Loc Bottle Bar

Loc Bottle Bar is a physical progression of owner Olivia Moore’s online bottle shop, which launched during the nationwide shutdown of 2020. The result is a merging of both concepts (the venue’s tongue-in-cheek Instagram bio says “Kinda like a bottle shop, but a bar instead”).

Inside, a shelf on the back wall holds 150-odd bottles of low-intervention wine (Loc stands for left-of-centre) divided into old and new world (Moore name-checks French label La Boheme – by winemaker Patrick Bijou – as a favourite). There's no wine list, so guests can select the bottle they want straight off the shelf – or leave the choice in the staff’s hands.

There's no service bar, either, removing the usual barrier between staff and guests. Just an electric-blue communal bar table plus bench seating along one wall. Moore and interior designer Claire Markwick-Smith (of Kipfler) have stripped the former hairdressing salon back to expose the green concrete floor and textured walls, on which hang a curated display of lino prints – available for sale – by local artist Loique Allain.

The petite space has no room for a kitchen, so staff plate up small bites devised by chef Maria Delengas (Bloom, ex-Nido). Think olives, pickles, smokey seeds, saucisson, French cheese and crackers. The venue also hosts a revolving door of guest chefs who make good use of the induction cooker and outdoor barbeque. Previous pop-ups have revolved around ramen, pasta, burgers and breakfast.

For those who want to drink something other than wine, there are cans of RTDs from Empirical Spirits, booze-free bottles of Non and organic beer on tap.

But there's more: Loc opens its doors in the mornings under the stewardship of Coffee in Common’s Dos Cavuoto. He’s pulling coffees and serving sweets – roasted and made in-house at Coffee in Common’s Thebarton HQ – under the name Li’l Sebastian (named after the miniature horse on Parks and Recreation). Drop in for espresso and filter coffee, Mörk hot chocolate, Belgian choc-chip cookies, peanut butter and white chocolate cookies, and Belgian chocolate brownies.