First Look: Clifton Hill Cafe Tarda Launches a Weekend Wine-Bar Offering

Late last year, John and Kim Petrou relaunched Tarda, their neighbourhood gathering place in Clifton Hill. It’s the pair’s second hospitality venture after Faraday’s Cage, a local-favourite cafe and bakery in Fitzroy.

Tarda first opened its doors in 2020, at the end of Melbourne’s second lockdown, as a cafe and – very briefly – a wine bar. While it was forced to scale back dramatically as restrictions resumed, it maintained a low-key daytime offering until conditions were right to ramp up again.

Now, from 7am on weekdays, the venue serves Small Batch coffee and grab-and-go sandwiches, pastries and salads, with a more extensive breakfast offering on Saturdays and Sundays. Come 5pm on Thursdays through Saturdays, the venue transforms into a wine bar with small plates and forward-thinking wines for its loyal local following.

For the reopening, the team gave the interiors a refresh, and Kim and John have passed the baton onto their daughter, Anna Petrou, and her partner, Mitchell Lind, who run the show.

With backgrounds in architecture, both Anna and Mitchell have made the all-day eatery feel effortlessly relaxed – the perfect atmosphere for a venue with a name that translates from Latin to mean “slow”. The space feels right for just about any occasion, whether it’s watching passers-by from a quiet window spot, a casual date under the umbrellas outside, or a business catch-up at the communal table.

Chef Alex Xinis – who’s worked at The Press Club and Hellenic Republic, and is due to open Athenian restaurant Tzaki in Yarraville later this year – has curated a veg-focused seasonal menu that leans on Mediterranean flavours. Xinis’s charred spelt flatbread already becoming a favourite, along with the kohlrabi carpaccio and the linguine with chilli, garlic and bottarga.

The wine list is accessible, covering classic and contemporary styles, and spotlighting Victorian producers. Above all, it’s a reflection of John and the older Petrous’ relationships in the Australian wine industry. “We’re trying to build up a wine list where we actually talk to the winemakers,” says John.

After a crash course from The Everleigh team, Anna and Mitchell have created a cocktail list with both classic and tailored numbers. “We just learned the fundamentals like shaking, dilution – the whole thing,” Mitchell tells Broadsheet. “Anna and I have both really held on to that learning, and I think we’re making some pretty damn good cocktails”. Two favourites? The Venetian and yuzu spritzes.

Tarda
122 Roseneath Street, Clifton Hill
(03) 7038 0542

Hours:
Mon to Wed 7am–3pm
Thurs & Fri 7am–10pm
Sat 8am–10pm
Sun 8am–4pm

tarda.com.au