Emily Stribley and Michael Valentine’s beloved casual diner Neighbourhood Pizza, which the duo opened in 2019, is just one of the new spots to open in Armadale in the past few years that have helped transform the leafy suburb into something of an “it” location. Now, the life and business partners have opened a new restaurant in the former Sonny Chiba space.

“Our intention with our second shop was always to do something a little bit more elevated, with a bit of a stronger cocktail offering, a bigger wine list… but keeping that neighbourhood fun, casual and approachable vibe,” says Stribley.

Enter Pony, a neighbourhood restaurant with a name that Stribley says “represents prosperity and good luck and good fortune”. (And was given to the venue after Stribley’s mum noticed a horseshoe at the top of the building.)

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Here, the duo is joined by co-owner chef Mark Jennings (ex-Square and Compass), who has 10 years of Melbourne cafe experience. A highlight of Jennings’s menu is the classic beef cheeseburger, a dish the chef has included on every menu he’s designed. The burger – a perfect combination of raclette, caramelised onions, pickles and, of course, the chef’s secret burger sauce – has already proven to be Pony’s most popular item since opening.

Other standouts include the whole butterflied chargrilled chicken, served with salsa verde. For snacks, there are poached prawns served with aioli and margarita salt, and Pony’s ode to Philadelphia’s pour-over sweet chilli cream cheese tub, with labneh instead of cream cheese.

Bar manager Dylan Field (ex-Gimlet) also joins the team, bringing with him a commitment to up the cocktail offering in Armadale. Three in particular hold special significance for the team. The Spicy Lynette (a spicy Margarita), the Penny Sipper (Scotch, amaro, Cocchi Americano and mandarin) and the Johnny O’Moore (Irish whiskey, Cocchi di Torino vermouth, Chinotto and Angostura) are respectively named for Stribley’s mum and Valentine’s mum and dad.

Stribley, a graphic designer by trade, designed Pony’s interiors. The downstairs is a cocktail bar, which is sun-filled during the day and dark and moody at night. Canary yellow and robin egg blue panelling adorns the walls, floor-length burnt orange colour curtains line the windows and there are leadlight windows at the front entrance. Walk past the open kitchen and up the stairs where you’ll find a private room with eight seats, or a larger dining space can sit 25.

Come January, Pony will be able to seat more people thanks to an extension of their summer dining program, a council initiative to encourage outdoor dining throughout the warmer months. Next year, the seating will become a permanent, year-round fixture for the street, stretching from Hank’s down to Neighbourhood Pizza.

Pony
14 Beatty Avenue, Armadale
(03) 9326 2162

Hours:
Mon to Thu 5–9.30pm
Fri to Sat 3–11pm
Sun midday–6pm

@pony.melbourne