NOW EXPERIENCING:Bar Bellamy
Drinks Directory|Melbourne|Melbourne – Inner South|After work drinks

Bar Bellamy

Friday: 5:00 PM – 1:00 AM
164 Rathdowne Street, Carlton, VIC, 3053
Phone
(03) 8590 0022
Website
barbellamy.com
Instagram
@bar.bellamy

Read time 3 Mins

Posted 02 Oct 2023

By
Tomas Telegramma

Inside Bar Bellamy in Melbourne

Innovative cocktails, fiendish snacks such as textbook devilled eggs, and European flair will keep a smile on your dial at this infectiously friendly neighbourhood bar.

Why you goIt’s rare for a new bar to get its neighbourhood so intimately and instantly, and, at the same time, exude such genuine come-one, come-all energy. But that’s the beauty of Bar Bellamy. Understanding its je ne sais quoi starts with its name, a play on the French for “good friend”. It’s what the bar aims to be, which might seem like a cliché right up until you walk through the door. No matter if it’s a full house with the staff run off their feet, friendly-faced hospitality remains the be-all and end-all. Be welcomed with wide smiles, then bask in the warm glow of a snug front bar that’s Carlton’s new favourite hangout – all dark timber, bright florals and big mirrors, with a time-worn charm. Not to mention the bistro classics with a modern edge, and cocktails that go beyond the rudimentary with care and confidence. Given the pedigree of owners Oska and Dani Whitehart, the straightaway success isn’t surprising. They’ve worked at some top Melbourne spots – he at Gimlet, the Everleigh and Bad Frankie, she at Archie’s All Day and Sibling. Bar Bellamy rolls the best of what they’ve learned into a powerhouse package.
Delicious food at Bar Bellamy
Why you stayTo get stuck into the supper menu. If you end up lingering long enough into the early hours – or come in hot from elsewhere – you’ll be rewarded with an excellent selection of late-night eats, from one-biters to two-handers, served from 10:00pm to 12:30am every night the bar is open. Our pick? A bocadillo, or Spanish baguette, loaded with pork jowl and served alongside a generous handful of crisps and a dollop of creamy coleslaw. 
What drink to orderLeaning into the easy-breezy European style – and adding to Bar Bellamy’s beyond-its-years allure – is the fact the drinks list has no fixed address (so, if you see something that catches your eye, order it – it might not be around the next time you are). In saying that, the team has a particular affinity for the Martini, and Martini-adjacent cocktails like the Gibson, most often garnished with a pickled onion. The (literally and figuratively) golden version here uses Martin Miller’s gin, amontillado sherry infused with saffron and onion skin, and plum-infused pinot-noir vinegar. This slicker-than-your-average Gibson has layers and layers of distinctive flavour. 
A Martini at Bar Bellamy
One of the excellent dishes at Bar Bellamy in Melbourne
What to pair it withUnder a spotlight in the bar’s adjoining dining room is a painting of a glorious tablescape by artist Libby Haines replete with hefty wedges of cheese, a plateful of crudités, aka raw vegetables, and a few glasses of wine, liberally poured. That’s essentially the experience you’re in for here. Chef Barney Cohen’s menu takes hints from classic European bistros without being at all limited to tradition. Case in point: his genius presentation of chicken-liver parfait in cannoli form. The parfait is as rich and velvety as you’d hope, the cannoli shells make for a crisp contrast, and they’re dangerously easy to eat. Meanwhile, you could say Bar Bellamy is single-handedly responsible for the devilled-egg renaissance in Melbourne – its take on the kitsch dinner-party staple of yesteryear is piped to perfection, draped with an anchovy and, importantly, downright delicious.
Regular’s tipA seat at the bar is always a good idea – but it’s doubly so here, especially if you’re an indecisive orderer. When cocktails and canapés read as enticingly on the menu as they do at Bar Bellamy, a front-row seat to them being made will help you choose more discerningly. Because the bar itself is so damn tiny, if you can snag a seat up there, you’ll get on-the-fly advice from the bartenders as they shake up and garnish other people’s drinks, or put together some of the easier-to-assemble snacks before your very eyes.
Don’t leave withoutTake a peek at what vinyl is spinning on the decks to the left of the bar, then having a flick through the bar’s tiny but terrific collection of cocktail (and culinary) books. 
Who to takeBar Bellamy takes night-time bookings for groups of six or more (and Sunday-arvo bookings for groups of all sizes), but the best way to get around the friendly crowd it attracts is to go with one or two others, plonk yourselves on a communal table and strike up a convo with the strangers around you. They won’t be strangers for long.
The setting inside Bar Bellamy
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In partnership with Melbourne Food & Wine Festival
Authour image
Tomas TelegrammaTomas is a food, drinks and culture writer, and former Broadsheet Melbourne editor.
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