Four new places for a Saturday night drink
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Looking for somewhere new to ring in the weekend? We’ve rounded up four fab new Canberra bars.
It’s Saturday and you’re sick of the same old. We’ve got you covered with these four new places to drink in Canberra.
Saint Malo
A 46-bottle wine list that offers both Spanish labels and Australian wines , a cocktail list with a sumptuously Spanish influence, some delightful low-alcohl options including a house-made sangria, and a 70-option water menu—that’s just the tip of the iceberg at Saint Malo, the ambitious three-storey venue off London Circuit.
With a Spanish-influenced feasting menu to complement your Friday night libations, your tastebuds will be transported to a sunny table in San Sebastian in seconds.
Saint Malo | 23 London Circuit, City | Wednesday – Sunday, lunch and dinner service; Saturday–Sunday brunch menu as well | saintmalo.com.au
Public Dining Room
An unobtrusive black door at the back corner of Manuka local, Public, which now leads up a flight of stairs to its new dining room and cocktail bar. Formerly the Polit Bar and before that A Foreign Affair and way back before that the Ottoman, the space has a wall of windows looking out onto the street, in particular the new Manuka hotel.
Designed by Capezio Copeland, upstairs has an industrial luxe feel with a terrazzo bar, brass accent lights, curved wood tables and velvet and leather chairs and sofas.
There will be a small but sharp menu and a vast wine list. And of course, it will be a perfect spot to enjoy a drink while looking out onto the goings on of the street below.
Public Dining Room | First Floor, 8 Franklin Street, Manuka | Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays until late | publicbar.com.au
Kodiak
Taking over the space on Kingston’s Kennedy Street formerly housing iconic upscale pub The Kennedy Room and turning it on its head, after months of leaving us wondering what they had planned, owners Leeroy and Sophia Petersen have finally brought Kodiak Bar—a new cocktail bar—to life.
And while you might know and love the “good ole charm” of their Canadian-themed “real” pub Caribou, Kodiak (which is named after the largest recognised subspecies of the brown bear) will be wholly different from their hospitality venture in Green Square. Instead, it’s a sophisticated cocktail bar.
The fit-out is moody, dark, and takes inspiration from New York industrial style interiors—think dark wood banquettes, to exposed brick, metal-backed shelves, leather chairs and gilded framed mirrors.
Kodiak Bar | Tuesday – Saturday, 4 pm until late | 23 Kennedy Street, Kingston | kodiakbar.com.au
Louie Louie
Photography: Pew Pew Studio
“Gin and Jazz” is flowing liberally at Louie Louie in the upstairs of Verity Lane Market, every Friday night.
While Louie Louie will also open its stage to comedy, burlesque and folk, the focus on jazz seems a fitting genre to enliven the Sydney Building given the building and the jazz era both began in the 1920s.
Louie Louie has kept its rustic walls, exposed brick and original wooden rafters, there are new floorboards and a gloriously handcrafted spotted gum bar which will be led by a strong gin menu but offer patrons a wide range of other spirits and craft beers.
It’s good news for Canberrans who have been aching for a live music hit, but also for those who have found it hard to get a table at the now thriving Verity Lane Market.
Louie Louie Gin and Jazz at Verity Lane Market | Each Friday from 9 September to 28 October, with dinner and drinks from 5pm and music from 8pm | Upstairs at Verity Lane Market, 50 Northbourne Avenue, City | veritylanemarket.com.au
Feature image of Louie Louie by Ash St George, Pew Pew Studio
