Review Lona - St Kilda

Top quality food and delicious cocktails at very reasonable prices. Great happy hours and members specials plus a beer garden, with enclosed smokers area, out the back! Ask Efe for his cocktail recommendations, he's a delight!!

If you are heading out for a party night, def give this eatery & bar a try. The place looks so cute with all the neon lights, i mean look at the bar, it’s perfect for a Friday night!! We sat in the Lona Garden since it felt better to sit outside in a chilly night, and the garden was so cuuuuute with all the fairy lights and green-ish leafy walls 🍃❤️ They have many food options and the portions are great for share👌🏻 There’s no specific cuisine, just normal bar food but they actually taste much better than expected 🤩 Although it is a bit of a trip from the CBD, but the location is actually nice. By the beach, next to Luna Park, and just a quick walk from the tram, perfect for a quick drink after a beach day 😉 Def gonna come back during the sunset since they also have happy hours deals until 7PM! Overall, great vibe, good music, and decent food 🥰 —— 📍Lona St. Kilda 🍅4/5 💵 ~$25-30/pp (with 1 drink)

Amazing place, with such great food. The best part was the service and attention to detail. Having so many allergies is a constant cause of anxiety when eating out, but David and his chef were so patient and careful with my food. Best experience I have had in years! Thankyou, I'll definitely be back!

Underwhelming experience. Wanted to use our goodfood card staff explained that we couldn’t and offered a 20% discount on meal all good we were happy with that.. Seated us and advise staff would take our orders. we waited over 30min to be served eventually asked bar staff to take our orders who then told us to order via app / QR code on table as they didn’t do table service to be fare no one (staff) communicated with each other about our offer / table service and were more interested in chatting with each other or the musicians.

Great pub and bistro. Gets really busy. Very accommodating and friendly staff, as we had a group of 7 with some children/teenagers and they put us in the rear beer garden. Good food and good range of drinks at average prices. Only downside was that people were vaping out front and also in the beer garden. Lots of fans to keep the beer garden cool. Easy online ordering and payment via QR code - allows you to leave a tip and split bills fit big groups - really handy. Definitely go.

Our go to place after working hours. The garden part is really nice especially if you have a big group. Also, the garlic bread is a must try! 👌🏻

Summer is finally here and I recently went to St. Kilda beach but what surprised me was the eatery/bar called @lonastkilda 💞✨ Boasting a vibrant and buzzing atmosphere, delicious cocktails and amazing food, this is probably one of the best South American restaurants at St. Kilda🥂✨ What I ordered: 🧀Garlic Bread 🌮 Chicken Tacos 🦄Chicken Parmigiana 🍹White Chocolate and Passionfruit Cocktail

Fantastic feed, good value for money and delicious cocktails! Service was very good, our server Locky was on the ball with drinks! Only thing I would fault would be that the heating was way to high!

Great place with good vibes. Sitting in the garden on a warm day with a beer or cocktails is a real treat. Staff is friendly and they have amazing deals. <br/><br/>Everything on the menu is quite cheap and good value. The Mushroom Quesadilla could have been bigger though, but only because it was so tasty and I wanted more of it! Flavours of the fish burrito were good, but the fish itself was a bit dry.

Went here on a Saturday afternoon and it was next level place it had friendly people, amazing food, Ruben sandwich life changing , calamari, fish burrito, coquettes, peppers and cocktails we’re perfect. <br/>What a great vibe and easy going place, I would strongly recommend it is place and looking forward to coming back again.

Amazing summer vibes especially being by the beach! Come here on a sunny day for an open atmosphere with eclectic decor to take in. <br/><br/>Super friendly staff who are attentive! Great tapas here. If you’re just out for a drink with mates do check out the tapas for something small. Highly recommend the fish taco.

We booked a table at Lona for our 11th Wedding Anniversary. Unfortunately it was really disappointing :( the food was a massive left down. Staff were awesome though. So if the food had of been good this would have been a fantastic place to eat.

Dined in at Lona for a quick dinner last night. The highlight was probably how friendly the staff were, especially compared to other similar places in St Kilda.<br/><br/>Everything on the menu is quite cheap and good value. However, I had the Mushroom Quesadilla which was tasty but it was tiny! I really think it should of been on the tapas menu as I expected it to be main size.<br/><br/>With modern decor (neon lights, plants etc), Lona has a relaxed ambience with good vibes.<br/><br/>I'm sure we'll be back again but I'll definitely order some tapas with the quesadilla next time!

Visited on a Sunday for lunch. The place stunk of smoke. The Caesar Salad was made from sad, wilted lettuce, and croutons that were hard, tasteless and completely inedible. There were no other patrons, which we should have taken as a hint as to its quality. It was completely lacking in atmosphere. Waste of money.

Yum! <br/>Flavoursome vegan options at Lona. They have a vegan menu. Decent offering. <br/>Such a great variety for all. <br/>I enjoyed the vegan nachos and potatas bravas. They are very accomodating. Thoroughly enjoyed the food.

Friendly staff and a nice chill atmosphere. I had the chickens wings with hot sauce which are naturally prepared gluten-free which is great! I also had gluten-free cheesy garlic bread. The cheese was super melted and stringy, yum! They had a great menu selection for any taste, including a tapas section, pub classics, a vegan section and a kids section. Nice spot to pop in if you’re in St Kilda :)

I’d be looking at this place quite a bit recently and decided to finally try the place out! We had 4 share plates between two plus the lemon tarts for dessert. The service was amazing. Food fresh, light and full of flavour. The pork tacos were our favourite by a mile. There was live music playing and the whole vibe was perfect. Will be back! Worth the 5 stars

It's hard to find a place in one of the busiest streets of St Kilda where you get to have your 'space' to eat without having to listen to the conversation from the next table. Lona gives me that! The dining area is separated from the bar area so we got to sit on comfortable chairs that were away from the busy foot traffic of people going up to the bar.<br/><br/>I was so surprised at how tasty the food was. From the tapas menu, we got the pulled pork sliders, calamari, fish tacos and decided to get from the pub grub section, the Parma. Every single item we ordered were sensational. The sliders were sweet and spicy but not overpowering even after a couple of bites (which is so common everywhere else). The calamari were not chewy and well-seasoned. The standout was the fish tacos though. Absolutely perfect.<br/><br/>The beer garden at the back was really nice too. A big section for diners, and a reasonably-sized section for smokers. Overall, this place is just simply awesome. Highly recommend it.

Friendly, attentive staff who aren’t over the top. Nice menu with reasonable prices. They seem to have nice specials on weekdays. The interior was nice, I liked the artsy decor. The live music was VERY loud.<br/><br/>Cheesy garlic bread was nice, although could have gone with a bit more seasoning. The Lona Burger was really tasty. Bun was sweet and complimented the burger well, although the beef patty again could have gone with a bit more seasoning as it was kinda bland. The cheese in the burger needs to be substituted for something stronger in flavour as it just gets lost in the burger.. you can’t taste it.<br/><br/>If i was in the area i’d come back again :)

Lovely food, amazing staff. Good value for money. Noise level on a Friday from the musician was unfortunate, the vocals were piercing. But other than that, it was BEAUTIFUL

Do not recommend for dinner/food. Probably fun for a session but food was aweful. Club sandwich was cold, soggy and mostly mayonnaise. The wagyu tacos were weird cold hard strips of meat (which didn't taste of meat). The fries were good.<br/><br/>

I’m a regular of Lona and always enjoy my time there in terms of food and drinks. Lona is opposite Luna Park and has plenty of seating options, inside and out (front and rear). The bar has a great selection of drinks to choose from and awesome cocktails. The menu itself is fabulous and has a wide variety it is also very vegetarian and vegan friendly. The service is a bit hit and miss once it gets a bit later, but staff are always friendly and apologetic if they forget something or food takes a while. The only let down of Lona is the noise levels. You can basically be at an Irish pub after a football game that’s how loud it can become which is a let down because obviously if you’re going out for dinner, you’re catching up with people and therefore need to hear them. However I don’t mind a bit of noise myself hence why I’m a regular. If you were going on a first date or had business to discuss, I’d go elsewhere. <br/>Otherwise no complaints I love Lona and will keep coming back (perhaps not on a Saturday night no less)

Food was incredible - I had the vegan bowl with added chicken and was so blown away with how amazing it was. Also highly recommend the wedges and the pink fizz cocktail, which was presented well and tasted amazing. Service was friendly and super helpful, and the whole place looks and feels really trendy and comfortable - perfect for insta. 5 stars.

Lona is a wonderful venue with a variety of seating options. We chose to sit outside in the rear courtyard as we were with a large group and the courtyard was quiet (it was winter). We were very happy to be able to take our dog into the courtyard with us as well. The cocktails are great and some can come in a jug. The seafood platter and pork sliders were nice, however the serving sizes are quite small.

It’s not often these days where the prices on menus don’t blow our minds (and pockets) and Lona really is good value for money! Reasonable prices, good serving sizes and great flavours! The Mexican inspired tapas menu is a great option for sharing. They also have some incredible deals like half price Mondays on all menu items and other epic drink deals like 3$ happy hour wine- all you have to do is sign up online. Take your friends and eat your hearts out, you (and your wallets) won’t regret it!

Great vibes with good drinks and tapas. Lona, situated right opposite Luna Park, is a swanky place to catch up with friends over drinks. Ordered the tacos, croquetas and the cheese board. And for drinks, the sangria, mojito and peach iced tea. I would definitely recommend the mojito and the croquetas.

One night we decided to go to St Kilda for dinner and went to Dinner at Lona, Spanish Fusion Tapas, lured by the 50% offer. Lona's very easy to get to and is next to that place with the skull dessert and close to McD. On a summer's evening drinks out here would be nice while waiting for a table - if it weren't for the smokers. By the time jas got there it was dark, he was late, and it was raining hard.

The food here was delicious. <br/><br/>It is designed to be shared and you're encouraged to eat with your hands. <br/><br/>Each dish was flavoursome with the lamb ribs and croquettes being the highlight.

My fiance and I came here after booking on Dimmi for the half price meal. We don't often eat in St Kilda as it's out of our way but we were in the area one night so decided to try this place. We definitely weren't disappointed. We ordered the Pork Belly sliders, lamb ribs, calamari fritos, patatas bracas, and fish tacos. The lamb ribs were a little under seasoned and the patatas bracas were a bit soggy for my liking (we thought it would be crispy), but other than that, the food was delicious, especially the calamari and fish tacos. In my opinion, the food is really pricey and if the half price deal wasn't on we wouldn't have come by, but at least now I know if I'm craving fried calamari and fish tacos and I'm in the area I would definitely go back just for those.

<br/>During the day it's lovely, come evening or weekend and it's a shambles.<br/><br/>Came with a group of 6 friends, everyone got served apart from me (I was stood in the middle of the group) as the bar tender walked away and went to the other side of the bar before taking my order.<br/><br/>Someone else came back asked me what I wanted, didn't even finish what I was saying before two (very pretty) girls walked in and he served them instead.<br/><br/>The north smoking area does actually turn into a smoking area in the evening whether that's intended or not so there's no outside space available for non smokers.<br/><br/>Bar tenders have been cocky and arrogant every time we've tried to visit on an evening now.<br/><br/>

Really mixed feelings about Lona. On one hand, everything from vegan tacos to lamb ribs is just delicious and the cocktails are delicious and booze cheap.<br/>On the other hand, the bar service is so ridiculously inadequate. They had one server on for all of a very, very busy happy hour. Not to mention the rest of the night. It seemed he also had to do table service for the dining area, so he was often not behind the bar whilst customers waited WAAAAY too patiently. A few people left before placing their drink order. If I didn't know how good the food was, I would have too. The wait to be served gets so long it's just awkward. Especially if you've left your party to go order. You could be gone for half the night. Bern here's few times and bar is always understaffed.

My fave place for tapas. Great vibe, delicious food and awesome specials throughout the week. Chorizo, Squid and fish tacos are my favourites - you won’t be disappointed ⚡️

In Lona, owners Charles and Edward Sedgley have successfully embodied the relaxed style of San Sebastian with a setting conducive to enjoying tapas over delicious libations. The venue boasts one of the largest Al fresco dining areas in St Kilda - with an expansive pergola as well as open air seating, it is a comfortable space with a great vibe.

While the dishes we sampled tonight weren’t strictly authentic Spanish cuisine, Lona skillfully incorporates Spanish and Mexican influences into an appealing modern tapas-style menu, and has achieved something rather remarkable.<br/>The execution of the tapas were flawless for the most part, and with each item containing an intricate and unique twist, we certainly left very satisfied and enjoyed every last bite!

Whatever it is you're doing, drop it...get yourself to Lona and order the lamb ribs. RUN, don't walk!<br/><br/>SERVICE: 4.5/5<br/>Greeted with such a welcoming smile as soon as we walked in. The friendly service continued throughout our whole stay. We learnt that our waiter's name was Andy, and it was evident that he enjoyed working there. He was helpful without being intrusive so we were able to enjoy our experience exactly how we liked. Andy gave us a few recommendations and knew the dishes in detail. Every table was being attended to without any of the diners having to prompt...dont'cha just love that! Everything came out in a perfect procession, all piping hot and sent all of our senses into overdrive. We had the door opened for us on the way out with Andy waving goodbye, it's the little things that make the biggest impressions.<br/><br/>FOOD: 5/5<br/>What an experience! It has been a while I've had something that made me sink right back into my chair, eyes widen whilst you look at your dining companion do the same thing..then all you can both murmur is "sssso gooood". This happened with 2 dishes at Lona. <br/><br/>I'm a knife and fork person (yes, even for pizza) not to be fancy, just laziness to find the bathroom to wash hands. I went with my fingers here and glad I did because it was that much more enjoyable & finger-lickingly good!<br/><br/>(Lamb Ribs): I will admit that I bumped the rating up just because of 2 dishes that knocked the ball out of the park. The BEST dish of the day were the ribs. They were faultless. Cumin salt and minted yoghurt were the perfect condiments to the melt-in-your-mouth ribs. No description or photo will do them justice, you'll just have to try for yourself.<br/><br/>(Croquetas) I have a weakness...I'm not able to pass up croquettes if they are on a menu. As such, I've had MANY varieries and I can confidently say the one at Lona is up there amongst the top faves I've had. As soon as the 3 perfectly golden morsels hit the table, I just knew they'd be good. Creamed leek, cheese and smoked aioli is not a combo I've had before but it surely won't be the last time. P.S. I'm pretty certain my friend let out a quiet moan as she ate it, I don't blame her! Wish there were 4 so she could've had another as I polished off 2 before I could even offer it..ooops.<br/><br/>(Fish Tacos) Again, one of the better ones I've had. The fish stayed light and crispy, the salsa was finely diced with the perfect amount of tang, the drizzle of sauce was perfect and the tortilla was lightly toasted - not too soft, not too crunchy. Delish!<br/><br/>(Calamari Fritos) They were so tender and the rice coating was so light and crispy. Loved that it wasn't overly seasoned and also didn't leave a heavy sickening feeling...especially because we had so many other dishes coming.<br/><br/>(Seafood Empanadas) I pictured them to be small but when they came out, I realised they were very generously-sized. I was sure I wasn't going to finish it. The pastry on these bad boys were very crispy and buttery. The filling was probably less seasoned than the other dishes and had a distinct garlicky seafood taste which I didn't mind at all but my friend thought it was too strong for her liking. Either way, before I knew it I had finished the last bite of my giant empanada...each to their own :)<br/><br/>(White chocolate & passionfruit mocktail) Refreshing with the right amount of sweetness and textures with the crunch of the passionfruit and the velvety white choc layer on top. Reminded me of a tropical holiday and could've gladly had a few more if I wasn't worried about tummy space.<br/><br/>DECOR & AMBIENCE: 4.5/5<br/>We were happy to be seated near the gorgeous fireplace while still also getting street views. I noticed there were so many different types of seating spaces here which meant regardless of who you were there with or for whatever occasion, you could comfortably spend hours there. There is street-side outdoor seating, intimate tables for two along the bi-fold windows or near the fireplace, larger group lounge seating and even infront of the fireplace, casual bar seats, and the wow factor was the undercover alfresco garden area out the back. Would love to come back here on a summer night, the vibe would be amazing.<br/><br/>KID FRIENDLY: Yes, during the day. <br/>

The title of this amazing establishment "Lona" is derived from "Barcelona" where the owners previously lived.  This is the place to eat with your hands and feel like you are at a home away from home with the opportunity of sampling a variety of products from their family businesses. <br/><br/>Apart from fantastic cocktails, wine and the most decadent meals to share, you'll also get to enjoy live music nightly and open mic night on Tuesdays.  My favourite tunes were from the 80s and 90s although I decided the crowd was not ready for my George Michael Careless Whisper rendition 🎶🎶! <br/><br/>We started the night off with a couple of cocktails, the White Chocolate Passionfruit and the Raspberry Mojito. These really hit the spot and whetted our appetite for our feast ahead.<br/><br/>We could not go pass ordering the charcuterie and queso board to enjoy the Seven Creek wagyu beef chorizo sourced by Executive Chef Charles Sedgle as well the Kaarimba soft brie.  The cheese slection is proudly produced by the family at the Locheilan farm house cheese company. <br/><br/>This was followed by a glass of the Sedgley & Sons Pinot Noir from the  Mornington Peninsula family winery which was very light and refreshing on the palette. <br/><br/>The next plates of deliciousness were the fish tacos and the lightest calamari fritos I have ever had.<br/><br/>The Croquetas made with Queso Ibérico (Spanish cheese) creamed leek and smoked aioli were just delightful and melted in our mouths. The special for the night was sweet potato cubes with pan fried chorizo and feta - what an awesome combination 😍😍! <br/><br/>Now you must not leave this place until you enjoy a serve of the most indulgent twice cooked lamb ribs with minted yoghurt. They have absolutely hit the mark with this one. It was hands down the best lamb ribs I've had 😋😋.<br/><br/>We finished off the night with nutella empanada for dessert and one last glass of Sedgley & Sons Shiraz from the King Valley family winery. We enjoyed every mouthful. <br/><br/>The restaurant is deceptively small and cosy with a great indoor fireplace for the cold winter. Unbeknown to us, we wondered around the back and there is an amazingly large outdoor alfresco area where you can book private functions or on summer days enjoy a drink outdoors 😎.  Absolutely loving this amazing secret hidden space they have! <br/><br/>You can also sign up for Club Lona Membership to receive a variety of discounts and happy hour prices on selected food and wine every single day of the week. They had me at half price Sangria! <br/><br/>Thanks for your invitation Charles and thanks to Dave for your fantastic hospitality and service. <br/><br/>We highly recommend a visit!!!

I was ecstatic when Charles, Lona’s owner/executive chef invited me to come down and dine at their newly renovated dinning room. I love how Charles a butcher by trade and source the different meats and small goods from mainly Australia and also around the world. Service was fantastic. Dave our server was efficient and definitely knows the menu. I love how he was able to introduce us each menu items we ordered and was able to give us a bit more of a background on where the produce came from or the idea or chef’s inspiration. Each items have a bit of a South American/Spanish twist and that is the gem of this restaurant and garden bar.<br/><br/>First off we built our own charcuterie board with chicken liver parfait which was smooth and rich that went perfectly with the light truffle toast and relish. Don’t forget to grab the wagyu beef chorizo also because the platter would not be complete without some cold meat! This two option only costed $18!<br/><br/>Croquetas – mmMm,.. these vegetarian bites was so smooth with the perfect amount of leek and cheese.....

Lona is an elegant and cosy restaurant in the heart of St Kilda perfect for a romantic date night or even for some after work drinks. The restaurant itself is beautiful with an awesome outdoor garden area that would be perfect for summer night dinners or hosting an event. The food here is designed to be shared and eaten with your hands. It’s a fun way to interact while enjoying some really delicious food. Portion sizes are small, but that just means you get to try more dishes.

Absolutely great experience. I love a tapas style menu where you use your hands to dig in. Loved the Spanish/South Amercian Twist! The menu is hard to pick from as there were so many great dishes. After picking a little bit of everything we were happy with our choices. Especially those ribs. Every dish had great flavour and was well presented. The vibes were great with the live music pumping. The service was also great food came out so quickly and we loved our waiter Adam he was so great! Great night left with a bit of a food coma

It was such a pleasure to be invited to Lona last night. It's been quite some time since I've had an experience where everything was faultless. The chefs are clearly well seasoned professionals and the owner and executive chef is a butcher by trade who sources the best quality meats from around Australia and sometimes the world. He has also lived previously in Barcelona and so the menu is heavily influenced by Spanish food but also inspired more broadly across South America. It's very much their own style and twist on these traditional cuisines and thoroughly delicious. With each bite of the various dishes I could tell they were really pushing themselves to innovate and create the best food they could.<br/>We started off with a round of drinks and I had the incredibly divine white chocolate passionfruit cocktail. Being a fan of sweet beverages this is one of my favourite drinks to order and it was a stunning rendition. At this stage I noted the statement regarding an 86% gluten free menu and even gluten free beer which I thought was pretty cool. And also pretty funny that they were at pains to point out there is no additional charge for gluten free which is great for the gluten intolerant among us who are forever being slammed with a surcharge to get a gf variant. <br/>We then had the arduous task of choosing some dishes off an entirely deliciously sounding menu. Everything is designed to share which isn't a novelty with the plethora of modern Asian restaurants in our great city of Melbourne but here it is also intended for you to eat with your hands which is really nice and homely (except my home isn't this beautifully renovated). Speaking of interiors we had a gorgeous setting with modern light fixtures providing warm ambient lighting and an amazing outdoor area which is so perfect for a function I am actually intending to suggest it to a friend for an upcoming 30th. It's a really cool space with vibrant murals plenty of seating and most importantly with the unpredictable Melbourne weather, the table areas are enclosed. Great Sunday session spot too. You will definitely find me there at the next St Kilda Fest (I'll be the one white chocolate passionfruit cocktail in tow 🍹)<br/>We started with the calamari which was super soft and tender and keeping with the under the sea theme moved on to the fish tacos which were so incredibly flavoursome and light. Delectable. Next up the flinders Island twice cooked lamb ribs were recommended and I am so glad they were because it gave a whole new meaning to falling off the bone. Like when I say falling off the bone it literally FELL off the bone when I was dipping it into the minted yoghurt. Redefining succulent. Amazing. <br/>Then came the beef brisket slider a 12 hour slow braise. These people seriously know food and it was such a joy to be eating perfectly executed dishes prepared and conceptualised with so much care. <br/>We then hit vegetarian territory with the silky smooth croquettas. A favourite of mine when I was in Barcelona these had a lovely subtle flavour and sensational texture. I realise we did this backwards but we finished the savoury with the build your own charcuterie board which is actually a pretty cool concept as you get exactly what you want and if you are like me and always want more cheese you can double up however you choose. We went for the soft Brie having been told this was produced at the family farm. It's all in the family here as there's also some family wine on the menu (we sampled quite a lovely light Pinot noir) and the quince paste was also produced at the family farm. I had so much love for the truffle oil on the sensational bread it was ingenious I'm actually not sure how I've never thought of that one. DELICIOUS. Did I mention there's also a family lager on the menu brewed in NZ? This is a real family operation, albeit in the slickest of ways. <br/>Now for dessert we greedily couldn't chose between the three on offer so they all came out on a large board. The dulce de leche or caramel tart was an utter delight. Churros are always a family favourite and they were accompanied by two different chocolate dipping sauces, white and dark. Mmmm. I'm feeling a little ripped off that I've never in all my 29 years until this point ever experienced a dessert empanada before. Nutella in there rather than your usual beef was a sweet sweet sensation. First the mnm naan came to town (thank you Melba) and now we have this little parcel of joy. A traditional tapas dishes with a modern reinterpretation.<br/>It was truly a lovely experience at Lona. I've never felt so enveloped in hospitality and warmth. And literal warmth too the stunning fireplace was perfect for such a rainy evening. The staff were supremely knowledgable about the menu and their passion for the food and concept shone brightly. <br/>They are also building a real sense of community with their amazing special offers. Their free membership, which everyone is entitled to, provides you with happy hour at ANY time of EVERY day and they have a different offer running every night on different menu items. 50% off your food bill on hump day is extremely enticing and phenomenal value. Oh and they have live music every night too. 🏃🏃🏃<br/>Anyone who knows me will say I can be a pretty critical person but there's literally nothing that I can possibly think of to change here. Outstanding

Does calling ham 'jamon' make you a Spanish restaurant? Average, plain food. The southern fried chicken component of the taco was literally a slice of pre cooked chicken schnitzel. Friendly service. The bar is great!! Restaurant, not so much.

Dropped by for dinner and ordered the 'feed me' option. Six different tapas style dishes for $30 per person is definitely value for money.<br/>Food was pretty good, the service was friendly and they have good daily and happy hour specials. <br/>Would recommend if in the area.

Great food, friendly people and an all round excellent place in St Kilda. Feed Me six course menu is great value for money! Will not disappoint!

Can't go wrong here! Simple cheap eats. The service is attentive and easy. They have heaps of daily specials for your budget! Have live music most nights! Really fun little spot!

Three of us dined on a Tuesday night as we happened to know the tacos are half price on a Tuesday night.<br/>The staff were great fun and genuine, the lamb ribs were soooo delicious that we ordered a second serve. Tacos were very good.<br/>One whole marked off for the open smoking area that causes the smoke to drift inside.

Dropped by on Sunday afternoon for lunch and was stoked with the menu options. I'm a huge fan of croquettes... and their leek and cheese croquettes were delightful, making my mouth water just thinking about it. We also had the calamarri, which was tasty. But not as tasty as the Pork Belly Tacos!! Which I would highly recommend. Definitely worth a visit if your down St Kilda.

Spur of the moment dinner on a hot Friday night.<br/>I'm a huge pinxtos fan, loved Basco in Brunswick when it was open, so when I saw pintxos on offer I steered my two companions into Lona.<br/>Because we didn't want to do too much thinking we went the $30 for six courses option. We were advised that the chef makes the selection of dishes and we were happy for that to happen. In the end it was too much food and that's better than too little. But it wasn't six courses of pintxos. That's my only complaint. The food we had was delicious but was a mish mash of cuisines, tacos and street corn from Mexico, patatas bravas and manchego croquettes more Spanish in flavour but much closer to Basque cuisine, sliders and salt and pepper calamari.<br/>The service was pleasant and prompt and happy hour deals looked good, even though we missed them.<br/>

Hey guys.. Firstly what has happened to your restaurant? I have dined here around 5 times in the past and even celebrated my birthday here with 10 friends 18 months ago. My boyfriend and I were s dissatisfied today. Firstly the beer we were given tasted like watered down bin juice . Bleeerrrgh!! No wonder it was the only one offered at happy hour.The gin fizz cocktail special reminded me of badly mixed tang and had a rotten piece of lemon in it.we were like "never mind the food will be great!" Uuuuuuuuum...We ordered the wagyu skewers which were tough and chewy and tiny and a total rip off for $17.00. The fish tacos were served cold and watery and the tacos themselves were burnt. The corn on cob was also served cold and tasteless and actually undercooked.. It lacked that lovely marinated chargrilled taste from before. We left after spending $90 and went and ordered food from Mac Donald's as we were still hungry and unsatisfied. The waiting staff appeared to be in their droves but there didn't seem to be that much service happening either. Absolutely no love left in the venue the staff and certainly not in the food.worst meal out ever! Cheers

This place was a bit of a mixed bag. The patatas bravas and the lamb ribs that we had were highlights, absolutely delicious. The rest of the dishes however were much more ho hum, the croquettes were OK, but the chicken and fish tacos we had were quite average. We also had wagyu beef skewers, which were the worst dish of the night (would have been ok if not so damn chewy). If the up the quality of some of these other tapas dishes they could be onto a winner here.

Good spot and recommended.<br/><br/>As soon as we set down the waiter broth water jug which is important to me on a suny day.<br/><br/>Wasn't sure what to to eat so asked the waiter to help with what's good coz he looked friendly and gave us good ideas of what to get.<br/><br/>He also charged my iPhone :)<br/><br/>Thank u for making us feel very welcome

Ordered a jug of cider - $12 on the menu. When leaving was charged $16 - told it was a typo and too bad. Awful - don't bother - honor the pricing, tell people when they order, or fix the menu!!

You have to love this place, the layout is so fresh and modern - beautiful outdoors area, friendly staff and tasty fun food you can eat with one hand whilst drinking with the another - #tacos!!!

Decided to dine here when we saw that it was half-price day for members. We signed up and were seated right near the heater (it was a cold night so that was nice). It was around 7-7:30 and we were the only ones in the restaurant, a little worrying but we followed through and ordered the 9 course degustation menu for 4.<br/><br/>The food itself was overall a disappointment. Some things were nice, others were very average. The most disappointing menu item was the churros. After we’d finished our second last course, the waitress cleared our plates and asked if we would like our churros now or would we like to wait a bit. Seeing as we were all a bit full, we asked if we could wait a while for our dessert. We assumed this would mean that the kitchen would hold off making them until we were ready. When we asked for our churros, we were horrified to see the waitress go to the kitchen and come out with a bowl of old churros. The bowl was hot so they’d obviously been microwaved. Our confusion sat with why ask us if we wanted them later if they had already been cooked. We would have been much happier with fresh churros in our full bellies.<br/><br/>The other main annoyance of the night was that when another party finally joined us in the restaurant, they were sat right next to us. This venue is quite large, and I understand keeping everyone together is easier for wait staff to give better service, but we had to climb over each other to get out of our chairs, and it felt like we were all being crammed together like sardines in an otherwise empty place.<br/><br/>The quality of the food wasn’t enough to look past the bad experience, so probably wouldn’t return.

Actually had an awesome time here. Managed to grab a seat just in the window during happy hour on a sunny Sunday afternoon. $12 beer jugs, super cheap and mind you it was a decent beer. They had some good live music, a great atmosphere and it was excellent people watching. Each to their own in St Kilda. 👍

Great place to spend a lazy sunny afternoon. They have a happy hour from 3-6.30pm daily and the $12 beer jugs and $5 bubbles yay!! Haha <br/>There is a singer doing some cool covers at the moment too. We sat in a window seat overlooking Carlisle St people watching! Perfect lol

I went on a Tuesday night and it was fairly quiet, but it provided a great opportunity to talk and actually be heard. We sat in the beautiful alfresco area where a very attentive waitress looked after our needs- drinks and food. Drinks were average (but looked quite pretty). I enjoyed the sharing and finger food style of the food but in general, it was pretty average too. Just a tip- order less than you think you'll need because some of the pinxtos (small plates) are larger than you think. I would recommend the croquettes, the pulled pork buns and the fish tacos- they were delicious.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Lona, with tapas style venues being a bit of an 'in thing' at the moment, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised. We had the 9 course degustation for $39 per person which is great value. You think you might not end up full from the series of small tasting portions but we were actually stuffed by the end of it. The flavours were excellent and the pace was good too; the dishes didn't all come out at once but there wasn't too long of a wait in between each dish. I have to say it's an impressive and important aspect to nail, as so many tasting plates suffer from either throwing everything at you at once (resulting in some dishes going cold by the time you get to them) or leaving you waiting, and waiting, and waiting, wondering if you'll ever get out of the restaurant or leaving you starving. Left wanting to come back and try every item on the menu, so I'm not sure it gets much better than that!

My guests were feed scraps of food refer to pictures,was ripped off and not given what was originally ordered,complained to owner who hung up on me twice- more to come from the 22 hungry and disappointed guests.

Totally disappointed. For a table of 20 this was a nightmare. <br/>Not worth the $39 per head, food was below average especially the "poppers", the corn was poorly executed not even chargrilled, slider buns were stale, not enough prawns (one person missed out on their single prawn), chicken was bland, lamb was cold, there was not enough sour cream for the amount of deep fried potato cubes, churros not cooked properly & the dipping chocolates white & milk were cheap & nasty. Everyone was still hungry afterwards. The service was bad we had to count out the food ourselves because they couldn't work out how to evenly distribute food between 2 tables of 10. <br/>I wouldn't recommend this tapas bar or go back ever again.

Don't understand why this place isn't busier - it's so ace! The renovated beer garden is gorgeous and relaxing and the food is perfect to share over a few drinks. Especially love the patatas bravas and the calamari. Wake up St Kilda and give it a try! (Super cheap drink specials too :) )

In the later part of 2014 the Sedgley Brothers – Charles and Edward – opened their second Lona Pintxos Bar in St Kilka. The second pintxos and tapas bar – the first located in Armadale – is easy spotted on Acland Street with its signature neon pink sign. The family run business has established itself in St Kilda by offering a bar and restaurant experience that removes the stuffiness around dining. The casual bite and drink location is modern and slick, incorporating a comfortable space to have a front bar and dining hall overlooking Acland Street. The dining hall also incorporates funky artwork that date backs to the 80s; discovered by the brothers during the renovation phase.

Such a fantastic vibe here right across from Luna Park. We frequent Armadale Lona and Barça often and this place didn't disappoint.<br/><br/>The interior is very modern and luxe - you can sit at the front, inside at a lovely set table or out the back in an amazing courtyard.<br/><br/>Service was impeccable and the sangrias better than most around. Food wise is a fantastic menu - we love the croquettes and the patatas bravas - SO MANY yummy options. Will be back again next date night!

Good overall experience, with great service by Josh.<br/>I would've liked more of a flavour kick with the croquetas, I thought they were a bit shy in letting their colours shine, but happy everything overall.  Was hoping to get the chilli lottery with the peppers so we just need to order more next time. =) The sliders, patatas bravas, etc were great.<br/>We like our churros and my friend said they were the best churros.  Even once cooled down they were still crisp and light.  One suggestion, would the kitchen be open to using other chocolates to melt as the dipping sauces? Maybe even BYO chocolate bars? =)

Excellent food, wonderful friendly staff and very reasonable prices.  <br/><br/>The pintxos were great, especially the empanadas and the fish.  Great tapas also to share and good wine.<br/><br/>We just discovered this and were interested having been to a Pintxos bar before in Spain.  Lona Pintxos definitely lived up to our expectations and we will return - probably with friends.

Loved it!. Had dinner here and it was fantastic. The food was superb especially the lamb ribs, pork sliders and the patatas bravas were the best we've had anywhere! Barcelona included. Staff were also fantastic. We will definitely be back soon.

Tapas and trivia. Had a good night here on Tuesday. There's a new trivia event that has started and it's good fun but we did really bad in the paper plane competition. The service was fine and friendly and im definitely coming back for more of the cutlets.

My new St Kilda go to!. Located on the less traveled side of Accland st stands a relatively new addition, Lona pintxos bar. Alluded by the neon sign out the front and kept captivated within by a well priced drinks list and yummy pintxos selections, we managed to spend a good portion of our afternoon there and headed into the night. Be warned, this is the kind of place you can easily loose track of time in. The menu is smart and offers a good selection. Stand outs for us were the pork sliders, the crackling on the bun sets these apart. Also being a lover of all things lamb I couldn't go past the lamb ribs, I think they were from flinders Island. Not disappointed and will be back for more!

A jewel in St Kilda. Some of the best Tapas I have eaten, with really friendly staff and a great atmosphere. Was also really impressed with the prices, this is my new regular!

It's okay- staff were very friendly, Trivia was below par and the food was okay but small proportions. Im glad to try it but there are some other good places close by that I will go back first.

Stay away from this place!!!. Waited over half an hour for sliders, in an almost empty bar. These were some of the worst sliders I ever had. <br/><br/>Paid and left, was chased across the street by a manager, who wanted to know if we paid. Showed him the receipt, he realized he'd made a mistake, but offered no apology. <br/><br/>Bad service, bad food, and no atmosphere.

Great joint. Top people, top prices, top night

Flawless is the best word for this place! Flawless tapas, flawless prices, flawless drink specials, flawless live music. Flawless!

WHAT A PLACE!!. LOVE this place.. Such a good concept. Cheap booze, $1 tapas, and to top it off friendly and enthusiastic staff!! the staff are really what seals the deal here, they are excitable and engaging and really make you feel like you're on a little holiday in Spain. The pintxos and the wine, beer are great but the staff is what makes us keep coming back. You HAVE to try this place.

Love it!. The little appetizer bar thing is amazing! Prices are amazing if you sign up for their membership, happy hour pricing all day! Really can't beat this little gem.

Love it!. Best bar ever! Pintxos are so good and the food too...lamb cutlet and patatas bravas are just awesome!<br/>Best cocktail ever!

A pintxos, wine, tapas and cocktail fusion bar. Who’s behind it?  Charles & Edward Sedgley of Lona Pintxos Bar Armadale & Barca Food & Wine Armadale. Head Chef is Tim Bell from Barca Food & Wine and is Executive Chef for both Lona Pintxos Bar and Ex Pelican