Snack Bar: Hector’s Footy-Shaped Doughnuts and More Local Food News

Published every Thursday, Snack Bar is a bite-sized guide to everything happening in Melbourne food and drink, including new menus, events, pop-ups and special offers. Plus, we round up every new restaurant, bar and cafe we covered over the previous seven days.

What’s on around town

• Hector’s is gearing up for the Grand Final with a line of super cute Sherrin-shaped doughnuts. The limited edition treats have a bright red raspberry glaze on the outside and vanilla custard on the inside. You can find them at Hector’s Bakery and Hector’s Kiosk from now until Sunday. Make a stop at the Bourke Street location on parade day; there’ll be maple-glazed doughnuts to purchase once the footies have sold out. Until September 27, $7 each.

• Ella Mittas launches the follow-up to her sellout debut cookbook tonight in Carlton North. Head to Florian Home for mini Negronis and snacks from Mittas’s recipes, plus copies of the new book to purchase ahead of its official release. She says Ela! Ela! To Italy, Georgia, Bulgaria Then Home “takes you from my grandparents’ backyard in Melbourne to a biodynamic vineyard in Lucca, a sacred mountain festival in the Georgian Caucasus, and to the archives of Bulgaria’s Slow Food network”. 5pm–7pm, September 24.

• Sardinas, Brook Mora and Adam Racina’s all-day eatery, wine and flower shop in Reservoir, is hosting a bake sale this Sunday. There will be cakes, pastries and tarts – including the crowd-favourite flaky sausage rolls, and a custard almond cream tart sprinkled with almond flakes – plus some very limited sourdough loaves and more from La Pinta’s crack baking team. 10.30am until sold out, September 25.

• For a broader taste of Mittas’s cookbook, book a table at Cumulus next Sunday for a special four-course lunch drawn from the pages of Ela! Ela! Mittas has worked with head chef Hannah Holleran on dishes including mücver, golden Turkish zucchini fritters with Aleppo pepper and feta; mascarpone and marinated anchovies on focaccia; and slow-roasted lamb shoulder with grilled eggplant and walnut paste. From 12.30pm, October 4.

• International Beer & Pizza Day is coming up and Molly Rose, which recently made the smooth transition to neighbourhood pizza joint as well as Hot Listed brewery bar, will mark the occasion by giving away 100 free margheritas. Get them with $5 pots of Molly Rose’s pizza-friendly malt lager, the Molly Rosso. From 4pm, October 9. 

New openings we covered this week

• Nina, a casual pasta bar by the Suze team, opened its doors in Northcote yesterday.

• “Like a Greek vanilla slice”: Australia’s first bougatsa shop comes to Sydney Road.

• Stefanino Panino returns to Brunswick with a second permanent location for its in-demand Italian sandwiches.

Closures

• Acclaimed Melbourne cocktail bar Byrdi closed suddenly this week.

• Brunswick East’s aptly named Tiny Bar – one of 2025’s best new bars – has called last drinks.

Other food and drink news

• Masterchef winner Nat Thaipun and her partner, former Attica commis chef Caleb Baldwin, collaborate with some of the vibiest venues across Melbourne for a series of farewell pop-ups.