Look, you can eat delicious and fancy looking food and throw back a Negroni or two in loads of nice places around Oz. But isn’t it way more of an ~immersive experience~ when you consume said food and drink in a truly spectacular space? Yes, yes it is.
Australia is really killing it atm when it comes to well thought-out, gorgeous interiors in the bar and restaurant scene. In fact, 19 projects were shortlisted in the UK based Restaurant & Bar Design Awards for 2016, and the year before, three Aussie spots – Kitty Burns, Pink Moon Saloon, and So 9 – won big.
Here’s our round up of the most aesthetically pleasing spaces to grab a bite (or a beer) at.
With those industrial design vibes courtesy of Sydney architecture duo Luchetti Krelle, ACME has that sexy, minimalist feel that works perfectly with its date-night share plate food situation.
Part of the Jupiters Casino behemoth, this light and breezy Italian restaurant really utilises the fab GC weather – one whole side is open-air so you’re basically going it alfresco in most of the place, and the pastel/beige combo plays on that whole casual-beachside thing that just totally works on the Goldie.
Cafe/restaurant Kitty Burns makes gr9 use of light, and keeps things airy and fresh with greenery and blonde wood. Food-wise, it’s one all-day menu with meals that work perfectly whether it’s 8am or 3pm.
Sure, this SA Italian joint won a prized place on CNN Travel’s 10 best new places to eat in the world list last year, but it’s offering up more than just delish fresh pasta dishes. The chilled out interior features a cement counter that runs the length of it, with long communal tables mixing amongst cosy booths out the back.
This American-Japanese Chippendale newbie was designed to bring NYC Meatpacking district vibes, with it’s exposed brick walls, worn leather chairs, brass accents and dark wood flooring. That giant mural that stretches one wall is the first in the Southern Hemisphere from acclaimed Belgian-born graffiti artist Caratoes, too.
One of the most hyped ACT restaurants, XO is a minimalist masterpiece – that wine wall is how they show off their beverage ops, and the interior is all white-washed brick walls and pale wood. Food wise, expect a South East Asian influence and a focus on share plates.
If you love tea, and want to drink your tea while sitting in a gorgeous architectural setting, this is your kinda place. There’s a bazillion on offer, but it’s also full of quirky takes on interiors, like this tea display above.
For around two decades, the Old Treasury Building in Perth was sitting abandoned and severely run down. Enter Petition Kitchen, who’ve taken over and restored the State Building into something that blends the modern with the historic – from the outside, the building still looks straight outta the 1800’s, but within it’s all long leather benches and white walls. They haven’t completely 2000’ed up the interior – little peeks of the original brick have been left, and of course there’s those insanely high ceilings.
Walking into J&M is like stepping back in time – set inside the historic Angel Hotel in the Sydney CBD, the 60s/70s inspired whiskey bar is all peeling walls and velvet furniture, making you feel you’re in the prohibition era sneaking a cocktail in before the po-po get wind of it.
Pink Moon Saloon is a small bar that utilised a teeny service alley – literally, it was 4 metres wide – and turned it into a small bar that’s getting rave reviews both for its food and drink offering, and it’s unique design. From the outside it literally looks like a tiny house, with the interior giving off ‘cosy wood cabin’ feels with it’s almost all wood theme.
Given this is the bar front to what’s actually an all-natural soda company, it makes sense that unlike many Sydney small bars, PS40 has windows and is all bright and fresh. The predominantly black colour scheme is off-set by high ceilings and pops of colour and neon lighting.
This South Melbs laneway wine bar is another lil’ drinking spot that eschews being dark and moody for utilising natural light, this time via skylights. This, teamed with a colour scheme that’s mainly variations of grey with brass accents, makes for a pretty unique vibe.
First – yes, those are pelts hanging off the back of each chair in this basement-level Sydney restaurant. That’s because this hidden joint is Scandinavian themed, and the entire experience – you enter a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it door, head down underground, then buzz to be let in – makes you feel like you’ve really left the busy Sydney streets behind. Naturally, being a basement location means Norsk Dor has made itself softly lit and cosy, which works well with their comfort food offering.
Self-coined as a ‘Mexican tostaderia meets tile-laden diner Americana’, Hotel Jesus is all fun and no-frills feels. Using pops of rich red amidst tiled white walls, you’ll 100% feel like you took a trip to the Mexican border.
If you’re Sydney based or just an avid foodie, you’re no doubt across French restaurant Hubert, the first proper restaurant offering from the Shady Pines/Frankies Pizza guys. And so far it’s 100% been living up to the hype, both in terms of how delish the food is and for it’s inspired interiors. There’s a grand piano in front of a red curtained stage, wood panelled walls, and an insanely stocked bar (which is v Baxters Inn).
Images: Supplied.
