Now Open: Bar Vino Stakes Its Claim in Mount Lawley, Offering a Standout Italian Menu and More Than 150 Wines to Match

Even at 4pm on a Thursday, Bar Vino is buzzing with eager diners ready to settle in for the night ahead.

“For years the people in the area have been asking when the bar is opening,” co-owner Veronique Willing, who also owns Willing Coffee in Guildford, explains to Broadsheet. “On the first night we opened, I saw a couple crossing the road with a pram and they came in for dinner, which is exactly what we wanted for the people in this area.”

In 2019, Veronique and her husband Tim Willing transformed an old 1935 corner deli in Mount Lawley into their second Willing Coffee cafe serving coffee and a small menu – and earmarked future plans to transform the space into a bar in the evenings. After four years and a global pandemic, Bar Vino officially opened on May 5. The space will still operate as a coffee shop until 3pm each day but, five nights a week, transforms into a wine bar.

“It was Tim’s dream to always open a coffee shop and then it evolved into a bar,” Veronique says. “We have always loved Italian and French wine, but it was a family trip to Italy in 2014, to Lucca, that made us want to bring this way of eating and drinking back to Perth. They eat with the seasons; the meats, produce and wines are amazing, and the hospitality is incredible.”

The bar is a rare sighting in the residential part of Mount Lawley, on Central Avenue, parallel to the hustle and bustle of Beaufort Street.

“Tim and I lived in Paddington in Sydney for many years and when we left the house you could easily find a little bar or restaurant among the houses. There’s nothing [like that] in Mount Lawley unless you head to Beaufort Street,” she explains.

The couple was heavily involved with the interior design and the menu, working with Mata Design on the space and with Jed Gerrard (previously Hearth and Wildflower) on the Mediterranean-style menu.

“Our outside areas are licensed and smaller tables at the bar’s main entrance are the perfect size for two glasses of wine after work, so people can stop past just for a wine if they please,” she says.

Local produce from La Delizia Latticini, Torre Butchers, Kailis, Dirty Clean Food, Bread In Common and Willing Coffee is highlighted on the menu, which features dishes of fresh ricotta gnocchi with fresh tomato sugo and basil; spaghetti with Shark Bay Venus clams; and 24-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano with Manjimup truffle honey.

The wine list features more than 150 wines, with the Tuscan wines of chianti classico, montalcino and super Tuscans at the heart of things. If picking a wine from the extensive list is overwhelming, there’s a map of Italy on hand to help select the perfect drop from the region; or the passionate bar staff, headed by Mathieu Fichot (who like chef Jed Gerrard was previously of Hearth and Wildflower), can share suggestions.

Bar Vino
[181 Central Ave, Mount Lawley]

Hours
Wed to Sun 4pm–10pm

barvino.com.au
@barvinoperth