Bar Louise

Inside the old Mary-Louise Salon on Enmore Road, Bar Louise is a chic, Spanish-inspired tapas and wine bar by the Porteno Group (Porteno, Continental Deli, Bastardo) bringing European flair to one of the strip’s most iconic tenancies.

A produce-driven menu by head chef Marcelo Munoz is divided simply into three categories: vegetables, seafood and meat. While dishes change often, you might find house-made chorizo, morcilla (blood sausage) with peas and fried eggs, and txistorra (thin pork and beef sausage). House-cured and preserved snacks – both staples at Porteno and Continental Deli – are in abundance here. Think Olasagasti and Nardin anchovies, jamon serrano and gildas (skewered anchovy, olive and pickled pepper).

To drink, there’s an extensive wine and spirits selection curated by Michael “Mikey” Nicolian (co-owner of Continental Deli) and sommelier Melvin Haxaire-Christophe (formerly of P&V Wine and Liquor Merchants) focusing on Spain, Italy and France. There’s also a short cocktail list featuring Sangria and Kalimotxo (a traditional Spanish drink of equal parts red wine and cola), alongside other classics such as Martinis, a Manhattan on the rocks and vermouth and soda. There’s even a tiny section dedicated to non-alcoholic drinks, including a vermentino and “pet-not” by Ghiddy.

The name is a nod to the old salon, which was run by two lotto-winning siblings. More recently, it was home to the Porteno Group’s now-closed Turkish bar and diner Stanbuli. The space’s kitsch, 1950s pink-and-purple facade remains untouched, and co-owner Sarah Doyle has brightened it up with terracotta tiles, mustard yellow paint downstairs and rust-red walls upstairs. Bulbous mid-century pendant lights hang from the ceiling, bringing the space in line with the classic look and feel of the group’s other venues.