Drinking Melbourne is the weekly newsletter from drinks writer Fred Siggins, unpacking what’s happening in Melbourne’s bars (and what you can learn from them), sent every Tuesday to your inbox. Get on the list here.
If you’re not familiar with Marios, you might wonder why I’m covering an Italian restaurant for a newsletter about bars. But if you’re a Fitzroy native, especially a hospo worker, there should be no doubt in your mind how important this little shopfront is to the fabric of Melbourne hospitality.
This is a venue that helped to define the all day dining and drinking that Melbourne does so well. Here, you can get eggs benedict until 5pm, a cocktail at 10am, and great coffee all day long. I can’t tell you how many times Marios has saved my life with caffeine and carbs on the way to work in that no-mans-land between 3pm and 5pm when all the other cafes are closed, but the restaurants haven’t opened.
Historically speaking, Marios has also been a key part of the development of Melbourne’s drinking culture. I spoke with longtime Melbourne food writer Michael Harden for my recent article on modern coffee cocktails, and he had this to say about Marios:
“In the 1980s, Marios on Brunswick Street was the pioneer in elevating coffee to a quasi-essential status in Melbourne. Owners Mario Maccarone and Mario DePasquale took their experience in fine dining and applied it to a cafe setting (waiters in ties and waistcoats, linen on tables, coffee sourced from Grinders, [then] a small independent coffee roaster on Lygon Street), bringing a level of respect, expertise and specialisation to a style of dining long relegated to the ‘low' end of the spectrum. This synced perfectly with the overhaul of Victoria's licensing laws in the late 1980s. Cafes like Marios (and the many that appeared in its wake), could now serve booze, and their casual but sophisticated approach acted as something of a template for the small bar boom that followed in the 1990s. This liberalisation of liquor licensing laws also blurred the once-proscriptive lines between bar, cafe, pub and restaurant, normalising the idea of quality coffee and booze co-existing in the same space.”
I’ve long said that Melbourne’s greatest contribution to the Australian bar scene is those venues that succeed at blurring lines. Places like Bar Liberty, Gerald’s, Hands Down and Bar Bellamy which defy definition as purely cocktail bars, restaurants, pubs, wine bars or cafes. So cheers to Marios for showing us the way, and keeping us well fed in the process.
There’s a lot of great articles out there this week about the food and history of Marios, like this one in Good Food, so I figured I’d contribute photos rather than words. I popped down for a few hours last Tuesday to be a part of the birthday celebrations, featuring live music, free cake, and multigenerational revelry of the kind we don’t often get in this fickle industry. Enjoy.
The prosecco was flowing and the band was fired up as generations of Marios regulars, friends, family and former staff lined up down the block to get a seat and join in the fun. Photos: Fred Siggins
Mario Maccarone, along with co-owner Mario De Pasquale, has been an unwavering presence at his venue since day one. Here he is at the door directing traffic, and opening gifts surrounded by his adoring staff after a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday thanks to the live band and the many well-wishers gathered in the outdoor seating area on Brunswick Street. Photos: Fred Siggins
Inside, the pasta is flying out of the kitchen to be slurped up with gusto as the younger staff buzz around the room, while veterans like Massimo Di Sora, who’s worked at Marios since 1987 and looks like he’s stepped off the set of The Godfather, schmooze with happy patrons. Photos: Fred Siggins
The right-hand wall of the restaurant is covered in black and white portraits of former and current staff, which says a lot about how they view their employees. Photos: Fred Siggins
Around the bars
All That Glitters. In much sadder news, stalwart live music venue Stay Gold in Brunswick will be closing on the 21st of June at the end of their current lease. But, they’ll be going out in style with a final run of shows including Press Club on June 18th and a farewell party on June 20th. Until then, find out about upcoming gigs and other fun stuff karaoke nights and the final of their Battle of the Bands on May 8th here.
Time’s Up. As part of an effort to combat sexual harassment and abuse in licenced venues, Liquor & Gaming NSW has put out an anonymous survey for anyone who holds, or has ever held, a NSW RSA certificate. If that’s you, and even if you’ve never experienced this stuff, I urge you to fill out the survey to help strengthen laws and training to protect hospo workers and our patrons. You can take the anonymous survey here.
Catering to Canberra. If you’re after something to do tonight, Canberra’s finest wine bar/restaurant Bar Rochford (who also do kick-ass cocktails) will be popping up at Gerald’s Bar in Carlton North for one night only, Tuesday, May 5th. Rochford’s Head Chef Alisdair Brooke-Taylor will be presenting a special set menu, but even if you can’t get a booking I reckon it’ll be worth heading down for a vino or two, as the Rochford crew have promised to pack a few special magnums, along with some of their favourite vinyl records, for the occasion. Bookings are here.
