The Greek wave arrives in Glen Iris, a Venetian wine bar lands in Brunswick, and 1970s Bangkok comes to Carnegie. Plus, two favourites up stumps – but don’t stray very far.
Daniela Frangos
New year, new hangouts? Shake up your regular rotation of bars, restaurants and date night spots with one of these new (or refreshed) spots. They’ll see you through every occasion summer throws at you, from casual drinks with friends to long lunches.
Bar Sophia
The owners of CBD Italian spot Marameo are behind this relaxed neighbourhood bar and diner, inspired by the new-wave wine bars of Athens. Chef Nicholas Deligiannis (ex-Mid Air, Audrey’s) is turning out contemporary Greek dishes from a central hearth, including roasted spatchcock doused in pan juices, Cretan-style lamb braised overnight, and charred squid with smoky capsicum. Swipe whey flatbread through cheesy dip blended with spinach and silverbeet, a spanakopita riff. A 12-seat bar is available for walk-ins.
Must-try: Orzo baked with fragrant saffron and leek, studded with Moreton Bay bug.
161 Burke Road, Glen Iris, barsophia.com.au
Bottarga
This beloved Brighton restaurant recently moved to a new home on Bay Street. The two-storey site is bigger, with an open kitchen and more room between tables, yet the narrow building retains some of the original site’s intimacy and warmth. There’s more choice, too: a separate a la carte menu, bar seating for walk-ins, and a wine list numbering 500-odd labels, including rare finds from Vietnam.
Owners and partners Somi Paremanee, sommelier, and Federico Bizzaro (chef, ex-Vue de Monde and Scopri) continue to blend Italian flavours with Asian influences and all-Aussie ingredients, without a clash of cultures. The signature tiger prawn-stuffed pasta in red curry remains, joined by a prawn sandwich that riffs on Paremanee’s mum’s Thai fish cake recipe.
Must-try: The outback “plin” agnolotti filled with rabbit, wild boar, emu, kangaroo and crocodile – yes, all five – tossed through butter, sage and parmesan.
198 Bay Street, Brighton, bottarga.com.au
Da Bepi
Drink like the Venetians do at Brunswick’s new wine bar – with a few cicchetti for company. The bite-sized snacks include baccala mantecato, a whipped salt cod dip, joined by heartier items like silky carbonara and mozzarella in carrozza: fried cheese sandwiches with anchovy or ham. With a long list of digestivi, you’ll want to stick around – and thanks to the late-night licence, there’s no rush. Enjoy the eclectic vinyl collection, a roster of local DJs and games night each Wednesday with Italian games like Scopa.
Must-try: Owners and brothers Matthew and Anthony Lucato lifted their nonna’s lasagne recipe directly from her handwritten book, down to the detail of the tomatoes she used.
391 Sydney Road, Brunswick, instagram.com/dabepi.bar
Tyga
This bright new spot blends a nostalgia for 1970s Bangkok with modern Melbourne energy. Borneo-born culinary director Esca Khoo (ex-Miss Mi) gets playful with tom yum burrata featuring king prawns, heirloom tomatoes and fluffy doughnuts like the ones you’d find on Yaowarat – the main road of Bangkok’s Chinatown – submerged in punchy, fragrant tom yum sauce. There’s also charcoal-grilled snapper in a turmeric-cider butter sauce and swordfish hinava, a Bornean ceviche. Decks spinning vinyl keep the vibes high.
Must-try: Wood-fired bone marrow topped with crab sambal, served with flaky coconut roti.
91 Koornang Road, Carnegie, tyga.melbourne
Santito
The team from Ripponlea’s Mission District, together with Tom Dalton (ex-Mamasita, Hotel Jesus), have resurrected Smith Street’s Hotel Jesus site with this Mexico City-inspired taqueria. Chef Sandra Martinez brings her love for her native cuisine into dishes like tacos topped with al pastor-style pork; slow-braised suadero, which sees brisket cooked in lard; and house-made longaniza, an uncured Mexican pork sausage.
Martinez is making masa – the key ingredient for tortillas – in-house from Australian white corn. “The tortilla is everything. It’s the plate, the utensil, your faithful companion to every meal,” she says. There’s also a takeaway area for grab-and-go tacos, and private dining for up to 20.
Must-try: Can’t decide between that brisket and longaniza? The campechano taco combines the two with salsa, onion and coriander.
174 Smith Street, Collingwood, santito.com.au
Bistro Merenda
In October, Andy Ainsworth and Clare O’Flynn moved their beloved Bar Merenda (named The Age Good Food Guide’s Bar of the Year 2024) to a charming 170-year-old building nearby. With two levels, it accommodates a buzzing wine bar and, above, an intimate dining room reached via spiral staircase. With 18 seats, Bistro Merenda channels rustic-refined countryside diners of Europe. Co-head chefs Oliver Edwards and Brianna Smith (both ex-Hazel) serve a set menu of produce from the region: perhaps globe artichoke and Warialda Beef tartare, Goulburn River rainbow trout and sorrel soup, and wood-grilled pork chop with Wombat Forest Farm turnips.
Must-try: The four-course set menu ($110) is quite literally the must-order. On Mondays, it’s a two-course menu for $65 a head. Downstairs is still a la carte.
117 Vincent Street, Daylesford, barmerenda.com.au
Coming soon: Koi Toy
This neon-lit, late-night bar and restaurant is opening in February at the Pentridge development in Coburg. Chef Alex Meimitis (ex-Club Chin Chin, Claypots Evening Star) will turn out yakitori, sushi, kataifi-wrapped prawns, slow-cooked goat ragu served with Japanese crepes, and ramen with a Mediterranean twist. Or go for the meal-like sake Bloody Mary shot, topped with a Coffin Bay oyster and a shard of wagyu sirloin.
Pentridge Shopping Centre, T16, 1 Champ Street Coburg, koitoy.com.au
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