2 weeks Ago By Tomas Telegramma
Melbourne’s bar scene is intoxicating in the best way. And it’s rapidly spreading beyond the CBD and inner city. In the month since Good Food published this round-up of new neighbourhood bars bringing better booze to under-served areas across town, more newcomers have hung up a shingle.
Bar Conexao, Eltham Eltham has embraced tapas bar Little Drop of Poison so enthusiastically that it’s emboldened owners Geo Tapia and Deb McFadzean to open a sibling, Bar Conexao, 200 metres away in the Eltham Town Mall precinct. “With Little Drop full most nights, we wanted another venue we could send people to ..
. so [the venues] can bounce off each other,” says Tapia. And so locals can bar crawl without having to fork out for an Uber or catch the train 20 kilometres into the CBD.
Wet your whistle with a tiny, briny martini then explore a wine list that Tapia says champions small-scale producers, such as the couple behind Tasmania’s Anim Wines. Where Little Drop’s menu is substantial, centring on Spanish and Latin American food, Bar Conexao’s is more snacky (there’s no kitchen), with stars such as gochujang-spiced devilled eggs, prawn cocktail, and tarragon-forward chicken dip with tortilla chips. And if you feel as if you’re hanging out in a gallery, you’re half right.
The moody, art-filled space was McFadzean’s photography studio, and her creative flair is still all over it. Open Wed-Sat 4pm-11pm Shop 4, 10-18 Arthur Street, Eltham, barconexao.com.
au Hotel Paradiso, Frankston Not far from the Frankston foreshore – but tucked away in an industrial pocket – a trio of mates has given new life to an old warehouse with the opening of 330-person Hotel Paradiso. When co-owner Chris Burgess, who lives in nearby Mount Eliza, found himself constantly venturing further down the Mornington Peninsula (or into the city) for a drink, he decided it was time for Frankston to get a cracking new neighbourhood bar. With its ’80s-Miami-inspired fitout, “you don’t feel like you’re in Frankston any more”, says co-owner Reece Turfus.
A sun-drenched deck marks the spot on Kookaburra Street, and the interior is livened up with pastel hues and greenery galore, plus a big disco ball. Twenty taps pour everything from Victoria Bitter to beer from nearby Seaford brewery Banks, as well as wallet-friendly vino and spritzes. While shaken-to-order cocktails include rum-spiked dark-chocolate espresso martinis and smoky mezcal margs.
Neapolitan-style pizzas are the food focus – from the classic margherita to ham and pickled pineapple studded with pancetta – alongside triple-cooked hand-cut chips. Dedicated weekly pasta, steak and burger nights will soon add variety to the menu. And, come summer, there’ll be even more reason to get on the beers in Frankston, with craft brewer Moon Dog readying a 2000-square-metre beach club in the suburb.
Open Thu 4pm-late; Fri-Sun noon-late 10 Kookaburra Street, Frankston, hotelparadiso.com.au Bar Nearby, Box Hill “I just wish there was a bar nearby.
” That thought crossed Ella and James Bishop’s minds so often that they took matters into their own hands, opening Bar Nearby on the outskirts of Box Hill, close to their home in Blackburn. The dining options in Box Hill are as diverse as they are delicious . But the drinking options? Not so much.
It’s no longer a dry zone , “and there are places to drink,” admits Ella, who grew up in the area. “But a proper neighbourhood bar – there’s not really one.” The couple’s bar and bottle shop leans into the welcoming British pub culture of James’s native Worcestershire.
One beer tap will always pour the crowd-pleasing Carlton Draught; the rest will oscillate between local brewers such as Hargreaves Hill. And you can just as easily get a $13 glass of local wine as a Coravin pour of premier cru chablis. If dinner’s on the cards, you can BYO or order takeaway from a local restaurant.
Open Wed-Thu 4pm-11pm; Fri-Sat 2pm-11pm 1115 Whitehorse Road, Box Hill, barnearby.au Your November hit list: The hot, new and just-reviewed places to check out, right now The Good Food guide to the best 20 bars in Melbourne, right now Three Australian bars named in the World’s 50 Best Bars for 2024.
