First Look: Afloat Launches for 2026 With Baklava Negronis and Greek Island Vibes

Ignore the calendar. The surest signs winter is over are right there outside: birds nesting, trees flowering, Afloat returning for another year. Melbourne’s favourite floating bar is refitted every season with a totally new aesthetic, and a menu to match.

The 11th outing is all about the Greek islands, with interior designer Emily Jamieson picking lemon-yellow seating, gaily striped cushions and blue-and-white umbrellas to bring the theme to fruition. The bar’s arched entryway has also been clad with handsome travertine. Local artist Bobby Clark contributed murals on several ceilings, including the dining room, with merchandise versions available to buy at Afloat.

“Greece has this incredible ability to feel both timeless and alive – ancient history and architecture sitting alongside sun-soaked island life, busy tavernas, brilliant blue water and the energy of modern Athens,” Jamieson said in a written statement. “For Afloat, we wanted to capture that feeling rather than re-create any one place, drawing on whitewashed textures, blue shutters and striped umbrellas alongside warm timber, terracotta and olive trees.”

Executive chef Paul Dunlop has divided the substantial menu into meze (shared plates), thalassina (seafood), kyrio piato (mains), sti mesi (shared mains), synoeftika (sides) and glyka (sweets). Highlights include a trio of dips (beetroot and feta, tzatziki, taramasalata) with pita, pan-fried kefalograviera cheese with Cretan honey, lemon and oregano, dolmades with dill yoghurt, three types of yiros and a whopping 800-gram lamb shoulder with braised veggies.

Drinks bring Greek wines into play, with varieties such as assyrtiko, moschofilero and agiorgitiko worth a shake. “With an emphasis on native Greek varieties – many grown since antiquity – the list ranges from the resolutely traditional to the new wave, in styles both classic and adventurous,” head of wine Marcus Ellis said in a statement. “These wines show just how dynamically vibrant this 6500-year-old wine-growing scene is today.”

Cocktail consultant Straight Up has meanwhile assembled a list of fun, highly drinkable originals. These include the Aphrodite Spritz (gin, passionfruit, Montanaro Bitter aperitif, soda), Baklava Negroni (baklava milk punch, gin, Select Bitter aperitif, vermouth), Mount Olympus Iced Tea (vodka, gin, rum, tequila, mountain tea, lemon, verjuice, cola) and Ouzo Frozen Coke (Ouzo 12, Coca-Cola, mastic).

With the DJ program once again curated by industry veteran Jnett, the good vibes will continue until the end of summer, including the annual New Year’s Eve blow-out.

Afloat
2 Flinders Walk, Melbourne
(03) 9629 1547

Hours
Sun to Wed 11am–11.30pm
Thu to Sat 11am–1am

afloat.melbourne