Get your motor running at Diesel Bar and Eatery.
Tucked between a church and an unassuming 1920s heritage building, lies Little Lonsdale Street’s slickest new eatery. Diesel Bar has just opened, and the who’s who of Melbourne stepping out to celebrate the arrival of the city’s newest best kept secret.
Offering up great food and cocktails for any occasion, you will be talking about this surprisingly expansive space for years to come.
If the taxidermied gazelle suspended in a giant glass case at the entry doesn’t give it away: Diesel is a little different. Combining cool with classy, the venue is an oasis of calm. The look may be modern but at its heart Diesel pays homage to Melbourne’s rich history.
Little Lonsdale Street, known as “Little Lon”, was once known as a sprawling strip of opium dens and brothels. Rather than shying away from this history of debauchery and mystery, Diesel embraces it. The bar cheekily nods to the past with inspired cocktails and the stunning unaltered building facade that ushers visitors into another world.
Diesel’s signature cocktail the Lt Lon is everything you’d expect of a cocktail born of this dark and forbidden past. Delicious, decadent, and dangerously easy to consume. A sweet muddle of Fiorente elderflower liqueur, grapefruit juice, vodka, and finished off with a garnish of real flowers, the Lt Lon is fresh and flavoursome. Sipping on the decadent cocktail while sitting on the overstuffed chesterfields in the upstairs bar that gaze over the bustling city.
The knowledgable and passionate bar staff also whip up delights for all palates. Their dishes also speak to the heart of Melbourne in an interesting and delicious way. In its heyday, Little Lon was a hive of migrant activity, with Asian and European immigrants bringing new and exciting flavours to the young city. Diesel uses traditional Asian and Italian ingredients, but gives them a stylishl modern twist. From Beef rendang sliders with coriander and toasted coconut, to traditional flatbread with provolone, tomato, and basil, there’s something to match every drink.
Food and drinks aside, Diesel’s venue is almost dream-like. Both expansive and intimate, the upstairs bar area is a sight to behold. Marrying the building’s original industrial features of exposed brick and ironwork with crisp modern touches of sleek leather booths and a marble bar. The hip upstairs area would be ideal for any function.
The location of the bar is a sight to behold. Perched atop Melbourne Central Train Station, and with tram lines on both Elizabeth Street and Swanston Street providing easy access to the venue, Diesel is only ever a few stops away.
(Pictures courtesy of Diesel Bar, by Carly Ravenhall)
Diesel Bar and Eatery
202 Lt. Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Open 7 days, 7am-1am
www.dieselbar.melbourne