Learn To Love Saké at Bar Kaeru

After stepping away from late nights working at Leonie Upstairs to open Cafe Tomi in late 2024, Sean Then is returning to the evening trade – this time with a singular focus.

Bar Kaeru is a new CBD saké bar built around a simple idea: if people are given the right entry point, they’ll fall in love with saké. “Melbourne is a very open-minded city,” Then says. “People here appreciate something small, something unique, something creative – and saké needs to be discovered. It suits Melbourne perfectly.”

While saké has been steadily gaining traction locally, through festivals, growing import lists and a broader curiosity around Japanese drinking and dining culture, the team behind Bar Kaeru saw a gap. Not in availability, but in understanding.

“People are starting to learn about saké, but what’s missing is a space where we can explain it – where people can actually understand it, not just drink it,” Then says.

The room is anchored by a horseshoe-shaped bar designed to bring guests into conversation, with staff guiding them through a list that spans classic producers, modern brewers and seasonal releases. The approach is deliberately flexible: instead of rigid pairings, the team leans into exploration, offering multiple options for each dish and encouraging comparison. Keep an eye out for names like Abe Saké Brewery in Niigata – known for its bright, acid-driven style – alongside more experimental seasonal releases from Saga’s Koueigiku, whose labels change with each brew.

“I didn’t want it to be one-sided,” Then says. “It’s about showing a full spectrum – sweet, dry, bold, umami – something for every mood and every person.”

The food follows a similar philosophy. Rather than sticking strictly to traditional Japanese formats, head chef Jayden Chiang draws from broader Asian influences, designed to complement the range of styles on the drinks list.

Yellowfin tuna with nori and citrus ponzu. Beef tartlet with charred spring onion and crispy leek. Fried chicken lollipops with Sichuan pepper. All these are built to be both familiar and surprising. Chiang’s background plays into that balance. Taiwanese-born and New Zealand-raised, with experience working at Marmelo, Society and Ides in Melbourne, his cooking threads together technique and cultural understanding without overcomplicating the plate.

Bar Kaeru sits within the broader Tomism group, which includes Cafe Tomi and a forthcoming bakery, Interlude, located upstairs. While Then leads the venue day-to-day, the group operates with a mix of front-facing and operational partners, allowing the bar to stay tightly focused on its offering.

Plans are already in motion to host visiting brewers from Japan and build out a program of events, positioning Bar Kaeru as both a venue and an ongoing point of discovery.

“I was working in a saké bar and got pushed to learn – and that’s when I fell in love with it,” he says. “Now it feels like the right time to bring that back to people.”

Bar Kaeru
62 Little La Trobe Street, Melbourne
0485 666 389

Hours
Thu to Mon, 5.30pm–late

barkaeru.com
@bar_kaeru