Milquetoast
A former CBD car garage down a laneway, turned into an award-winning wine bar with a British-leaning menu.
Overview
Find Milquetoast down a laneway off Elizabeth Street, past the neon glow of Alice next door. Housed inside a former garage, it's kept its industrial bones but softened them with mismatched vintage furniture, warm timber and wine bottles lining the walls. Milquetoast comes from George Curtis of Before + After and sommelier James Horsfall (previously a restaurant manager at Blume), with bartender Aidan Perkins (formerly of Exhibition, Hôntô and Agnes) running the drinks program.
Horsfall has built the wine list tight rather than sprawling — around 50 bottles, weighted toward small-scale independent producers from Australia and further afield. Aidan's cocktails lean on contemporary technique over classic recipes: fermentation, house-made tinctures and sodas, all built around whatever's in season.
The food follows the owners' shared English heritage rather than the usual small-bar formula. Think devilled eggs, mushrooms on toast, and Cumberland sausages with puy lentils and gremolata. It's walk-ins only, and having already been named Australia's Best Wine Bar for 2025, an early sitting may be the safer bet to score a seat.
Images: Supplied.
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