Littlefoot

Stuart and Liana Lucca-Pope, former owners of Bebida in Fitzroy, wanted to create a bar in Footscray where all locals could feel comfortable. The result is Littlefoot.

Walk into the high-stooled front bar and the staff will greet you with a smile and a chat. Tables and booths down the back make for perfect private conversation over a snack, even while the regular bands or DJs play.

Littlefoot employs locals and serves food that takes influence from the surrounding Vietnamese, African and Indian communities. It feels as though it’s informed by the neighbourhood without being a replica of what’s already available.

There’s Vietnamese-inspired “Bánh-Minis” that use ingredients such as pulled jackfruit or adobo chicken; and Littlefoot’s take on chocolate pinwheels, using locally made injera (Ethiopian sourdough flatbread).

Littlefoot’s drinks list also reflects the changing community. Beer from Spotswood’s Two Birds Brewery stands out among other rotating Victorian beers and ciders.

Spirits aren’t left behind – local Starward Whisky and Four Pillars gin feature alongside cocktails that are also inspired by the neighbourhood. This means ingredients such as lemongrass-infused gin or kaffir lime and Vietnamese-mint syrup. There’s also an Irish coffee in the loosest sense of the term – it’s really a Vietnamese iced coffee spiked with Jameson Irish Whiskey.