Melbourne’s bar scene is intoxicating in the best way. And it’s rapidly spreading beyond the CBD and inner city. In the month since Good Food published this round-up of new neighbourhood bars bringing better booze to under-served areas across town, more newcomers have hung up a shingle.
Bar Conexao, Eltham Eltham has embraced tapas bar Little Drop of Poison so enthusiastically that it’s emboldened owners Geo Tapia and Deb McFadzean to open a sibling, Bar Conexao, 200 metres away in the Eltham Town Mall precinct. “With Little Drop full most nights, we wanted another venue we could send people to ..
. so [the venues] can bounce off each other,” says Tapia. And so locals can bar crawl without having to fork out for an Uber or catch the train 20 kilometres into the CBD.
Wet your whistle with a tiny, briny martini then explore a wine list that Tapia says champions small-scale producers, such as the couple behind Tasmania’s Anim Wines. Where Little Drop’s menu is substantial, centring on Spanish and Latin American food, Bar Conexao’s is more snacky (there’s no kitchen), with stars such as gochujang-spiced devilled eggs, prawn cocktail, and tarragon-forward chicken dip with tortilla chips. And if you feel as if you’re hanging out in a gallery, you’re half right.
The moody, art-filled space was McFadzean’s photography studio, and her creative flair is still all over it. Open Wed-Sat 4pm-11pm Shop 4, 10-18 Arthur Street, Eltham, barconexao.com.
au Hotel Paradiso,.
