Is it a bar? It’s a wine bar. Does it serve food? It has elaborate snacks. But can we have dinner there? How hungry are you? Such are the questions facing many who are exploring Melbourne’s bar scene right now.
Melbourne’s Best Bar Openings of 2023 (So Far)
These sleek breweries, bottle stores with snacks, all-purpose wine bars and fancy cocktail dens proved the line between bar and restaurant is blurrier than ever.
Published on 11 July 2023
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Gone are the days when most bars offered little more than a wedge of lemon for edible sustenance. In 2023, even the smallest of watering holes offer anchovy toast, tasting plates and flights of spritz.
The year has seen several big hitters take a swing, from a fancy McConnell debut to an exciting spark from a young hospo couple, a Sydney import pouring wild ales and natural wines, and a beloved brewery’s revelatory expansion.
Here are nine of the best new bars from the first half of the year – and some honourable mentions – in alphabetical order to quench your thirst. (And don’t miss our recap of the Best Restaurant Openings of the Year (So Far) here.)
Listen to The Best Bar Openings of 2023 (So Far) on Broadsheet’s short-form Around Town podcast.
Apollo Inn, CBD
This slinky little bar from Andrew McConnell and Jo McGann – a sibling to barnstorming hit Gimlet just 50 metres away – has already cemented its place on Melbourne’s cocktail landscape. This old-world-inspired spot occupies the ground floor of neo-Renaissance style McDonald House with just 28 seats, low lighting, timber panelling, and a curvaceous banquette. Behind the bar there’s a range of Martinis (Dry, Dirty, Cafe and Gibson) and a concise list of wines by the bottle and glass. Guests also have access to Gimlet's 300-bottle cellar. And it wouldn’t be a McConnell venture without excellent snacks. Think raw scallops, oysters, beef carpaccio and spicy soppressata, and tuna on toast. Bookings are hard to come by, but walk-ins are encouraged.
Opening buzz: “There’s virtually no rules, unlike in a restaurant ... And that’s what’s exciting,” says McConnell.
Bar Bellamy, Carlton
This lively Euro-style neighbourhood bar on Rathdowne Street has “instant classic” status written all over it. Its owners – husband and wife Oska and Danielle Whitehart – have serious pedigree behind them. He spent time behind the bar at The Everleigh, Bad Frankie and Gimlet, while she worked at Archie’s All Day and Sibling. There’s plenty of passion and good vibes on display at their bistro-slash-cocktail bar-slash-wine-bar, with a name that plays on the French words bel ami (“good friend”). And the food from chef Barney Cohen (ex-Anada, Nomada) is nailing the contemporary all-day menu. Small plates might include oysters drizzled in hot sauce, mussel croquettes, devilled eggs, and spectacular chicken liver parfait cannoli, as well as larger plates like a veal schnitzel Holstein. Sundays are for set menu long lunches available “until stumps” (they’re sold out).
Opening buzz: “We wanted it to be like an old bistro or small bar you could stumble into on vacation in Europe,” says Danielle.
Black Kite Commune, CBD
Some may remember this space as Bar Neapoli tucked in a laneway off Bourke Street. It’s been revamped into a moody supper club by Ben Luzz, who owns Gin Palace and Bar Ampere a short stumble away. BKC harks back to Melbourne’s boisterous supper clubs of last century with, curiously, a synaesthetic cocktail menu – one tipple is inspired by Beethoven’s Fifth. There’s also brandy from Sullivan’s Cove, Archie Rose whisky aged in Maidenii vermouth barrels, and pechuga, a meat-infused agave spirit from Black Snake Distillery. Chef Santosh Thapa’s menu sits somewhere between pre-theatre snacks and late-night pick-me-ups. That means everything from wild boar croquettes to a venison and beef burger with Pyengana Dairy cheddar. It’s table service only, but airline-style service buttons upstairs make it easy to stay settled in. Ding!
Opening buzz: The dark new spot celebrates a bygone era of late-night drinking and dining.
Fat Nancy, Abbotsford
Named after a roadhouse in George Miller’s classic Mad Max, this American barbeque bar serves trays loaded with 12-hour smoked brisket, pulled pork, chicken wings and German-style kransky. Owners Vaughan Kelly and Willow Humphreys previously opened Clifton Hill’s much-loved Spensley’s, but this is a more intimate and brooding space. Kitsch movie posters and Americana folk art hang on the walls with swamp blues on the speakers. The fridge is stocked with cans of local beer and there are four on tap, including Bodriggy from across the road and Garage Project from across the pond. One sparkling, three white and three red wines are served by the glass. Cosy up at the narrow U-shaped 20-seat wooden counter stretching down the centre of the front bar or find a spot in the surprisingly large beer garden out the back.
Opening buzz: Drop in for a quick beer and a catch-up with mates or settle in for some food and maybe an NBA match on the telly.
Lilac Wine, Cremorne
This sprawling wine bar in the backstreets of Cremorne is the latest neighbourhood addition to Nathan Toleman’s growing Mulberry Group, which includes Hazel, Dessous, Liminal and La Cantina at Common Ground Project, as well as the recently reopened Heide Kitchen. Lilac sees Toleman return to his low-fi roots. The graffitied red-brick facade has been left untouched, while inside it’s like a stylish Brooklyn loft apartment with exposed brick and cosy Persian rugs. The food offering is substantial, with head chef Kyle Nicol (ex-Rascal) using a woodfired oven and grill for the French bistro-style menu with charry flatbread and innovative snacks such as the chicken mousse eclair with black garlic “icing”. The wine list – curated by ex-Aru sommelier Richard Buck – is just as eclectic, featuring more than 150 organic and biodynamic drops and creative cocktails.
Opening buzz: It’s got industrial charm, nostalgic snacks and a cocktail that tastes like a lamington.
Molly Rose, Collingwood
Nic Sandery’s brilliant beer has long been diverse (think lemon farmhouse ales, coffee-citrus sours, and more) but the small menu of jaffles and charcuterie available at his warehouse brewery limited the food-matching possibilities. Now the space has expanded into the building next door, with a schmick fit-out, courtyard beer garden and a new chef, Ittichai Ngamtrairai, putting the food front and centre. Southeast Asian flavours abound, including twice-fried chicken wings filled with salted-cod mousse and glazed with Ngamtrairai’s hot sauce. Ribbons of cuttlefish “noodles” are lightly tossed with pickled fennel, while kangaroo tartare is dressed with spicy ’nduja and sour tamarind to pair with a hoppy IPA. There’s also beer-matched set menu, loosely inspired by Smith Street’s long-defunct, nose-to-tail Josie Bones.
Opening buzz: The lateral expansion gives Molly Rose something every popular brewery needs – space.
Odd Culture, Fitzroy
This bar and bottle shop on Brunswick Street is the Melbourne outpost of a Sydney bar that was based on … a Melbourne bottle shop bar. That’s a chicken-or-egg moment we can get behind. As the name suggests, the Odd Culture team is into beers, wines and other drinks flavoured by funky yeasts and bacterial cultures. On shelves and in fridges you’ll find classic lambics and farmhouse ales, plus 12 taps pouring beers like Mountain Culture IPA and a sherry barrel-aged imperial stout. There are tables and banquettes down the back, so you can pick up a bottle or stay for a glass. There’s no bottle list for wine – drinkers are invited to browse the shelves and fridges. Snacks include chicken liver pate with house-made crisps and fish sauce-infused caramel – it’s an umami party.
Opening buzz: The new venue seems destined to carve its own niche among the venues that inspired it.
One or Two, CBD
This dark, narrow bar is the first solo venture from bartender Andy Chu, who spent time at some of Melbourne’s best venues, including the Everleigh for four years, Above Board, Black Pearl and Byrdi. It condenses his 11 years of experience into a 24-seat cocktail bar offering just eight cocktails, and 50 small-batch whiskies. Hidden down the same cobblestone laneway as Supper Inn in Chinatown, the whisky collection spans Japan, Scotland, Ireland, Australia and Chu’s home of origin, Hong Kong. The cocktail list pairs traditional options with more adventurous tipples, like the milk tea-inspired Yin Yang Milk Punch. A few natural wines, independent beers, sake, and soju round out the offering. It's the perfect dinner-adjacent bolt-hole for one – or two.
Opening buzz: “We wanted to create a spot [where people] can just have one or two drinks and keep moving,” Chu explains.
Young Hearts, Windsor
Popular Prahran nightspot Galah left a void on High Street when it closed last year – particularly for Nic Coulter, who co-owns Neptune Food & Wine a few doors up. He’s revived the airy warehouse into a warm bar and arts space. There are guest chef residencies from the likes of Tom Sarafian, a music and arts program, and a seasonal drinks list (hello limoncello slushies). Large booths and a long banquette are reserved for table service, and there’s a lounge-style mezzanine above the main bar and a DJ booth setting the scene for a five-day music roster curated by James Ware of Waving at Trains.
Opening buzz: It’s roaring to the front of the pack as the south side bar of the moment.
Honourable mentions
Cocktail stars Michael and Zara Madrusan are behind the high-end drinks at Cameo, the slinky bar 80 storeys high at The Ritz Carlton Hotel. Marama is a new local hang on Rathdowne Street in Carlton North, and Follies is a vegan cocktail spot with 1970s swagger (and crockery). St Kilda classic The Saint had a sleek revamp, and Brunswick stayer the Railway Hotel got new owners but we love that the feel has remained the same.
Audience Picks
One of Broadsheet’s most popular stories this year was Beverly Rooftop, a glam Beverly Hills-inspired number on the 24th floor of a South Yarra tower.
Additional reporting by Evan Jones, Jo Rittey, Nick Connellan, Quincy Malesovas, and Sasha Murray.
