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Bar Liberty

The go-to joint for gonzo libations and none-too-serious snackage.
Bar LibertyDominic Xavier
Address
234 Johnson St Fitzroy, Melbourne, Vic

Three-and-a-half years after opening, Melbourne’s favourite low-fi hangout has reached the age of reason. Sure, it has the same gravitational pull it’s always had thanks to the ineluctable charms of a wine list packed with natural curios along with a menu with the dial set to global grazing, but the anarchistic approach of its early days has been replaced by a solid dependability. A full-throttle mussel dip on a potato crisp with a sprinkle of lovage, or fried salt-and- pepper vegetables lifting capsicum and brassicas up where they belong, are rusted-on features of a menu dedicated to the snacking dark arts. A raft of wholemeal sourdough, grilled to order and served with the gently acidic curve ball of cultured cream, remains a meal in itself, but go bigger to the lamb with eggplant lifted by a lick of anchovy sauce. The kitchen’s love of salt might mar an otherwise sound bucatini cacio e pepe – a similar salty scenario is playing out at the group’s American-Italian Carlton newcomer, Capitano – but it’s a small mid-life crisis for a bar-slash-restaurant thoroughly deserving its place in the city’s heart.

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Website:

barliberty.com

Bookings:

Bookings recommended

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Features:

  • Licensed

  • Bar

  • Vegetarian-friendly

  • Private room

  • Impressive wine list

  • Outdoor dining

Accepted card types:

  • American Express

  • Eftpos

  • MasterCard

  • Visa

Chef(s):

Casey Wall & Zackary Leon Furst

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This review was made independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide’s reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way.

Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide

Our guide gives a yearly snapshot at the best restaurants to eat at right now. The best-rated restaurants, as judged by the reviewers’ first-hand experience, form our national Top 50.

Bar Liberty
Australian
234 Johnson St Fitzroy, Melbourne, Vic
Chef(s)
Casey Wall & Zackary Leon Furst
Bookings
Bookings recommended
Opening Hours
Lunch Sun noon-5pm; Dinner Mon-Thu 5pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-midnight

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