Polly

Address: 401 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Victoria, 3065, Australia
Tel: +61 3 9419 6539
Website: view Polly’s website
Door: Open door
Style: Neighbourhood bar
Food: Tapas/plates & dishes

Review

It’s easy to miss this Fitzroy long-stayer, just across the road from the better-known Black Pearl.

The classical statuary and pot plants in the conservatory out front make it look more like a florists or an antique store than a bar, and the eccentric – yet very cool – auntie feel extends back into the bar proper.

Reputedly the oldest still-surviving cocktail bar in Melbourne, a city which chews up and spits out bars and restaurants as if there’s no tomorrow, Polly may be showing her age. But she’s a beautiful space, with oil paintings, antique red-velvet chairs and décor like the parlour of a Victorian madame.

The drinks list is very much of the 90s, with resolutely girly names. But sweetish, inventive concoctions are made well, the Bloody Polly, with beetroot and horseradish vodka, goes down a storm, and the very civilized space make it still a very effective neighbourhood bar.