The name is an ode to the years that followed the Repeal of the Volstead Act, which prohibited the production, and sale of alcohol in the US. The pair wanted to do something more unique than the typical Prohibition style, and so went down the path of New York from the 1930s to 50s.
Venues
Venues
The iconic pizza joint Connie’s started as just a hole-in-the-wall in 2017, inside the iconic rock ‘n’ roll bar, Heartbreaker. Now with a new space directly above Heartbreaker, Connie’s has expanded into a standalone modern 100-seat trattoria, showcasing traditional dishes inspired by Michael’s memories of growing up in his family’s Italian restaurants with his Nonna, Connie.
“We wanted to tweak and twist every little bit of the venue to have that transportive power – to flip reality a little bit and really give people the chance to have that once in a lifetime experience.” – Daisy Tulley
St. Alma in Freshwater is the sister venue to Alma in Avalon and the new addition to the franchise for business partners and operators Jack Leary and Time Christensen. These venues are all about the beaches and the relaxed vibe of drinking and dining that this area embraces.
The LA and European inspired lounge invites guests to graze on Italian share plates, paired with an extensive variety of spritzes and negronis.
The new Melbourne establishment HER is an entire building dedicated to all the things Melbourne loves – modern classic food, sophisticated drinks, art, design and music. The space includes HER BAR, HER Rooftop and HER Music Room.
Coa in Hong Kong secures the No.1 spot for the second year in a row and is named The Best Bar in Asia, and The Best Bar in Hong Kong. It is the second bar to achieve this back-to-back feat, after Manhattan, Singapore, in 2017 and 2018.
Spread over three levels, both indoor and outdoor, the combined floorspace is a whopping 1,600 square metres. First to open was The Menzies Bar, which is a tribute to the former landmark, boasting a European inspired bar and bistro.
“I love how [hospitality] is this beautiful combination of skill and art, science and passion. We are lucky to work in an industry that is based on compassion, empathy, and generosity – that a single smile can make someone’s night shows how truly powerful we really are.”
Vibe-seeking Sydneysiders can enjoy Greek meze, playful cocktails, and bottle service into the early hours of the morning. Owner, Ussi Moniz Da Silva is no stranger to flipping fading spaces into exciting new playgrounds, after recently flipping the now Sydney hot-spot Sinaloa.
“It’s these questions that have caused us anxiety; indecision that what we are doing is correct and casting doubt over our ambitions. We are not the first people to redo a venue, and most certainly won’t be the last, but we have found this process extremely challenging.” – James Bradey
The team behind it are the type to inspire devotion. Rob Libecans, Ryan Noreiks and Matt Stirling are industry veterans with world renowned bars on their timesheets. They have been running a successful pop-up and consultancy business under the name Fancy Free for the past few years.