The Dart and Marlin

If you take a walk down Warrnambool’s old high street, you’re bound to hit The Dart and Marlin. Owner David de Carteret says it’s a pizza and pasta bar, concisely. But after a couple slices and a cocktail here, you’ll find there’s a whole lot more to this community boozer.

Originally a painter’s shop built in the 1850’s, its rambling interiors were in dire need of a spruce-up when de Carteret took it on 2016. And he’s done just that – the relaxed bar and restaurant is now punctuated by booths and refreshed, original floorboards. The sage-planted courtyard packs out in the summer months, where it also doubles as a space for DJ’s and live touring acts.

Then there's the pizza – hand-stretched, sourdough bases with a 48-hour prove time, baked on stone in an Italian gas-fire oven. Red pies like classic Napoletana with anchovies, capers, chilli and oregano; and white pies like the three cheese with potato, leek and garlic, fly out when the night is cranking.

There are hand-rolled pastas too if you want to mix it up. Or throw in some tinned European white fish, or charcuterie as a snack. Whatever you do, the whole menu champions local produce, sourced from nearby Merri Bank Market.

The venue also works closely with winemakers from the Grampians and Pyrenees, where vibrant natural styles reign. A serious cocktail offering is split up by hero spirit.

Looking for an old-time-y pub name with a nautical bent, de Carteret wound up naming the place for his stepfather – a keen fisherman who worked with a taxidermy Marlin above the bench and a dart in his mouth.