3.9
Bar Nacional is a fantastic Spanish inspired restaurant and wine bar located in Collins Place, 727 Collins St, Docklands. Twosheds often stops for coffee here’s during the day, and for wine, beer and tapas after work in the evening. Lovely wine list, and the tapas is great. Later in the week, there are DJs and music and the party spills outside from here onto the plaza out the front. It’s great - and it gets very, very full and loud as people spill out of the 727 towers for an after work drink and graze. Drinks are served outside and sometimes there’s even a paella being cooked outside for all to see. Really fun. Try it on a Thursday/Friday. 3.9
Great place for after work drinks in Docklands with a good happy hour until 6pm, decent tapas menu for nibbles and enough tables outside to fit most groups (although quickly fills up in summer).
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I occasionally come here for after work drinks as they have a number of tables outside and that seems to be the only place works crowds can fit. So plenty of celebrations and farewells had. Get here before 5:30 on a Friday in summer if you want any hope of getting an outside table.
The interior of Bar Nacional is quite small with intimate nooks and hideaways. The main bar has an impressive array of beers beers and some good standing wines. Staff are generally always energetic and seem to love working together here.
Wait times for drinks can take a while unless you cut over to the other "dead" side to the bar where I've found you can get served quicker. I've eaten the tapas here as part of a smaller group and there are a number of good sharing plates to choose from. I also enjoy some of the smaller cake bites throughout the day and have had coffee here before. But have to warn that it does seem to take them a little longer than other places to make.
Feed me option is a good choice if you can’t make up your mind. You will be adequately feed especially if you have no diet restrictions like me.
Quiet expensive for brekky and lunch.
Though nice ambience for after work drinks.
Gets very crowded and most mostly Thursday and Friday evenings.
I enjoyed my dinner with colleagues here however some people weren't a fan of their meals. Thus, I would recommend what I ordered which was the potato bravas (yum hadn't seen these since Madrid!) and lamb meatballs. They had a happy hour with house wine for $6 a glass too :)
Yourmelbournefoodguide
+3.5
Not only does this place has cheap drinks (happy hour goes for 5 hours during the week) but it has amazing tapas - I loved the croquetas and the paella. Great for after work drinks and bites ✔️
Came here for lunch yesterday, and we thoroughly enjoyed our meals - it was suprisingly quiet for a Friday. We tried patatas bravas, cauliflower salad, wagyu beef, mini sausages, tomato salad, chaucuterie board. Everything tasted great.
As the summer season announces itself with more authority on Melbourne town, so does The Dear Luncher by trying new food destinations. A place that has regularly caught The Dear Luncher’s eye during his pathetic attempts at exercise, is Bar Nacional. Bar Nacional is a Spanish restaurant/bar located in Collins Square. Collins Square is on the Docklands side of Collins Street, one tram stop west of Southern Cross train station.
Unless you work around this part of Collins St, would anyone actually make a trip to dine in this area? Well now you may just have a reason to. I certainly had low expectations, but was pleasantly surprised by the simple yet well thought out Spanish menu. My crew of four are all heading to Spain in a couple of weeks and thought this relatively new place would be appropriate for an aperitif. On to the food, the pulpo was tender, the paella was perfectly cooked and not shy in various, precarious bits added in (both seafood and a chicken leg? Well, it surprisingly works still). The salad of shaved cauliflower and the choricito were also delish, although the latter despite having a good firm bite was perhaps a touch too "sweet" for my liking. I expected a bit of zing and spice. Complemented with friendly and helpful service, this place may just draw non-dockies (I.e. the land of sterile bore) to the vicinity.
MelbourneFoodPaparazza
+4.5
I went to this Spanish tapas restaurant for lunch with a colleague, and we each ordered the fixed price menu. For $25 (2 courses) and $29 (3 courses) per person, this place was incredibly good value. For the price paid, we got 5 courses in total, including a Spanish charcuterie plate, croquettes, a vegetarian dish with wild rice and mushrooms, a braised pork cheek dish, Spanish donuts, as well as 2 coffees.
When I usually want "Quality", I come here. The servings here are not big, and it's not cheap, but the quality is very good. They have an interesting selection of beers which are nice and cold. It is always good to try the different meats they have on offer as well. They have good single malt whiskeys too.
Went here for a client lunch recently. Really interesting menu with lots of $14-16 dishes covering seafood, meat and vegies.
I opted for the $25 lunch special, which = 2 large entree size plates + a glass of wine/beer. Great value as it turned out!
I started with a deep fried eggplant dish, where they were served in bite size pieces. Smoky with a light batter, they were absolutely delicious.
Followed this with a Calamari dish in a nicely reduced tomato based sauce, which also included potatoes. Again, really tasty, but would have preferred more calamari than spuds.
A nice space, both inside and out, with attentive and knowledgeable staff made for a pleasant lunch indeed. Recommended!
Set within Collins Square at the Docklands end of Collins St, Bar Nacional reimagines classic Spanish tapas with relaxed grazing in mind. An exciting wine list featuring many Spanish as well as Australian wines completes this compelling tapas bar offering. . Crafted by head chef Scott Spence, the menu is flexible and ranges from high quality charcuterie, small tapas such as the refreshing oysters with watermelon mignonette, pigs head croqueta de cerdo and moreish leek & mahon croquets (these are incredibly addictive), as well as larger plates for sharing.
Pork belly tapas was a nice bite to eat. Like the feel of this inner city bar. A cool inner city bar. Would come back in a flash as it was a fun night.
The star of the show was undoubtedly the paella. Upon arrival, my nostrils were greeted by a wafting fragrant aroma, which only continued to strengthen as the paella cooked. Mouths watered and tummies rumbled (at least mine did) but the wait was well worth it. Our taste buds were bombarded with a sensational combination of flavouring.
Bar Nacional played host to the San Sebastian Summer Fiesta - a night of live music and dance, and all you can eat Spanish food plus drinks.
Last week The City Lane attend the San Sebastian Summer Fiesta at Bar Nacional Spanish restaurant located in Collins Square. We sampled pintxos, paella and sweet dishes from the restaurants’ culinary team. An unlimited supply of house-made sangria and wine were served to compliment the menu, all of which were chosen by Group Sommelier Jeff Salt.
Great venue and wonderful staff hosting the Docklands social group. We shared dishes and had a great time in the outside inside (outside the restaurant but undercover). Thanks for being considerate hosts and keeping the evening relaxed.
Gastrology recently attended 'San Sebastian Summer Fiesta at Bar Nacional' where we indulged in pintxos, paella and sweet dishes from the culinary team at Bar Nacional.
Every night is Friday night. In my opinion the best coffee in the neighbourhood, including for the gorgeous colourful cups used and kept at the right temperature, that’s attention to detail. I only get grazing food (plate of cured meats, etc...) and it is always top quality.
Bar Nacional is to be commended for the incredible atmosphere they create every evening: the crowds gathering outside for the party food (paella, yum!) and the drinks, it feels like Friday night every evening.
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AMAZING FOOD!!! Need more attention. I don't normally write review on restaurants, even for my favourite ones, but I feel the need to say something about how amazing the food here at bar nacional cause I think it definitely deserves more attention and appreciation. Compared to popular spanish restaurant in cbd, it certainly does not lose, regardless of the taste or the value for money. I LOVE every single dish I ordered here, the combination of flavour in every dish is new, unexpected and surprisingly delicious. I was scraping the plates and licking my finger the whole time :)). My favourite dish is ... Everything! I just cannot choose since I love everything. Even desserts are awesome, I have tried all the desserts on the menu and nothing fell short of my expectation, definitely try the corn custard dessert, brilliant presentation and taste. I have reccomended bar nacional to my friends and they all love it so much as well. I hope bar nacional can get more public exposure since it's such as waste that such good food is not known to more people :))
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Wow blown away. Bar nacional was a great surprise!!! I went after work at a about 8pm, it was close and handy. I sat down read the menu and almost left, but it am so happy I didn't. The menu is understated, I had one of the best and most surprisingly delicious dinners in years. It was simply described as Wagyu skirt, artichoke, brussels sprouts,pickled turnip, chestnuts. I liked most of what was in the dish so I ordered it. What came out was succulent warm beef, cooked rare, mixed in with char grilled Brussels sprouts that were soft and full of flavour (if kids ate these they would never again complain about Brussels sprouts), sweet pickled turnips that gave a crunch, and artichoke cream spotted throughout, over the top was thinly shaved chestnuts. It was heaven!!! Nothing like I expected and like nothing I have had ever before. I don't think I have ever been so excited by a menu as I am now, so many more understated dishes to discover a new joy to savour on every visit!!! PS going back there for breakfast
San Sebastian inspired goodness!!. My boyfriend and I ate at Bar Nacional recently and it did not disappoint! We left ourselves completely in the hands of the waitress who picked out her selection of favourite tapas and raciones for us, including:
- Olivas (olives)
- Octopus, chorizo, pickled chilli, mint
- Patatas bravas (small crispy potato pieces)
- Pork croquettes
- Prawn, chorizo, potatoes, roasted peppers, fried egg
- Pork belly, spiced apple, nuts and seeds, mustard
After both my boyfriend and I had visited San Sebastian in the last couple of years, we didn't expect to find this style of food again so close to home. We loved it. We didn't get to try the paella as it had already sold out - we know for next time to get in quick!!
Great quality food in Docklands!. My partner and I ate here last month and were very impressed.
It is difficult to find good places to eat in Docklands, so we were happy when we arrived at Bar Nacional.
The service was impeccable- staff knew how everything was cooked and the produce used.
Stand out dish was the Pork Belly.
Great value- we spent around $80 on lots of dishes and alcohol between us and left feeling extremely full.
We are looking forward to returning to this establishment.
Loved it! Awesome deals at happy hour (make sure you find out the code word) and yummy bar snacks. The croquettes were some of the yummiest that I've had. As an added bonus, service was really lovely! A 'must' if you're after a glass of wine in the Docklands.
Good food, great service. Went to Bar Nacional for my birthday dinner last night with my husband. It was a reasonably quiet night and the service was attentive, friendly and welcoming, without being overbearing.
We ordered a charcuterie platter to start with (favourites were the jamon joselito, blue cheese with honeycomb, wagyu beef bresaola and chicken liver parfait), followed by the oysters with jamon vinaigrette, cauliflower croquettes, pig's head (looks amazing and tastes just as good) and pork belly. As I had mentioned it was my birthday whilst chatting with our wait person, we were treated to a few extra dishes compliments of the kitchen, and everything was faultless. Finished with the crema catalana with a birthday song and candle in it.
Loved the food but especially loved how well looked after we were. A great experience all round.
Great. This is one of my of my favorite new openings of the last year and considering the vast and competitive Melbourne dining scene one of the few that I am looking forward to revisiting again. For me it has a the right mix of delicious and inventive food, good drinks, quality service, and value.
Particularly liked the razor clams, house made choricito and very spicy morcilla. Only miss were the sprout croquettes which I found a bit lacking in flavour.
Don't let the docklands address put you off as it's only about a minute walk from the Collins St exit of Southern Cross.
Orgasm Dessert. Slightly pretentious and a little far removed from my preferred pub grub. But the food was great and the Spanish creme brûlée was an orgasm in a bowl. Del-icious!
Service was attentive & lovely for a busy Friday night; the food was completely & utterly delicious! Our group of 4 shared the charred brussel sprout croquettes; Prawn, chorizo, patatas bravas, peppers, fried egg Raciones; then to finish, Tocino del Cielo – heaven’s bacon, salted maize caramely & Bitter chocolate liquid cake, green aniseed olive oil, lemon marmalade ice cream, washed down with beer, wine & cocktails. All of it AMAZING!! Highly recommend you try this new gem before the rest of Melbourne hears about it.
Great food and service, filling a void in Docklands. There are very few places you can go at the southern end of Docklands if you want great food, a good wine list and the right ambience. Bar Nacional has only been open a few days but when we ate there last night, it felt as if it's been there for a long time.
Tried all of the tapas menu and did not find one dish that we could rate at less then 4 stars, and most were 5 stars. Reasonably priced and a good vibe, the only disadvantage is that it's quite small and when the word gets out, it's going to be very hard to get a table or a place at the bar.
Watch out, Movida - Bar Nacional is coming to get you!
I'd heard a lot of good things about Bar Nacional, this San Sebastian tapas inspired venue in Docklands has some big names behind it. This part of town might not be known for its good food, but if you look past the generic modern offices, there are some gems to be found.
The World Loves Melbourne
+4.5
Bar Nacional formed with a Pete Evans and Gavin Baker partnership, delights with its modern Spanish cuisine with a twist and loads of sophistication and technique. At the same time it remains honest cuisine without pretense. This restaurant has come to play. The World Loves Melbourne was here to investigate the claim Bar Nacional is bringing San Sebastian to Collins Street.
There’s quite a few places in Melbourne that claim to be inspired by Spanish tapas bars, and San Sebastian bar lifestyle, but Bar Nacional’s version rings very true for someone who fell in love with it, and ate and drank all over the old town in an attempt to soak all that atmosphere in. Robust, uber-technically cooked meats are layered with spikes of seasonal vinegary vegetables, smooth spiced purees, and crisp juicy raw herbs and fruits. The produce is respected (if not venerated) and it shows.
Fantastic array of traditional Tapas and Spanish dishes, great drink and wine selection also. Just a few details missed like the marble style tables and polished floor, would have been nice to see more timber and natural materials used. Overall, a good experience, I'd go back for the Wood Fired Octopus!
Amazingly good food - the "feed me" tasting menu is a must - great flavours match with a excellent selection of drinks from the bar !
I was pleasantly surprised by the food here. Some really delicious tapas and raciones. The potatoes are a must have dish! The only let down was the dessert, which was churros. It arrived with only 2 churros, which for $10 is already a disappointment. The churros was also not cooked properly and the chocolate sauce was swimming in oil. Stick to the tapas and raciones and you'll really enjoy this place!
Very nice place in Docklands for after work drinks. Massive open space outside the bar which can be used only if it's not raining.
Nice atmosphere, friendly staff. A welcoming retreat.
Great for coffee during the day. Good for after work drinks, although can get crowded on Fridays. Traditional tapas. Great sangria.
Popular and warm place to hang out after work
Nice bar with very friendly staff.
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