A taste of Melbourne’s outdoor bars & restaurants

Hunger calls. And while any old burger joint is capable of quelling your appetite, the fine weather beckons for it to be satisfied at Trunk. Whether you’re in the mood for Mediterranean cuisine or good old American grub, Trunk caters to both. That’s not all, however. An array of cocktails, ales and wines are also available upon your request. Unsure of which kitchen takes your fancy, you steer through the rustic bar and restaurant allowing the Mediterranean flavours to fill your nostrils. The vibrant chatter of the beer garden and outdoor restaurant coaxes you out into the sun and you take a seat and order one of Trunk’s 14 craft beers which flavours inspire you most. Whichever you choose, with over 130 wines to pair with hearty menu choices, you know you’re spoilt for choice.

Out of the corner of your eye, a neon light blazes.The scent of freshly cooked fries wafts temptingly throughout this street in central Melbourne. You follow it toward the neon sign which reads RIVOLI in unapologetic fluorescent pink. You step inside and are transported back seven decades into a world of art deco and wartime frivolity. Although it feels like 1940, you’ve actually walked into nineteenforty, an outdoor bar perched atop the Rivoli cinema and although the decor does well to pass itself as wartime Paris, your only worry is being able to resist the maple, bacon and cheese flavoured popcorn to accompany one of the cocktails from nineteenforty’s extensive list.

When the city starts to take its toll, you know there’s one doctor in town who’s got what it takes to have you in good order and well on your way to feeling better: Dr Morse. At Dr Morse’s outdoor bar, you’re prescribed a necessary dose of greens, which come in the form of the creeping vines and lush foliage that decorate the wooden beams. You settle down at one of the tables and choose your tipple, a medicinal cocktail of bourbon, red vermouth, lemon and raspberry. Just what the doctor ordered.