A great place for wine lovers; there's a really extensive list to try out. Less options when it comes to 'by the glass' but if you are a wine lover and fine to pay by the bottle, then this place is a great choice. The menu is a really good one too especially designed keeping the wines in mind. We tried out the cheese and her omelette (delicious and cheesy!) and also the charcuterie board which is a perfect match for the wines.
One of my favourite wine bars in the CBD, Kirk's Wine Bar is a cosmopolitan little bar with heaps of personality, and just a touch of a Europe about it. Set up like a French bistro, the decor is fab in this tiny establishment. It has a warm and inviting vibe, and the outside tables are perfect for people watching on bustling Hardware Lane. On a sunny day, you can't beat a table at Kirk's.
The staff are absolutely wonderful and the service is impeccable despite the fact that this bar is always busy. You are made to feel absolutely welcome, and nothing is too much trouble. With an amazing wine list and a menu of delicious bar snacks and meals, Kirk's is a Melbourne institution that you should visit at least once. However if you come here once, you will definitely be back!!
4.5//Love the ambiance of this restaurant! It has a European feel to it with the small circular tables outside on a walkway. The food is always exceptional and reasonably priced. Service is great!
They used to have an amazing bottle of rosé from Provence on the menu, however replaced it with another one from the region. It’s not as good as you can taste the high alcohol content. Apart from that, would highly recommend!
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Similarly to when we last visited Kirks we came in for drink ahead of dinner. This time we entered the other half of the wine bar located in the building beside... much more room on this side. We grabbed KD’s favourite rose and I had a pink noir before heading downstairs so we could have a conversation. Great little space down there amongst the finer wine on display.
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Previous Review
We called into Kirks Wine Bar for a pre dinner drinks. Such a welcome warm bustling interior and we were fortunate enough to grab some of the last seats at the bar before others started being referred to their neighbouring craft beer establishment. Tonight I was Dry Julying so as tempting as it was I was on the Lemon lime Bitters. KD however enjoyed her dry Austrian Rosé and downed a couple before we had to head out to meet others for our meal.
Food wise lots of nibbles and tapas style bar snacks as well as the more substantial and the espresso machine with its manual extraction looks like it could produce the perfect coffee. Based on the buzz and atmosphere of the place this would be a great spot for dinner if, like most places around here, you get in early or are prepared to wait.
So good! We had a large group so were lucky enough to be seated downstairs - amazing ambiance, felt like private dining. So we stayed for a good 1.5 hours, when we only intended to go for a quick drink!
I had to wait for a table at 6pm on a Friday night (no bookings). Did I care? Nooooo.
An al fresco experience in the cool of the evening after a sweltering day, enjoying the fabulous colours of our aperitifs - meticulously made and presented, mind you.
The service is impeccable and professional. The wine menu is far from average, and the food is outstanding - we even ordered more of the burrata and the gnocchi.
This is not a cheap spot but the if you are willing to part with a few extra a few bucks, then you can enjoy it's lane way sophistication and elegance.
What a beautiful discovery on the touristy busy hardware lane
Sitting on the corner is this bustling bar with lots of outdoor seating, a super duper extensive drinks menu with coffee and hot chocolate and delicious food options. We had the carrot and ginger juice, the most delicious mocha ever with melted chocolate and rosemary spiced polenta chips served with a delicious creamy mayo dip
I just couldn’t get enough of both my decadent mocha and the well spiced aromatic polenta chips
Will definitely come back here for food and the vibe
Lovely staff and they do split bills.
A great corner for wine and people watching! The wine menu is great and food is deeeelicious! I had the pan fried gnocchi with ricotta, zucchini, asparagus, corn and olives - so so good.
I tried a new bar, well new for me. It was called Kirks Public Bar and it had a downstairs area not immediately visible from the street.
I tried a Kirks and Kaiju Rauchbier. The bartender gave me a taste first when I ordered the beer as it wouldn't be t everyone's liking.
The beer was really smoky, as in heavy wood smoke. It was a dark golden brown in colour w a slight coffee flavour.
It was 6.1% and i could only drink 1, as it was a bit like chewing a piece of wood hahaha
But the bar itself was really nice but as loud as a pub unfortunately. It was all glass and hard surfaces so you had to shout!
They have a small bar snack food list there too.
It was a nice place but not the place for a quiet drink that's for sure hahaha
4.2
Kirks Wine Bar is the CBD cousin of City Wine Shop in Spring St. Kirks is a really outstanding restaurant and drinkery. Inside is an intimate space with a really fantastic wine list. Outside (pictured) in summer is fabulous especially for a Friday night drink. The clientele here is sophisticated, particularly as the venue resides on the perimeter of the legal district. Twosheds and friends dine here for lunch regularly and the food is faultless. Think modern classics. Lovely staff too.
4.2
Simple Saturday lunch.
Busy corner location with great atmosphere.
Very quick service from friendly and efficient staff.
Not a big menu but a good menu.
Well worth a visit.
Ordered bread, arancini, gnocchi and a pino.
Food was delicious, slight mix up with my main meal, getting ravioli but as I am a vegetarian they quickly swapped it and offered a complementary wine.
Great atmosphere on Hardware Ln even on a Monday night.
This Diner Is Anonymous
+5
The sister (brother? Aunt? Uncle?) to City Wine Shop, this bar is a gorgeous place to stop in for some excellent wine and people watching. Their classic polenta chips never fail to please, and their pan-fried gnocchi is divine. The wine tends to be quite pricey, but it's consistently delicious. An absolute gem in the sometimes-questionable Hardware Lane.
Great place to spend a Sunday afternoon over a quiet red and a cheese platter... the selection of cheeses is well worth the visit, other recommendations are the saganaki enveloped in fine brik pastry and the charcuterie plate with choices both housemade and other choice offerings such as Coppola and parma ham accompanied with house cured pickles and toasted sourdough....the arancini if on offer is the best I have tasted anywhere....much more available on the menu with specials on the board inside changed regularly. Front of house staff are efficient and friendly but not overly so.....great wine knowledge from one in particular really helps with the comprehensive drinks menu.....
Quite, friendly and quaint wine bar in one of Melbourne's laneways. Mrs Canuck and I stopped in after the footy for a glass of bubbly and beer. Great service.
Great for a lazy & grazy afternoon. A favourite place of mine to meet up with friends, it’s a quiet bar, great for chatting. Easy and breezy service, a great wine list to work through, and top class grazing to be had.
We wanted to have a nice glass of wine so we found this place. Great wines, great selection of cheeses and good service! Really nice place to have a chat with your friends in a relaxed atmosphere.
Edit: came to kirks bar on a sunny Friday afternoon and were sat outside. Had the cheeseboard again with beautiful cheeses and the gluten free bread is still a winner. Tried 4 different wines by the glasses but wasn’t a big fan of any but maybe that’s just me being picky:) service was excellent! Awesome spot to just have a drink, excellent cheeses and catch up with your friends
Followthefoodmelbourne
+3.5
We stopped by Kirk’s Wine Bar for a light brunch last week and decided to share a trio of dishes. We chose the avo on nut bread with poached eggs, the mushrooms on toast and the polenta chips. All dishes were simple but very pleasant to eat. The nut bread which came with the avocado was seriously good. So many whole nuts inside! The mushroom dish was done very nicely (although there was a little too much butter on the bread for my liking) and the polenta chips were my favourite! Great texture and nice and salty. I would happily order a whole bowl of those just for myself next time. Coffees were nice and service was really good. Cute little spot on Hardware Lane to grab a tasty bite to eat.
This place was amazing. It is all about the quality of the food, the beverage and the service. I simply can't wait to come back. Cheese and wine pairing was a match made in heaven. Thankyou!
Lots of warm atmosphere. Delicious food. Lovely wine. Attentive and knowledgeable service. Definitely going back again. Tomorrow night perhaps
Mushrooms galore!!! If you love mushrooms as much as I do then the bruschetta, mushrooms and poached egg is a must. It included at least four varieties of mushroom... wow! The only downfall is the price and paying by credit card on a Sunday added an additional 17.5%
One of my favorite bars in whole of Melbourne. It does have a nice relaxing vibe and recommend for a romantic dinner night out. Have a great range of wines with them to go with food. Must try is their Chocolate salt caramel dessert.
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We recently came across a lovely wine bar with fantastic food right in the heart of the CBD which we are dying to share with you. In fact it's so good we've been back twice now in a matter of weeks!
Kirk's Wine Bar is a small and intimate restaurant with a European feel situated on the corner of Hardware Lane and Little Bourke Street. It's generally quite packed on a Friday and Saturday night but they do take walk ins only so be prepared to wait or opt to sit on one of the tables outside if they are available. On both occasions we were able to be seated straight away so we had no issues.
Staff are very friendly and super switched on. You know, the ones that don't need a notepad to take your order even though you're ordering heaps? And you always wonder if they'll forget one of your dishes? Well they didn't. They were so on the ball. We ordered a couple glasses of a lovely Austrian red wine there which was so good we ordered a bottle of it the next time we came back. It was the 2015 Pittnauer 'Pitti' Zweigelt/Balufranki if you're interested. It was complex and bold, and had a great nose. It smelt delicious!
For starters we ordered a mixture of the natural oysters and the oysters with horseradish and bottarga. The oysters were so fresh and they were really nice natural and with the condiments. The only criticism was that it wasn't enough and I wanted more! We also got the steak tartare with the traditional accompaniments and this was a highlight dish. I can tell you that I have had many steak tartare dishes in my life, both here and over in Europe and this one was pretty good! The beef was good quality and fresh, and it had a good amount of flavours. The amount of mustard combined with the caper berries and raw egg yolk was perfect. It also came with home made potato chips which got Davin really excited given he has a weakness for chips.
The saganaki was very good, crispy on the outside and not too overly salty on the inside. The dill cured salmon with orange, horseradish and crème fraîche was also another great dish. Again it wasn't too salty and the balance of the sweetness of the oranges made it a real star of a dish.
For mains we shared the gnocchi which came with broccolini, red onion, chilli, mint and goat's curd and the pepper steak. Seriously there was nothing you could fault with any of the dishes. The gnocchi was cooked to perfection, fluffy and light. All the flavours only enhanced the beautiful gnocchi. The pepper steak was cooked to our liking, rare, and came with a lovely light bread crumb on the top giving it some texture. It was also packed of flavour.
After all that food I still couldn't say no to dessert because the lemon tart was singing out to me from the menu. It had a good lemon punch to it and was silky smooth on a good crust. It came with a generous dollop of cream. Davin ordered the Affogato which had a nice strong coffee kick to it. He loved it. We both ordered the same desserts the next time we came back.
What can we say? The food was spot on, the wine was delicious and the staff were friendly and efficient. The ambience is perfect for a romantic night out or a get together with friends. It will definitely be added to one of our 'go to' places.
Update: I was going to give Kirk's Wine Bar a 4.5/5 but after dining there at the Sunday that just passed, I have decided to lower it to 3.5/5. The reason for this is because a '15% Sunday surcharge' was charged onto our bill. We weren't sure whether or not this was for Sundays or because it was for a public holiday. It seems to be undisclosed as 4 of us didn't notice anything on the menu which states that there would be a surcharge. Another review states that they were not made aware of this surcharge also. If this truly is the case, then it's bad business practice. If it was in fact disclosed, then I'm happy to have management respond to my review, as this had resulted in an extra $58 which we didn't account for.
The most upsetting part of this was probably the waiter, who seemed to have got upset at us for not leaving him a tip! After he pulled out my credit card, he just dropped it on the table and walked away! That truly left a sour taste in our mouths, and I hope Kirk's Wine Bar can improve on this in the future...
- H
Had a lovely dinner at Kirk's Wine Bar tonight. Intimate venue with a very rustic feel. We ordered a number of dishes to share including the calamari,
Cured Ocean trout, saganaki, pumpkin arancini and the charcuterie board. Everything was delicious but I would especially recommend the calamari and ocean trout. The French rose was also brilliant- has an unexpected fizz even though it wasn't a sparkling.
Brilliant calamari & quality wine. Just kinda limited options by glass. Service is in time and staff are friendly. Just feel like you need to prepare to leave if you have run out of food or wine.
A very lovely place to have your afternoon tea. Kirk's Wine Bar is a prime example of the "melbourne aesthetic" we all love and adore. On the corner of Hardware Ln, it's a place that is elegant, yet warm and humble. Delicious food and the staff are such kind people too. Thank you for having us!
Yes. Just yes.
The food is amazing. I've personally eaten the gnocchi on several occasions, as well as the bruschetta, polenta chips and desserts. All outstanding.
Service is so good and very accommodating - great recommendations and super attentive.
Always a pleasure to come here!
Really good casual cafe on Hardware Lane. It is a wine bar, with a good list of wines and beers, very solid and some interesting offers. I had a Cavalier limited edition IPA, good beer, the lowest price Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were both fine. Would like a bottle next time.
The entrees were great: lamb croquettes and a golden beet bruschetta with goats cheese. The gnocchi with Jerusalem artichokes and Brussels sprouts was fantastic. I would rate this as one of the best dishes I have eaten this year.
I like this bar a lot, although I haven't had a meal here - just drinks and snacks. Great atmosphere and good wine list, simple bar menu to complement the wine.. Will be back!
We had definitely had enough to drink after France-Soir, But decided to have "just one more drink!". Really liked this place. It was small and intimate, with good lighting Enjoyed the Pennyweight wine (from Beechworth!). It was a good place to wind up and the place was pumping for a Thursday night.
Visited here for several times already, and I enjoyed myself every time been here. Friendly staff and nice service. The dishes are good-looking and taste nice, no matter brunch or lunch they always have an excellent performance.
Located in an excellent little spot on Hardware Lane, we dropped in for some pre-dinner drinks! We sat outside under the heaters and enjoyed the buzz of the night time atmosphere. The wine menu was great, however there weren't any cocktails (oh no!!) and the spiced nuts we ordered ($8) were a bit average. Overall, a nice little wine bar with a great wine selection!
Great food my Mum and I shared two plates which were both incredible and I enjoyed a 10/10 French beer. Service was also brill...I would highly recommend for a lunch on a lovely day
Kirk's wine bar has really delicious and pretty brunch. They serves excellent coffee. I had special omelette this time, and it was good than I expected. Tasty! Recommend!
Great wine list, staff is super friendly and efficient, food - delicious. It's worth running the gauntlet of unsolicited spruiking from neighboring establishments just to go here. It's the only Hardware Lane place that gets my endorsement, really.
I went to Kirk's Wednesday night quite late. I just wanted to sit down, after a long day, and have a (or 2)wine and something to eat. After walking along Hardware Lane I decided to give up, as everyone was spruiking for us to eat at their restaurant. The last thing I wanted was to be hassled at the end of the day. And then, at the end of lane there was there was a lovely looking calm place, Kirk's. We sat down, the staff were delightful, and helpful. They had a great menu, with lots of vegetarian options. The food arrived and was so delightful, lots of small plates of diverse flavours. The wine was also lovely, I took their recommendation ......although one has to be careful that one glass doesn't turn into 3.
It is a great place to eat, chat with a friend or partner, at the end of the day.......while watching the people wondering past [we sat outside]. Thanks guys, we'll be back.
I love this place, not only for the beautiful wine and food, but also the people watching aspect- Hardware Lane is always buzzing. So glad they're expanding. Waitress was knowledgable, had a fantastic can do attitude and delivered an exceptional service, as always.
A night to remember.
I found out about Kirk's Bar via a Herald article highlighting Top 10 Steakhouses so eventually I had my doubts. Plus I was lost when trying to find the way there, which made my mood a bit uneasy at the time. But the great atmosphere, fitting music, fantastic food and best service got me through the night with my friends in a tremendously enjoyable fashion. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a good spot to hang out, lay back and enjoy life once in a while with or without companies. Definitely will come back with my missus next time!
I have recently realised that the CBD has no shortage of good lunch spots. Kirk's wine bar is incredibly unassuming, you might pass it by without batting an eyelid at first glance. Outdoor seating, filled with corporate suit types at lunch and a fairly standard food menu - I would usually be less than tempted by a place like this. But after a well spent Friday afternoon, I have completely changed my mind. I guess there is some weight to the age old adage "Don't judge a book by its cover". The meats had me going mmmmm...
I cannot believe I wandered past here every day for weeks before dropping in for a drink and then, when I saw the food coming out from the kitchen, ordering dinner. So, so good. Better than the European and Tipo 00 both in terms of the menu and wine list. And the food is gooooood. Unisex loos are a surprise in the creaky upstairs and the decor is a little twee (faux french cafe in the antipodes) but who cares. Great set up for people watching.
Easily the best food experience we've had in our 18 months in Melbourne. We had a few drinks outside at the front in hardware lane, before going underneath into the wine cellar with 6 friends to have a private dinner - seriously an experience I can't recommend highly enough to anyone!
We had a great girl tending to our needs and the food was unbelievable!
Email or call them and book the private room with some good friends for dinner, or just go for dinner anyway - it's a must.
Thanks for a great night Kirks 👍
Called in on a Saturday afternoon on the way home from shopping to check this place out & have a glass of rosé. Stayed for dinner. Great wine list (naturally) but the food was to die for! Best confit duck leg ever and I've had heaps. What a lovely place in the middle of tatty touristy hardware lane. So good in fact, went back the next day for lunch. Alas, no duck at lunch. Much to the chagrin of my partner.
My favourite spot fir any time of day. Always fabulous wines by the glass and knowledgeable staff who knows the menu. Intimate tables of twos and threes.
One of the things that I love the most about blogging is being able to meet the passionate brains behind some pretty smashing local produce. All of us here at TFS already regularly use Cobram Estate’s olive oils in our cooking (SERIOUSLY, if you haven’t tried it, that gold-labelled, black-bottled hojiblanca magic is guaranteed to turn ANY mediocre salad into a plate of bliss), so it was a resounding ‘hell yes’ when we were asked to pop over to an intimate olive oil tasting at Kirk’s Wine Bar with Cobram Estate CEO Rob McGavin.
Great location and a fantastic atmosphere. The staff are extremely attentive as well. The only letdown however was the size of the meals; they were just too small. Great place to bring a date, but I'd recommend ordering three mains for the two of you.
This place is such a great find . The tapas were amazing so good . We had a few cocktails really good . A great way to spend a Sunday after noon
Excellent coffee, great staff, perfect location and setting. love the tables on the lane. cant wait to go back to experience the wine and cheese
Great spot to get the sun early afternoon and yummy food... BUT since when are surcharges included in the bill in Melbourne? We all pay GST as an inclusion in our goods and that is what we expect. So just a little warning that prices are deceiving because this little place really does you that European feel, not only with the seating set up and drinks list (which are lovely) but also with a little surprise for your wallet.
Wonderful wine bar. Kirk's is a delight. It's a little reminder in Hardware Lane of a French bistro with moreish morsels and meals. The wines by the glass are not your usual offerings - not many places offer mouvedre for example - and the whiskys are equally interesting, like the Tasmanian Hellyers Rd. Dinner this week included a tasty ploughman's board, delicious pea and goat cheese croquettes, and a sublime cured salmon with cornichons. We managed to fit in a shared dessert cake of salted caramel chocolate served with nuts and a scoop of yogurt sorbet. Too good for words. The place is always packed but never loses its warm and charming atmosphere, a big part of which is the lovely staff. Dinner for three of us including drinks came to about $65 each with tip. Go, enjoy.
Didn't try the wine, but had breakfast and coffee. Beautiful fresh food, perfectly poached eggs and avocado mash on toast was divine. Coffee made well, and uses nice bold flavoured bean...exactly my preference. Nice little cafe/wine bar to relax with friendly staff. If you head to Hardware Lane, go say hi to Kirk.
Been there for serval times and never disappointed me! Friendly Staff, Nice foods(love the Wagyu Carpaccio and Steak Tartare). Flat iron Steak are nice as well and would definately be back!
Absolute gem but don't tell anyone, the wine especially the whites are stunning and served at the right temperature as for the red selection always interesting, the food is designed to eat with great wines and as for the service so nice to have adults serving the tables.
Few of us from work went to Kirks for lunch. I ordered duck confit which is really yummy. My work mates ordered pancetta wrapped chicken and beef carpaccio. Both liked their order. Looking around at other table - I noticed their gnocchi is really popular. That something for me to order next time. I thought the price is good for the food we are getting. Plan to go back very soon with my hubby.
Went back to Kirk's last week and we ordered for starters- pork parcels and lamb croquettes. Thumbs up for the croquettes and the pork parcels are a tad too dry and average taste. For mains we ate gnocchi and duck confit. Again, their mains .... YUM!! We will definitely be going back!!
Stopped by for a few bottles after dinner on Monday night. Very friendly and knowledgable staff, grea wine selection.
Ordered the cheese plate with Camembert and two others. Unless you are a fan of cave ripened stinky cheese, avoid! Luckily the condiments and wine offset the overpowering camembert.
A fantastic place on the corner in Hardware Lane, the sign is on the front door so you may miss it!
My fiancee and I have been here for both breakfast and lunch a number of times. The baked eggs, chorizo, and blood sausage combo is our favorite breakfast item, and our favorite lunch item is the gnocchi and mushrooms, but the duck confit and the pork belly are also scrumptious. Additionally, the staff are very friendly and helpful, and they give very generous pourings for the complimentary wine tastings that follow lunch meals. Kirk's Wine Bar might not have the bloated reputation of some of Melbourne's more well known restaurants, but to be sure it is a hidden treasure that has food equal to, if not better, than many of the supposed 'Best in Melbourne' establishments that I have dined at in the CBD. Highly recommended!
Love this place. Great service, awesome wine list, tasty food. For me, it's the stand out pick on Hardware Lane.
Nothing to whine about here!. Love this place! Tap into the vast knowledge of the staff to select the perfect wine and food for any occasion, or time of day. Never been disappointed. Impeccable wines, food & staff.
Best Breakfast in Melbourne!. This is our current favourite breakfast haunt.
There old style coffee maker makes the best coffee in Melbourne - it's really that good.
The menu isn't extensive for breakfast but everything tastes amazing. Love the avocado on nutbread and also the croque monsieur.
The service is always good.
Probably the best little place in Melbourne,the house cured ocean trout was to die for and a great little wine list to go with,definetly should be on anyone's shortlist
Hard to please Annie. I've been going to Kirk's at least fortnightly since it's opened, & would go more often if I could! I am so glad in it's in my 'hood, it's open every night & it's as good as when it started. I've tried nearly everything on the menu but the standouts are the gnocchi in all its forms, the vitello tonnato & the Niçoise salad (though I 'm concerned about the sustainability of the tuna & they couldn't tell me - a worrying sign). The service is great, the wines are too, & the staff are professional & friendly. I've learned about several new wines from their recommendations. Don't change a thing, especially your hours!
Foody Heaven.....Loved everything about this place.
Yummy!. Had lunch there today with a few friends. Waiters very accommodating in putting some tables together. Food was fabulous. I had the gnocci and my colleages had the fish special. Everything was fresh and portions generous. Service attentive. Only -ve is that it was a bit loud. Definitely worth a visit.
Great Spot for Lunch. Food was excellent, I had the crab cakes but the antipasto platter to share was fantastic. Staff were really friendly and the atmosphere was great amazing. We sat downstairs in the cellar which while a little cramped is such a great space. Good value for money. Well worth a trip.
Fab bar food/ snacks with wines to match. Had some lovely briny fresh oysters and the steak tartare. Quick friendly service, tasty food. Great place for a glass of wine or two and a small meal. Although the menu is short there is plenty on offer. Found it very difficult to choose. The gnocchi on the other table looked great. I will be back!!
Loooove this place. Everything about is quality quality quality
Whereas City Wine Shop is a little removed from the CBD bustle, Kirk’s is hanging out right in the thick of it. Situated on the corner of Little Bourke Street and the tourist hub of Hardware Lane, when we visited it was full of Friday afternoon buzz. We grabbed a table inside and perused the menu with a glass of sparkling. The list by the glass has a nice mix of local and international wines with some interesting varietals. I was also please to see a short mention of aperitif wines including a Manzanilla Sherry. We started with Goats Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Flowers (14.50) and one of the specials- Eggplant and Mushroom Fries.
I’m immensely impressed with Kirk’s Wine Bar, the food is solid, comforting and clever, flavours are punchy and prominent and the atmosphere is simply effortless, laid back and easy going. I’ve been dying to come back to try breakfast, but I’ve had very few weekends in Melbourne recently, so hoping that an opportunity will be coming up soon!
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