Many people have a story about a neat second-hand find: a beautiful piece of furniture, the perfect indoor plant, or an unbelievably affordable set of golf clubs. For Range Brewing’s Gerard Martin, he spotted some nifty vintage pieces for his new venue.

“I saw some vintage bar stools and Japanese speakers, and [they] set the tone for the whole build,” he tells Broadsheet. “They will be a bit of a conversational piece [when we open] – already our staff are asking lots of questions [about them].”

You’ll find those stools and speakers inside his new neighbourhood bar, Patio, which officially opens in Rosalie Village today. Martin alongside co-owner Matt McIver runs the original Range brewery and taproom in Newstead – and a Melbourne taproom. However, Patio is a very different operation.

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For one, there aren’t any takeaway cans available. There are 10 beers on tap, plus two wine taps made in collaboration with Latta Vino (a bright vino rosso and crisp vino bianco). At the time of opening, the beer taps feature one of Range’s most popular brews, Jam, which incorporates a medley of berries to create a thick, sour beer. There are also a couple of pale ales, a number of IPAs – including a recent collaboration with Japanese brewery, Black Tide – and a coffee and coconut stout. Expect the taps to change regularly, in keeping with Range’s motto: forever exploring, forever evolving.

Like the Newstead taproom, the full Jacopo’s Pizza menu is on offer, along with a few more snacks. There are additions like gildas (Spanish skewers), a sardine and radish toast, and charred broccolini with black miso. Over the opening week, they are also trialling a fried Italian meatball sub to test whether a sando menu will suit the space.

For the fit-out, Martin and McIver – with the help of their team – designed and built everything from scratch within three months. It was a mammoth effort considering they were looking after two busy taprooms and releasing new beers on a weekly basis at the same time. The result is one of the most exciting openings of the year.

At the front of the venue is the patio area, filled with lots of brick, burgundy-tiled tables and a timber bench seat. A walkway leads you past a large fairy light-wrapped tree and into the courtyard.

Inside, the space resembles an old-fashioned Australian bar with lots of dark timber (made from native Australian spotted gum), brick, and a beautiful 18-metre-bar that hosts Martin’s beloved vintage bar stools. On the right of the bar, there’s a small space with large bi-fold windows and the antique Japanese speakers attached to the wall. Another area – which Martin refers to as the “living room” – features a mix of seating options and a TV quietly showing sport.

During the build, interest from the Rosalie community has been high. “The amount of people that have popped their head in has been crazy. Sometimes we couldn’t get any work done,” Martin jokes. “Already, the locals understand what we’re going for – we want this to be the local of Rosalie.”

Patio by Range
146 Baroona Road, Paddington
No Phone

Hours:
Weds & Thurs 3pm–9pm
Fri & Sat 12pm–10pm
Sun 12pm–9pm

patiobyrange.com/
@patiobyrange