Escobar - CLOSED

Overview

The local. A happy place where you leave your worries at the door or, alternatively, treat them with an elixir provided by your bartender (who has also inevitably become a buddy). It's a wonderful place, where everybody knows your name and your favourite barstool has been polished and shaped by your own posterior. It's a mystical place, where you know you'll leave with a smile on your face whether you're there a quick tipple, a casual dinner or just a lively game of Guess Who?.

Well, if you call New Farm home, this place is no longer a dream. Say hello to Escobar, your new local. From the team that brought us Pablo comes this cosy bar and restaurant with a retro menu, a bar that begs to be sat at and the friendliest staff in town. The '70s-esque food is made for sharing, with smaller plates such as devilled eggs ($12), freshly baked vol-au-vents ($12) and cheese fondue ($20) perfect for starting the meal, while larger dishes such as the tasty fish pie ($32), apricot chicken ($34) or haloumi and lentil moussaka ($29) are perfect winter warmers.

Wash down the old-school fare with a selection from the drinks menu. The Hummingbird (with gin, basil, rose and lemonade, $10) and Old Spice (house spiced rum, grenadine, grapefruit and dry ginger, $10) come highly recommended, while the Sportsman for all Seasons (amaretto, ginger liqueur, citrus, coriander and bitters, $17) recently won bar manager Alice second prize in the Queensland Disaronno Mixing Star competition. The crew infuse their own spiced rum and 'bathtub gin' and have an ever changing selection of beers on tap.

From the fit-out to the friendly staff, Escobar is style and substance without pretension. Drop by, have a chat and a drink, and see if you find leaving as difficult as we did.