Vitelli’s Upstairs has taken over the old Baptist Street Rec Club site at Wunderlich Lane, but don’t mistake it for a total reinvention. The bones of a good time are still there, and by 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays, Vitelli’s Upstairs stops pretending it’s just a restaurant.
DJs set up, the lights dim and the 20-seat cocktail bar comes to life. For Director Justin Newton, the evolution of the space was about longevity, not just late-night momentum.
“Baptist Street Rec. Club was a really good time, particularly on weekends, but we needed a concept that could hold its own across the whole week,” says Newton, “Vitelli’s Upstairs keeps the energy of the space but gives it more purpose night to night. We’ve kept the DJs on Friday and Saturday evenings, so as dinner thins out, the room naturally tilts toward the bar. You can drop in later for a drink and a snack, or even a plate of pasta, without feeling like you’ve missed the window.”
The drinks list leans unapologetically Italian. The Bellini ‘del momento’ rotates with seasonal fruit, currently sweet blood plum, and lifted with Amaro Montenegro and prosecco. The Tomatini is the wildcard: savoury, tomato-led, and sharpened with citrus and black pepper.
From there, it moves deeper into amaro territory, with a broad regional line-up that invites mixing, matching and tasting side by side. A tight edit of fruit-forward cellos – limoncello, passionfruit, yuzu, melon, can be ordered by the glass or grouped into flights. It’s built for sipping, not rushing.
Wine follows the same logic: predominantly Italian, structured to work alongside the food menu, while being backed by a handful of Australian bottles that hold their own. There’s also a short late-night bar menu designed to keep things moving – snackable, punchy and built to sit alongside a negroni or something stirred and strong.
Earlier in the evening, the room runs as a full restaurant, but even then, the mood is relaxed. Executive Chef Elliott Pinn, working again with Seckold after their time at Grana, keeps the food unapologetically Italian-American inspired, with red-sauce pastas, and crowd-friendly plates.
“It’s confident food,” Pinn says. “No overthinking. Just dishes people actually want to eat.”
Vitelli’s Upstairs is now open Tuesday to Thursdays from 4pm – 12am and Friday to Saturday’s from 4pm until 2am.