Coming Soon: Kiki’s Tavern Will Stay Open 18 Hours a Day in the Former Matilda Site on Domain Road

Few strips in Melbourne move from day to night like Domain Road, South Yarra. Walkers and runners start flowing off The Tan for coffee soon after sun-up. They don’t stop until well after lunch, when boozy afternoon sessions at Gilson, Bacash and The Botanical are properly underway.

When it opens later this month in the former Matilda site, Kiki’s Tavern will add another all-hours option. Owner Julien Moussi started his career in cafes and co-owns Inglewood Coffee Roasters, but in recent years his group Only Hospitality has moved into night-time venues with Hotel Collingwood and Godby Hotel.

Moussi quietly bought Matilda from chef Scott Pickett two months ago and kept it running until the end of August to get a feel for the space and let regulars say their goodbyes. But the plan was always to flip it into something new.

“I’d been talking to Scott about it for a while. We have the same lawyer, so we sort of all just did the deal together,” Moussi says. “Fine dining, or that style of dining, is not really my passion, it’s not what I do. I try to create higher-energy venues with a bit more of a vibe.”

He came back from a recent trip to Ibiza, Mykonos, London, Paris and Biarritz full of ideas, wanting to open an all-day place with a touch of “island life”. The strongest elements of Matilda’s elegant fit-out are being retained, with new lighting and other contemporary details being added.

Moussi namechecks Gaia in London as a particular inspiration, rather than the expected Kiki’s Tavern in Mykonos. “The venue itself is not based off Kiki’s Tavern in Mykonos,” he says. “But I do love that place.” The name is actually a reference to his mum – or more accurately, his dad’s pet name for her.

Mornings will reflect the fitness-driven atmosphere of The Tan, with “very, very healthy” breakfasts. Moussi, a former VFL footballer and personal trainer, reckons protein is “very underrated” and wants to build most dishes around it.

As the day progresses there’ll be a raw bar for sushi and sashimi, plus pastas, steaks and whole fish cooked over charcoal. Service will wrap up around midnight, giving guests from the United Places hotel upstairs a dependable option no matter the time. 

“Like any good hotel around the world, it needs a fantastic food and beverage offering underneath,” Moussi says. “The best hotels in the world have that, and we’re trying to be somewhere like that. If people want to come in for a coffee, they can. If they want to have breakfast, they can. If they want a tipple later in the night, they can just pop down and have a drink.”

Kiki’s Tavern will open at 159 Domain Road, South Yarra this September. Sign up to our free newsletter to get the full story, including original photography, when Kiki’s Tavern opens.