Espy Sunroom

Overview

Right at the end of 2024, Hotel Esplanade (The Espy) opened a new sun-drenched venue in the former Ichi Ni site, which closed back in February 2024. Walk into the new Espy Sunroom this summer, and you'll see how the 252-person space has been totally transformed.

Gone are the bright red drapes, dark wood panelling and Japanese paintings that once adorned Ichi Ni. In their place, there's a far more open and brighter restaurant and bar with a lot less going on — simply decorated with hanging plants, lightly painted concrete walls, and a smattering of high and low tile-topped tables.

The interior will certainly get packed in summer, but its openair terrace will have the most sought-after seats — boasting its own retractable roof for when Melbourne's weather isn't behaving.

Here, you'll be sipping on spritzes and signature cocktails while eating crowd-pleasing eats that you'll recognise from the neighbouring pub's menu. Get around a huge seafood platter (packed with scallop ceviche, kingfish crudo, king prawns and oysters), pizzas, grilled barramundi, potato cakes with salt and vinegar and a classic chicken parma.

As this is part of The Espy, you can also expect a banging live music and entertainment lineup throughout the week. Wednesdays are for trivia run by local Smarty Pints Co, Fridays nights are when live bands and DJs play late into the night, Saturdays see the house DJs accompanied by live musicians, and Sundays are all about funk, house and soul music.

The Espy Sunroom isn't reinventing the wheel in any way, but it is hitting all the right spots for a popular seaside bar and restaurant — serving up summery bevs, crowd-pleasing eats and plenty of good vibes.