Kodiak Club

272 Brunswick Street
Fitzroy, Melbourne
kodiakclub.com.au

If Bourbon focused cocktails and a hankering for the Americas are your thing, then this is a place for you to certainly check out. Nathan Debritt is heading up this now ‘not so old’ Melbourne bar and is proud of the driving Bourbon influence that they’re showcasing to their guests and the reports are that the mix of drinks and food are really turning the tables with the humble little venue bustling from open till close.”Despite the tongue-in-cheek kitsch of the joint, Kodiak has some serious product on offer,” says the team, “and the staff to back it up.”

The list of cocktails is tight, and weighted distinctly toward American whiskey and in the spirit of the Bourbons they’re showing off the food is more of your American style, buffalo wings and lamb ribs for example. The Kodiak’s interior is pretty cosy with enough room to stand and chat while the bar area and high tables/ booths are filled. If possible, take the opportunity to perch at the bar and settle in for a good night of sipping and munching through their menus – check out the wall chalkboards for specials or ask the staff what’s good.

The venue’s buzz will take off when the crowd settles in, and if you don’t mind a squeeze you’ll be right at home watching the bar staff precariously negotiate the librarians ladder to access the widely arrayed back bar that includes ‘impossible to get spirits brought in by the American and Canadian expats that make up much of the regular clientèle’. With the big windows looking out under the awnings on Brunswick St you’ll avoid feeling like you’re cramped in even when the space is brimming, and with the colder Melbourne weather set to arrive very shortly (if it hasn’t already), the Kodiak Club might just be one of the warmest places in town when it’s packed out.