First Look: DJs Spin Funk and Jazz at Beneath Driver Lane’s New Sibling

Beneath Driver Lane, the music-focused cocktail bar in the GPO’s former Money Order Office, has been a CBD staple for nearly eight years. But its sibling Torino, an aperitivo bar that launched next door in 2023, struggled to find its rhythm.

“We crawled to the end of the year,” says owner Hamish Goonetilleke, who closed Torino at the end of 2024. But he never gave up on the idea of adapting to what the area needed. “I thought, ‘We need to think harder’, because business is a Rubik’s Cube. There [was] a solution – we just hadn’t found it yet.”

After reflection, Goonetilleke decided to reimagine the space as Baby Driver, designed to complement the blues and whisky focus of Beneath Driver Lane. The fit-out remains largely unchanged from Torino – retaining its cosy, lived-in charm – but the concept has undergone a full transformation, and is now centred around jazz and funk.

Currently, four DJs alternate between Thursday and Sunday, from DJ Mr Lob, who exclusively spins 45s, to well-regarded Uzbek Australian soul and jazz artist Rita Satch. The musical flow is flexible, but evenings generally start with neo-soul, build into high-tempo jazz and close out with disco funk.

Goonetilleke plans to change food concepts every few months, but for now the menu is a showcase of street-style Latin American dishes from Richmond Colombian restaurant Lady T. Beef and potato empanadas, Brazilian coxinhas (chicken croquettes) and barbeque-glazed pork belly bites make perfect drinking snacks, while beef brisket tacos and chipotle chicken arepas serve as heartier fare. You can enjoy a set menu for $65 or opt for a dinner-and-show package for $75 from Thursday to Saturday, which includes dinner upstairs and a reserved seat downstairs for live blues.

While Beneath Driver Lane is known for its whisky, Baby Driver leans into a wine list that draws from Australia and Europe. But you can still find cocktails like the Midnight Slushie – a frozen take on an Espresso Martini with Sheep Dog peanut butter whisky, Mr Black coffee liqueur, sweet vermouth and cold brew. There’s also the Lady T – a Margarita spiked with Earl Grey and marmalade, named after the current kitchen resident.

In the coming months, there are plans to extend opening to Wednesdays and to collaborate with local record stores to showcase emerging funk talent, creating what Goonetilleke describes as an “incubator” – a platform for new voices to grow.

Baby Driver
2 Driver Lane, Melbourne
No phone

Hours:
Thu to Sat 4pm–1am

driverlanebar.com/baby-driver
@baby.driver.bar