NOW EXPERIENCING:Navi Lounge
Drinks Directory|Bar|Wheelchair accessible|Casual catch-up

Navi Lounge

Friday: 6:00 – 11:00 PM
83A-83B Gamon Street, Yarraville, VIC, 3013
Phone
(03) 9939 9774
Website
restaurantnavi.com.au
Instagram
@restaurantnavi

Read time 3 Mins

Posted 04 Apr 2023

By
Larissa Dubecki

Creative cocktails are king. The snacks are similarly high-flying. You can even have a degustation of both at this stylish bar that instantly feels like an occasion.

Why you goAny Melbourne restaurant trainspotter will know the name Julian Hills. A big cheese in the city’s dining scene, his Yarraville restaurant Navi has won almost every award going and is suitably difficult to get into (its 38 seats per sitting book out in minutes of going live online each month). But fear not: here’s Navi Lounge to solve all our access problems. Opened in the next-door space that Julian pounced on when the lease came up, it has expanded the Navi repertoire into a bar that aims higher than a mere holding pen for diners or a place for a post-dinner nightcap. Thanks to a savvy mix of next-level cocktails and similarly high-flying snacks, it’s a destination in its own right – and you don’t have to book. Huzzah.
Why you stayYou want a cocktail bar that feels like an occasion? Step this way. A masterclass in using brutalist concrete to ethereal effect, Navi Lounge is a vision of hazy curtains, burnt-orange banquettes and a huge timber bar where bottles are softly backlit into something approaching a religious visitation. It’s a venue that sweats the small stuff, so add elegant stemware and crockery hand-thrown by Julian in his downtime to make it Vogue Living-chic without a hint of stuffiness.
What drink to orderCreative cocktails are king here, with plenty of credit going to bar manager Elise West. She’s a dab hand at making vermouth, infusions and various botanical bits and pieces for the drinks – often repurposing kitchen off-cuts that would otherwise meet their compost-maker. As a bonus, she’s also a real gun on the floor, helping guests choose from the eight-odd cocktails on the list that might sound bamboozling on first encounter. There’s always a clever play on the Martini – it might be made with salted caper-leaf vermouth and cod-fat vodka or native lemongrass-scented gum with Maidenii vermouth and waxflower – while the Negroni enlists saltbush and strawberry vermouth for a slick 2023 update. Swing towards a Sake Highball or cut loose and get down with Navi’s entire wine list, a geographically democratic beast that generally won’t break the bank while delivering plenty of interest.
What to pair it withOne word: snacks. Not just any snacks, either. Julian Hills is the kind of chef who lies awake at night wondering what would happen if he combined fried fish skin with the addictive properties of salt and sherry vinegar (the answer is fish-skin crisps so good they ought to be packaged and sold in vending machines). Some of the restaurant’s greatest hits get a look-in at bar prices, including the signature black-garlic and salmon-roe macaron that achieves a magical ratio of salty squish to savoury umami. You might also find two-bite wonders such as salty curls of lamb prosciutto crowning a duck-fat crumpet with an anchovy emulsion; the “duck-lava”, which is like the bastard love child of baklava and a sausage roll, served with a dab of salted rhubarb emulsion; or a Murray cod tartare. And make sure you order the house sourdough with cultured butter as an all-purpose wingman.
Why we love itIt’s the tradesman’s entrance to Navi – less costly, but with its own competing charms. The commitment-averse will love the way you can choose your own speed. A quick drink and some of those crunchy fish skins? Making a whole meal out of the snacks while puttering around the drinks list? Or maybe go the whole Navi Lounge hog and put yourself in the bar staff’s hands for the cocktail and snack dégustation. It’s up to you.
Make it fancyYou can treat Navi Lounge as a curtain-raiser to dinner next door – and if you are the lucky holder of one of Melbourne’s golden dining tickets, it would be impolite not to stop by for a drink before heading through the concrete archway into the dining room. But the new carrot being dangled by Navi Lounge is a five-course cocktail degustation matched with snacks. This swell idea is a great way to dive deep into one of the west’s best bars. Plus, you’ll get your hot little hands on some exclusive drinks, such as the Strawberries and Cream cocktail – essentially a Strawberry Martini poured over Jersey milk then filtered into a sweet sipping delight.
Regular’s tipIf the words “quiet residential neighbourhood in Melbourne’s inner west” make you think Navi Lounge is geographically difficult, think again. Seddon train station is only four stops from Southern Cross station, then it’s a seven-minute amble to the front door. Too easy – and you don’t have to worry about driving.
Sponsor logo
In partnership with Melbourne Food & Wine Festival
image credits: Ed Sloane
Authour image
Larissa DubeckiLarissa Dubecki has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in reviewing restaurants and bars.
Tags
Drinks DirectoryDate nightRestaurantWheelchair accessibleFancy occasionTop notch wine listNon-alc OptionsMelbourneBarKiller cocktailsMelbourne – WestCasual catch-upOutdoor area
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