Overview
Myers Place: That tiny laneway capillary between Bourke and Little Collins streets, flowing with booze and the aroma of exotic cooking. As one of Melbourne's original inner-city small-bar destinations, it's now home to a small fortune in restaurants, art venues and drinking holes — all within metres of each other. This time we move beyond the solid stuff, as Eat Streets shows you not only where to get fed but watered and cultured too.
Lily Black's
Boasting the 'largest collection of bitters in world', Lily Black's prides itself on the cocktail craft. The seasonal cocktail menu is testament to the claim, best attacked using their ingenious visual key — choose between bitter, boozy, dry, hot, refreshing, rich, savoury, smoky, sour or sweet flavours, and let your bartender do the rest. Take a seat in the speakeasy-style surrounds and watch the staff chisel hand-cut shards from the ice block and shake drinks like they're Ricky Martin with a set of maracas.
On the last Sunday of every month, check out the Iron Bartender competition — an opportunity for Melbourne's best mixers and shakers to demonstrate their flair and brew up their cocktail best. Until then, drop by after dinner for a Hot Forest (Maker's Mark bourbon, maple, lemon and charred cedar; $19) or a Japanese Cigar (Courvoisier VS cognac, Ardbeg whisky, hickory-smoked orgeat and bitters; $19) — they're open late.
12 Meyers Place, Melbourne, (03) 9654 4887, lilyblacks.com.au
San Telmo
After a cocktail next door, don't be surprised if you find yourself on the doorstep of San Telmo, succumbing to the enticing pull of the Argentinean grill. Inside, carnivores congregate around the Parilla (the imported Argentine charcoal grill, pronounced par-ee-sha) — feasting on slabs of tender, smokey charred meat. Order by cut: short ribs, flank, rib eye and all the steaks of rump are on offer here.
The menu is designed to share, which means that our vegetarian friends needn't miss out. The sweet-burnt carrots with thyme and goats cheese ($13), provolone, mozzarella, basil and capsicum empanadas ($6), or Brussels sprout, roasted shallots, hazelnuts and agave vinaigrette will appease the non-animal eaters, while desserts like the dulce de leche creme caramel with salted peanut praline ($14) will have both tribes fighting over the fork.
14 Meyers Place, Melbourne, (03) 9650 5525, santelmo.com.au
The Waiters Club
It's been around since 1947 and still resembles an old Coles canteen from the 70s, but, despite missing out on the neighbouring Meyers Place revolution, the Waiter's Club remains a city stalwart.
Originally a members-only, after-work venue for Melbourne's new-Australian waiters, the restaurant now hosts a cross-generational legion of foodie fans. Tuck in to a welcoming bowl of pasta or a generous slice of tiramisu; fine dining it's not, but it's homely and dependable. In fact, its no-frills service, laminex tables and daggy curtains might remind you of Nan's kitchen as it remains immune to the evolving trends of the streetscape downstairs. Let's hope it never changes.
20 Meyers Place, Melbourne, (03) 9650 1508
Meyers Place
Meyers Place was a pioneer of Myers Place when it first opened in 1994 (as one of the first on the scene, its owners probably didn’t realise how confusing their name would one day become). Part of Melbourne's original hole-in-the-wall bar revolution, the venue was first conceived by a group of mates who lived in the city and wanted somewhere nearby for a drink. From there, 6 Degrees Architects took responsibility for the build, using recycled materials such as ex-government office fittings, train armrests and timber panelling ripped from the old stage of Melbourne's town hall.
Doubling as an art space, the regular program of exhibitions allows punters to feels cultural while imbibing in a $5 house wine. After all, it's all part of the arts experience — and there's nothing wrong with that.
20 Meyers Place, Melbourne, (03) 9650 8609, meyersplace.com.au
Senoritas
While Mexican food might not be as in-vogue as it once was (long surpassed by the dude food trend, food trucks, and science-lab gelato), people are still willing to queue down the street for a taste of taco, suggesting its popularity remains strong. Joining the likes of Touche Hombre and Mamasita, Senioritas gains a competitive advantage over their popular peers by allowing bookings — saving diners an agonising wait in the queue.
This allows maximum time to sit back and try the tequila — perhaps matched to grazing the selection of tacos like the roasted pork shoulder with cinnamon, orange, thyme, frijoles and pickled red onion ($14), or the sweet potato, epazote and black bean taco with queso fresco and chipotle mayo ($12). Eating amongst the dramatic neon-lit interior and ghoulish, Day of the Dead-themed decor isn't as authentic as grabbing a quesadilla from the dusty Mexican roadside, but it sure makes for an entertaining night out.
16 Meyers Place, Melbourne, (03) 9639 7437, senoritas.com.au
Unfortunately Senoritas has temporarily closed, but hopes to reopen again shortly.
Loop
Part bar, part performance venue, Loop provides a space for artists, film makers and live audiovisual performers (and fans of all the above) to share their creative energies — over a pizza and pot of beer.
With an event calendar that offers something different almost every night of the week, expect film festival screenings, performances of buzzing electro-pop and DJs every weekend. Loop is also a pillar of the local filmmaking community, presenting Comfortable Shorts each month — a series of short films from local and international creatives.
23 Meyers Place, Melbourne, (03) 9654 0500, looponline.com.au
Lane's Edge
Fuss free, friendly and a bit of fun, Lane's Edge serves as casual entry point to the off-Bourke laneway. It takes a multidisciplinary approach to hospitality — the kind that warrants anything from a morning coffee with the paper, a lunch break with your work colleagues or a late night passed with a stranger on a loose night out. Accompany any of the above with a bowl of pumpkin soup.
The bamboo-clad beer garden provides offers a discrete vantage point from which to enjoy sneaky lunchtime beers, while still keeping an eye on the laneway antics. Chances are you might catch a glimpse of your boss at the bar next door.
39 Bourke Street (cnr of Bourke and Meyers Place), Melbourne, (03) 9654 2409, lanesedge.com