After 15 big years, countless bottles of tequila, and more hangovers than anyone cares to remember, Sydney institution Cafe Pacifico will close its doors this month. Problems renegotiating the lease and leaky ceilings left owner, Phil Bayly with no choice but to move on.
Venues
Venues
Here’s a charitable idea we can get behind: head to new Melbourne bar, Shebeen, buy a beer like Tusker (which is from Kenya) and see the profits from the sale of said beer go to help Kenyan farmers get access to tools, education and insurance so that they can get out of hunger.
Beneath the now-defunct Bull & Bear Hotel on King William Street a new bar, Jack Ruby Bar & Diner is taking shape and has opened at the start of April. According to bar manager Joshua Dolman (ex-Sangria), the bar is “named after the nightclub owner who famously shot down Lee Harvey-Oswald before he could be put on trial for the assassination of JFK.
Looking for a bar? Well, don’t bother looking for the sign above a big, bold entry right on a main road. No siree, from what I can gather, those days are long gone. Bars in 2013 are secreted down laneways, up elevators, round corners, behind restaurants, or in basements. Sometimes you need a secret password.
The much-anticipated opening of the Wild Rover, after a couple of setbacks, is finally here. Opening at the end of next week, the two-level bar from James Bradey and Warren Burns (owners of Grandma’s) will hold 120 people, with the same drinks and food across both levels — downstairs it’s expected will be a quieter affair, and upstairs, with a plan down the track to have live music, is expected to be a little more boisterous.
Bulletin Place has been a breath of fresh air in the Sydney CBD thanks to the focus on fresh produce — their five strong list of cocktails is determined by what is the best fruit at the market each day. It’s an approach that chefs have taken for some time, as bartender and co-owner Tim Philips will tell you.
This Brisbane speakeasy snuck onto our radar late last year. Though they were being quite secretive with the location, we have found out where it is (within the recently refurbished Regatta Hotel) and they’ve got knowledgeable barkeep Krystal Hart (ex-Canvas) on board to run the bar.
Another in a spate of recent openings in Brisbane, this new cocktail driven bar draws upon the 1930s for a touch of old world pre-war glamour.
You now have two great reasons to get to the Kirketon Hotel in Darlinghurst: Eau de Vie for one, and now this new bar and eatery, Bottleneck.
This hotel is making quite a splash, becoming in itself a destination thanks to the varied spaces, quality design and the talent of the team involved in putting everything together.
The team from the successful Cru Bar + Cellar have opened a new bar in Brisbane, called At Sixes and Sevens. The name is derived from the English phrase of the same name that describes one being in a little disarray and confusion. Yet the team clearly know what they’re doing judging by the strength of this offering.
Though Sydney might have developed a penchant for south-of-the-border, down-Mexico-way kind of flavours there’s still a whole lot be mined north of the border.