Saint Hotel Is the New Multi-Level Food and Drink Spot in the Former Home of The Saint

It's always a bit trippy when a blast from your past comes slinking back into your present. And we suspect there'll be plenty of those feelings emerging with the news that the one-time home of The Saint has scored a hefty makeover and entered a new chapter. It's been reborn as multi-level wining and dining hot spot, Saint Hotel.

An icon of St Kilda's Fitzroy Street that for many conjures memories of late nights and sweaty dance floors, the building is being steered in a completely fresh direction by its new owners — a small crew of local hospitality veterans led by General Manager Mrinal Beekarry (The Atlantic).

Also among those at the helm are father-and-son duo James D and James M Field (construction company Field Group), who've joined forces with architects Telha Clarke to overhaul the grand space. Not only has it been refreshed from top to toe, but also smartly sectioned into a collection of signature venues promising something for all kinds of punters.

Sharyn Cairns

On the Ground Floor, Saint Bar has made its home in that prominent corner spot, delivering a light-filled front bar and restaurant with a smart-casual edge. It's all lofty ceilings and chic heritage touches; a place where you can kick back with tap brews and cocktails while tucking into prawn katsu sandos, wagyu burgers and grilled flatbread with whipped flathead roe.

Next to this, beneath the famed atrium, you'll find Saint Dining — a modern Australian fine diner helmed by Executive Chef Gary Lai (The Atlantic, Amber Hong Kong), with a menu fuelled by the kitchen's Josper charcoal grill.

Here, steak fiends particularly are in for a treat, with a slew of premium cuts on offer alongside seafood options like Apollo Bay crayfish and fish done with a nori beurre blanc. Skewers might come laden with harissa octopus, or chicken oysters finished with an egg yolk emulsion and crispy skin.

Griffin Simm

Snacks run to the likes of smoked duck leg croquettes and wagyu tartare sided with mustard creme fraiche, while larger plates include a crayfish mafaldine pasta, grilled quail with radicchio and peach, and a broad bean tart.

Venture upstairs and into the sophisticated drinking destination that is Bar 54, where light beams in from a central atrium, a terrace overlooks the iconic St Kilda palm trees, and marble tabletops and mustard-hued banquettes set the scene. This one's your day-to-night go-to for cocktails and produce-led drinking snacks.

Griffin Simm

There's lots more to come, too. Slated to open on the first floor by mid-April is listening lounge and cocktail haunt Stella's, where you'll find inventive specialty sips by Bouvardia's Roy Das Neves, a custom Pitt & Giblin sound system, and DJs soundtracking the vibes every Thursday and Friday.

Incoming later in the year is ground-floor wine cellar and bottle shop, The Vault. Here, you'll be able to select from a vast array of vino to take away, or to enjoy there at the stone tasting table, perhaps paired with snacks from next door.

Sharyn Cairns

Griffin Simm

Griffin Simm

Find Saint Hotel at 54 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda. Saint Bar and Dining is open Wednesday–Sunday, from 12pm until late, while Bar 54 is open Friday and Saturday from 6pm until late.

Top images: Sharyn Cairns and Griffin Simm