Motel Mezza Social Bar

When it comes to casual group dining, Motel Mezza ticks all the boxes. You can come in for drinks and share mezze plates by the fireplace, or book in for a banquet feast with a group of mates and stay for electric blue coloured cocktails and a chat with the bartenders. It's easy-breezy.

The Middle Eastern restaurant menu has dips and small plates, and its mains include zaatar cauliflower served with tahini and garlic dip, lamb kafka served with Lebanese bread, fresh tomato and onion, and shish taouk — sauteed chicken in a tomato marinate, served on rice with almonds. For the best value, share a banquet between two; the $45 plant-based mezza includes hummus, vine leaves, tabouli, zaatar cauliflower, falafel, lubia green beans and rice.

Kitti Gould

Everything here is designed to share, so the more the merrier. That way you can add in labneh dressed with olive oil and zaatar and mint, kabis pickles or warmed olives to start — and a medley of desserts, like the halawi ice cream, rosewater panna cotta or orange and almond cake, to round out your night.

From the bar, cocktails are colourful and playfully named. The Axel Rose mixes up vodka, rose water, lime and cucumber and the Blue Sky is a striking blend of vodka, blue curacao, lemon and pineapple. Like any good bar, it also offers the classics, so if you're here for a cosmo, no one will judge. Wine and beer drinkers have their pick from a plentiful list of Australian and New Zealand wines and craft beers. Plus, there are lots of non-alcoholic options that aren't limited to sugary soda.

Images: Kitti Gould