Marrickville’s new small bar, We Three, is quintessentially inner west. Behind a marble bar, mother and daughter Catherine and Ali Gibson Roy mix drinks while chatting with customers. People gather around small tables, dogs resting at their feet. It’s the kind of place you come for a drink and a snack, run into your neighbours and end up staying for dinner.

“On a busy night, the front bar is noisy and chatty. People like to take their drink and wander around to talk to friends,” Catherine tells Broadsheet. “Upstairs is more intimate, with sofas and lower lighting. We’re all about family and creating a space that’s super friendly and laid-back.”

A simple bar menu and unpretentious drinks are a big part of the relaxed atmosphere. Food leans Mediterranean, with small plates like prosciutto and pickled eschalots, sopressa with onion jam, charred octopus, and roasted brussels sprout leaves with manuka vinaigrette. Substantial dishes include spaghetti puttanesca, and a braised lamb shank ragu.

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The wine list is succinct, with a mix of Australian and old-world drops, plus a tight offering of natural wines. Cocktails are classic. “We decided not to get caught up in a lot of the bells and whistles of modern cocktail-making. We do a Blood and Sand cocktail, which was very common in the ’70s. It’s made with Scotch whisky, sherry, brandy and orange juice. It sounds like it shouldn’t work, but it’s just delicious. We also run specials. Right now it’s a Lavender Daiquiri with homemade lavender syrup, white rum and lime juice.”

We Three is in a heritage building that once housed a bubble tea shop. Catherine and Ali gutted the space and restored its former glory – knocking out the dropped tiles to reveal an original pressed-metal ceiling downstairs, and uncovering the original tile flooring upstairs. “It was a joy to bring it back.”

Despite what the name suggests, there is no third business partner – it’s just Catherine and Ali. “We Three” comes from the 1987 British black comedy Withnail and I.

“My friend and I loved it, we used to quote the movie all the time,” Catherine says. “Ali grew up hearing the quotes, not realising where they came from. One day she saw the movie for herself and recognised all the dialogue.

“There’s a quote from the movie that goes, ‘Here we sit, we three, perhaps the last island of beauty in the world.’ The movie is a touchstone in our lives, and opening a bar together is something we find beautiful.”

We Three
329 Illawarra Road, Marrickville

Hours:
Wed & Thu 4pm–midnight
Fri & Sat 2pm–midnight
Sun 2pm–10pm

wethreebar.com.au
@wethreebar