MELBOURNE | Brunswick East bar Maggie’s Snacks And Liquor focuses on snacks and liquor, and doing everything a bar should do, well. It’s in the space formerly home to my local haunt, the Alehouse Project. The old exposed bricks, flooring, and general layout will be familiar to Alehouse regulars, but a lot has changed.
The removal of both cool rooms has really opened up the space, with updated décor, fittings, and furnishings freshening things up. The old pool room is now a swish lounge area, available for private functions, and the rear courtyard is brighter and more spacious than before.
Owners Kaidee Grzankowski, Alejandro Archibald, and Nathan Toleman bring a wealth of hospitality experience to Maggie’s, which is named after Kaidee’s grandmother. There’s an equal focus on wine and cocktails, with a diverse selection of beer. My favourite cocktail at the moment is the Vanilla Slice Milk Punch. A blend of Starward whisky, burnt vanilla, fresh passionfruit, and brioche.
The food menu is seasonal, modern Australian fare, with Kiwi influences courtesy of head chef Scott Blomfield. Things like kumara (sweet potato) chips with kiwi onion dip; crispy skin and parfait chicken sando with cognac gel and Davidson plum; and a croquette-like mushroom lasagne topper with yuzu mayo.
It’s a menu that lends itself to snacks with drinks, or a proper sit-down dinner. The layout reflects this, with the expanded, spacious bar and little high benches for two, complimented by a surprisingly large number of regular tables and chairs where the long, high tables and couches used to be.
Maggie’s Snacks And Liquor
98 Lygon Street
Brunswick East
Victoria 3057
Australia
Telephone: n/a
E-mail: [email protected]
Website
Open
Wed – Thu: 4:00pm to 12:00am
Fri: 4:00pm to 1:00am
Sat: 12:00pm to 1:00am
Sun: 12:00pm to 12:00am