Lucia Melbourne
Even though the Mediterranean style of drinking and dining is all over Melbourne these days, Lucia has a team of local hospo heavyweights ready to fight off the competition.
Overview
Mediterranean-inspired bars and restaurants are opening across the city. They're heroing minimalist design features with plenty of natural finishes. Spritz menus are now a thing. And classic Euro-centric bites — especially simply-prepared seafood — are everywhere.
This kind of food is considered a fabulous companion to lighter, juicier wines (plus beloved pét-nats), which are increasingly popular. We're not unhappy about this trend. The Mediterranean style of dining, which can range from light snacking and sipping wine to full-on feasting, is excellent. And Lucia in South Melbourne certainly capitalises on this trend.
But it isn't simply jumping on the bandwagon. The owners, Frank Ciorciari and Anthony Silvestre, are already responsible for creating a handful of charming European wine bars and restaurants in Melbourne, including Riserva and Baia Di Vino, and the beautiful bakery Breadcetera in Malvern East.
The luxurious menu features numerous seafood specialties. Cold dishes from the bar include oysters with yuzu and lemon-thyme mignonette, a lobster taco with citrus and chive dressing, and snapper crudo with pickled green papaya. Sample warm seafood snacks such as prawns in brick pastry with finger lime mayo or scallops with peas and pancetta. Pasta, risotto, and proteins are also available, such as four cheese agnolotti, lamb rack with polenta and duck with apricot and orange.
Head Sommelier Simone Garro oversees the wine program at Lucia and has curated a 400-strong wine list that spans a range of price points, regions, and grape varieties. For those wanting to try rare drops without having to get a super expensive bottle, Garro has even made a few available by the glass using a Coravin. There are also Euro-inspired cocktails and a hefty selection of digestives and aperitifs.
In addition to the leisurely dining room, Via Lucia Mercato, a casual takeaway extension of the restaurant, has opened to offer gourmet grab-and-go options for locals and visitors to the area. With its own dedicated access off Eastern Road, the mercato has been designed for morning coffees, healthy takeaway lunches, and a place to pop in and grab a convenient and tasty dinner.
Ciorciari says, "With Breadcetera, we saw how much people value being able to pick up good food that feels thoughtful but easy. In South Melbourne, we felt there was room for something similar to Lucia — somewhere you could grab a coffee, build a proper lunch, or take something home for dinner without it feeling formal. Via Lucia Mercato grew from that."
Via Lucia serves simple, quality staples, including pastries (from Austro), coffee (from Lavazza), paninis, seasonal vegetables, and fresh salads, with rotating proteins such as chicken schnitzel. "We wanted it to feel useful to the neighbourhood. Good food, made properly, that you can take with you. It's connected to Lucia, but it stands on its own as a more casual, flexible way to eat," says Silvestre.
Taking cues from Breadcetera, Via Lucia functions as a neighbourhood pantry offering gourmet staples and an elevated range of everyday items. Find shelves stocked with Tarralinga Estate olive oil, Lello pasta, and wines from both European and Australian producers.
Images: Michael Pham.
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