy outdoor area covered in vines and with picnic tables and a few large squashy chairs and fairy lights.
The bar keeps unfolding as you keep going, getting better and better. I went with a large group of friends, and would classify Sentido Funf as a people pleaser. Everyone likes a bar like this one, with well-known hits on the stereo and a laid back atmosphere.
