Flavour-packed snacks and natural wines alongside more familiar drops make for effortless good times at this breezy wine bar with an unpretentious welcome-to-all vibe.
Co-owner Jake McWilliams’ name may ring a bell with Melburnians; the former Pope Joan chef has runs on the board. He and partner, Gabby Smith, a front-of-house natural, took the helm from Theo’s founders in December 2023. Since then, lucky locals have been all but frothing over Jake’s impressive snack game – the likes of grilled Mooloolaba king prawns in miso-chilli butter, and killer anchovy crisps where brined white anchovies meet savoury parmesan custard on crisp sourdough. Boom. The overperforming small plates are convincing enough for you to hang at Theo’s for more than a glass or two. But with hits like Adelaide Hills organic producer Jean Bouteille’s wines on pour alongside stars like Yarra Valley’s Mac Forbes and Payten & Jones – and all available by the glass – there’s zero chance of going home early. There’s always something extra and exciting available by the glass, too, which knowledgeable floor staff unfailingly flag as you arrive.
Cocktails exert their own pull and rotate regularly. Go with the holiday vibe and take an invigorating spin on a Barcelona Mule featuring Fot-Li vermouth, an organic anise and orange peel-forward winner from Spain, teamed with a hit of lime and ginger. In the Spritz Me, meanwhile, Barcardi joins La Goya sherry, prosecco, watermelon and a hint of thyme for a summery quencher.
Aside from those anchovies, toast also comes strewn with pink curls of mortadella set on a creamy stracciatella cheese base, topped with piquant green-olive pesto and fresh basil, paired perhaps with Noosaville brewery Boiling Pot’s mid-strength brew, aptly named Best Behaviour. Or Theo’s zucchini toast comes with goat’s cheese, lemon and tarragon. The menu here is more about grazing than dining, but those who linger are looked after well. Pasta might be rigatoni alla Norma, the rich eggplant and tomato sauce hidden beneath a snow of salted ricotta. Add a side of mixed leaves with orange-miso dressing and no one is leaving unsatisfied.
Theo’s sits on a vibey side street surrounded by eateries ranging from Korean and Japanese to Mexican and Peruvian, so it also works as a pre- or post-dinner drop-in.
