This light-filled cocktail bar from the team behind Lune is a true all-rounder, paying equal attention to drinks, food, service and design against a disco-dedicated soundtrack.
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Where Lune became known first and foremost as a dining destination (with great drinks), the team at Dolly want this to be a local watering hole (with great food). Helping their argument are inventive cocktails that go well beyond the classics (the list of signatures includes a Tropical Margarita laced with charred pineapple syrup and a Cajun Martini with jalapeño chilli-infused vodka) and an approachable, largely local wine list with great-value options by the glass. The rest of the wine list caters to drinkers of every ilk – it’s a crowd-pleasing assortment of old and new world to suit the mixed crowd of well-heeled locals, young professionals and groups of friends gearing up for a big night out.
Still, the food menu has a hard job convincing us it’s not worth coming for that alone. Case in point: a pair of golden fried brioche soldiers ferrying delicate crab meat crowned with chilli crisp and grated bottarga you won’t want to share.
Despite talk of their drinks focus, the team pays equal attention to the food, service and design. Take a seat at the showpiece concrete bar (easily the best spot in the house) to shoot the breeze with the friendly staff, enjoy the disco- and funk-fuelled playlist (everything from Donna Summer through to Mark Ronson) or take in the design by Genesin Studio, the team behind Mother Vine and Never Never Distillery. The fit-out – a mix of raw-rustic and polished futurism complete with a reflective chrome ceiling – was shortlisted for the 2023 Australian Interior Design Awards.
Walk-ins are more likely to find a table here than at its sibling bar Lune, but it’s best to book on Friday and Saturday nights. Stay ’til late and you’ll score $15 cocktails from 10:00pm (until 1:00am) on Fridays and Saturdays. Or get there between 4:00pm and 6:00pm on a Friday for magnums of fizz, oyster specials and DJs.
On Sundays, the bar hosts an ever-changing monthly lunch series (previous offerings have included “froths and broths”, “pasta and pop”, and “crab and Chablis”). And it has occasional speed-dating nights.
