Overview
Goodbye, Espy Kitchen. Hello, Louey's. St Kilda's iconic pub, The Espy, has just opened its most recent venue-within-a-venue: a disco-themed Italian-American diner. It's taking over the old Espy Kitchen space, replacing fancy pub grub with a neon-lit mashup of live theatrics, wood-fired pizzas, American sides, ricotta-stuffed parmas and Italian share plates.
You'll be relieved to hear the rest of The Espy is staying more or less in-tact. The front bar is still your destination for pub fare, and Mya Tiger is still serving sizzling Cantonese upstairs. As far as we know, Louey's is the last big change planned for the venue, at least in the immediate future.
Food-wise, expect a heavy dose of Italian-American kitsch. Executive Chef Tony Moss (from South Melbourne's O'Connell's Hotel) seems to be having fun with this one, serving up mini fried lasagne, meatball sliders, spaghetti and meatballs and even a lobster pizza.
Want cheese with that? Louey's is doing a giant tableside wheel of parmesan, shaved to order.
The Espy Venue Manager Chad Kaya says the idea with Louey's was to bridge that awkward gap between a sit-down restaurant and good-time dive bar.
"It's the ideal space for those wanting a good time and good food," Kaya says, "the perfect balance between what's upstairs at Mya Tyger and the casual pub in the main entrance of the building".
Louey's is all about spectacle and fun. There's nothing subtle about the Cohen family's new venture, but what sets Louey's apart from other Italian-Americana venues is live entertainment, which will rotate each week. On Wednesdays, there's a house band from 7pm. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays will have DJ sets kicking on into the evening. Saturdays even feature piano bar-style brunch sessions (the so-called Pick of the Brunch), with song requests and sing-a-longs.
It's fun, it's in St Kilda's best venue, and it doesn't take itself too seriously. Three cheers for the new-look Espy.
Louey's is open from 12pm-late from Wednesdays through to Sunday.
Images: supplied.