First Look: 98 Lygon Delivers French Bistro Classics and Serious Hospo Pedigree

There’s something about a bistro. The tablecloths. The murmur of regulars. The sense that you could stay for hours or slip away discreetly after just one glass of wine. There’s comfort in the seemingly simple, but hard to execute, nature of bistro-style venues. Melbourne has seen a quiet wave of them in the past 18 months, including Hot-Listed Bistra, Elio’s Place and newcomer 98 Lygon Street Bar and Bistro.

“Hospitality, culture, community and generosity are at the forefront of our offering,” says co-founder Ben Clark. “We didn’t want to reinvent the wheel. We just wanted to build something that feels right for the area.” In the years since Covid, that area – the southern end of Lygon Street in Brunswick East – has quietly become one of the city’s most exciting dining strips with Hot-Listed Bahama Gold, Old Palm Liquor, and Hot-Listed Etta (first with Rosheen Kaul steering the ship, and now under new head chef Lorcan Kan).

There’s no gimmick at 98 Lygon. No neon signs, no forced concept. Just two seasoned operators, Clark and Simon Aukett, who bring a polished, quietly confident bistro to the edge of an iconic street.

Head chef Brian MacAlister (ex-Builders Arms Hotel) keeps the offering tight and thoughtful. “The menu is straight-up comfort,” Clark says. “Think confit duck, steak frites, and baguettes with heavily salted butter.” Other standouts include chive and manchego gougéres, a chicken liver parfait with red onion pickles and cornichons, and beef cheek croquettes with horseradish. And, of course, the crème brûlée.

The wine list leans local with smart European benchmarks, minimal-intervention bottles that don’t shout about it and classics poured without pretence. Cocktails are a mix of old-school crowd-pleasers and bespoke numbers, with a focus on the flavours of Europe.

Together, Clark and Aukett have more than 40 years of hospitality experience. Clark’s background includes running food and beverage at London’s Mondrian Hotel, plus a stint at Soho House. Aukett’s resume is similarly sharp, with time as bar manager at Builders Arms Hotel and leadership roles at restaurants in London and Canada.

98 Lygon inherits a solid shell – the former Maggie’s Snacks and Liquor – with exposed brick, timber beams and stone floors. The team has updated the space with care: soft pale pinks, crisp white tablecloths, and a 20-person private dining room that opens onto a charming courtyard. The bones are heritage, but the energy is unmistakably modern. “We wanted it to feel like a contemporary bistro, but without losing the soul of the space,” says Clark.

98 Lygon doesn’t shout. It doesn’t need to. It’s a neighbourhood hangout with industry heavyweights behind it. A venue built just as much on community as it is on craft, standing out by doing the simple things exceptionally well. “It can be as much or as little as you want,” says Aukett. “That’s the beauty of a bistro.”

98 Lygon Street Bar and Bistro

98 Lygon Street, Brunswick East

(03) 7302 0018

Hours:
Thu to Sat midday–midnight
Sun to Wed midday–11pm

www.98lygonst.au
@98lygonst