NOW EXPERIENCING:Nick and Nora’s
Drinks Directory|Wheelchair accessible|A+ spirits list|Date night

Nick and Nora’s

Friday: 3:00 PM – 1:00 AM
80 Collins Street via, 11 Benson Walk, Melbourne, VIC 3000
Phone
03 8393 9367
Website
nickandnoras.com.au
Instagram
@nickandnorasmelbourne

Read time 4 Mins

Posted 18 Apr 2022

By
Larissa Dubecki

This sumptuous city bar evokes the golden age of drinking, complete with the giddy excesses of Champagne towers and caviar bumps.

Interiors seating
Why you goIt started life in Sydney but that’s no reason for parochial Melburnians to ignore Nick & Nora’s. From bar tsars the Speakeasy Group (the same crew behind acclaimed local favourites Eau de Vie, Mjolner and Boilermaker House), it proves that the northern city can occasionally get things very right indeed in the bar department. Big, beautiful and occasionally bawdy, Nick & Nora’s has adapted well to its new home. The hidden entrance at the posh 80 Collins development sings in a local key (pro tip: head down the Benson Walk laneway and look for the first door on the left where a discreet sign says Champagne and Cocktails) and the intimate vibe whisking you to an alternate, more glamorous reality.
Why you stayDo you need to know that this venue takes its inspiration from Dashiell Hammett's 1933 crime noir novel The Thin Man and its fictional sleuths Nick and Nora Charles? No, you do not, but it does help explain why you’ll be partying like Prohibition just ended in a sanctuary of Art Deco-inspired design. There’s golden glimmers aplenty, plus velvet booths made for canoodling. And then there's an 11-metre-long green marble bar – it certainly makes a statement. The crowd dresses to impress but you’ll have no worries wearing those skyscraper heels. With seats for 240 across five rooms and three huge balconies, you’re likely to find somewhere comfortable to plant your bottom – and even more blessedly, there’s table service.
Bar interiors
Bartender making a cocktail
What drink to orderChannel a Great Gatsby vibe by heading straight to the list of Champagne. It’s like an encyclopaedia – or an 80-bottle hymnbook singing the praises of fizz. (You might have noticed the collection housed in the five-metre-long climate-controlled display case.) From bubbles by the glass to rare vintages and everything in between, it’s thoughtfully classified by flavour profile into categories like “crisp and elegant”, “rich and toasty” and “fresh and fruity”, and it also ticks globe-trotting boxes of fizzy options, with cava from Spain and prosecco from the King Valley. Champagne cocktails such as the Cardinale Sin (made with Beefeater gin, lemongrass and lemon-myrtle sorbet) are made with your choice of Mumm, Perrier-Jouët or Ruinart; the same goes for the fizz-pimped jumbo punch bowls for four, like the Upside Down Pineapple Punch with Wyborowa vodka, Havana Club rum, Amaro Montenegro, lemon, sour pineapple and yuzu. If you’re more in the mood to feel like a film-noir detective, or just feel like something stronger, there’s a hardboiled list of Cognac and friends, including tasting flights of rare bottles.
What to pair it withThe conspicuous consumption on display here gets into its upmarket groove with caviar – it’s served like nature intended with blini (think of them as Russia’s answer to pikelets), snipped chives and crème fraîche – while rock oysters are dabbed with paperbark-smoked Champagne dressing. A good selection of charcuterie and cheeses bulk out the grazing platters, while the list of canapés is full of intriguing-sounding things you’ll want to investigate. Sweetcorn cigars with pepperberry lardo and fermented chilli, for instance or chicken liver parfait made into a mille-feuille. The snacks are attuned to the elegant surroundings, while those with bigger appetites need only hear the words “lobster roll” to know they’re in a safe space.
Food and drinks pairing
Champagne glass tower
Make it fancyNick & Nora’s masterclasses are a portal to the inner sanctum. Choose your poison – will it be an exploration of champagne or martinis, cocktails or whisky? – and the award-winning bartenders will take you on a deep dive guaranteed to turn you into an instant expert. 
Regular's tipFriday post-work celebrations reach their pinnacle with Nick & Nora’s Thank Shuck It’s Friday. Expect half-priced oysters and $5 glasses of Mumm Marlborough plucked straight from the show stopping Champagne tower. Here's to the weekend.
Sponsor logo
In partnership with Melbourne Food & Wine Festival
image credits: Jiwon Kim
Authour image
Larissa DubeckiLarissa Dubecki has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in reviewing restaurants and bars.
Tags
Drinks DirectoryVego Food OptionsKiller cocktailsRooftopA+ spirits listRestaurantHappy hourFancy occasionDate nightBarWheelchair accessibleMelbourneAfter work drinksParty vibesNon-alc OptionsMelbourne – CBDMeal and a bev
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