Overview
Adding to the wave of exciting new venues that seem to just keep popping up in Potts Point, a lavish wine bar and tapas restaurant has just arrived on Kellett Street from accomplished hospitality group Milpa Collective. The team behind crowd-pleasing Mexican restaurants like Carbon and Calita and more lavish spots like Londres 126 has ventured away from its usual Mexican fare with Bar Lucia, shifting its focus to Spanish eats and female-led wineries.
Opening just in time for Valentine's Day, the space has been given a sleek, romantic fit-out featuring candelabras and a cluster of moody oil paintings across the wall.
"It will be the next 'pop in for a glass of wine' hot spot, the perfect date location, dinner with friends, long ladies lunch or 'settle in the for the evening' cosy wine bar," Milpa Collective co-founders Pablo Galindo and Liber Osorio say.
Bar Lucia's Head Sommelier Kasia Sobiesiak is a wine educator and has a Master's in environmental engineering. Through this wealth of knowledge, she's pulled together a considered and varied wine program featuring more than 50 drops ranging from classic varietals to innovative winemakers. The equally varied by-the-glass list features vino almost exclusively made by women and has a strong local focus.
"Promoting female winemakers and supporting local wine regions is a priority for me," Sobiesiak says. "I like to foster a balance between fine, modern classics and artisan and low-intervention leads."
Head Chef Alberto Palacios has created a menu inspired by the tapas bars of Spain executed with top local Australian produce and is designed to pair with whatever wine your heart desires. Bar Lucia has 'bar' in its name, so while you can pop in just for drinks don't be surprised if you're convinced to grab a bite of roast scallops with saffron butter, jamon serrano croqueta or Catalan-style cannelloni.
The indoor courtyard boasts a glass roof and atrium-style design, making it a crowd-pleasing, weather-proof spot for your next get-together. And rounding out the space is a sun-soaked private dining room for any special occasions you might have on the horizon.
Bar Lucia is located at 5 Kellett Street, Potts Point. It's open 5pm–midnight Tuesday–Thursday, midday–1am Friday–Saturday and midday–10pm Sunday.
Images: Kitti Gould