There's something deeply comforting about the concept of a rifugio on a cold winter's night in Prahran.
In the Italian Dolomites, these mountain huts offer weary hikers hearty food and warming drinks after a day navigating alpine trails. It’s a simple proposition: sustenance, shelter and camaraderie when you need it most. The Alps on Commercial Road has always understood this philosophy, but now it’s embraced it a little more wholeheartedly.
Where once you might have popped in for a quick glass before or after the main event, the venue now encourages lingering with Roman-style pizza, an all-weather courtyard and that same 400-strong wine list that’s made it a local institution.
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Walking into The Alps feels like discovering a perfectly preserved wine bar time capsule. Weathered brick walls lined with exotic bottles, some dripping with wax, create an atmosphere that’s deliciously authentic. Nostalgic alpine travel ads transport you to German mountain railways, while the open kitchen fills the long narrow space with the smoky aroma of flatbread pizzas. The sensory journey culminates at the rear fireplace, which opens onto a spacious, dimly lit courtyard that makes you want to abandon your lease and move in permanently.
The team behind hatted Richmond restaurant Clover has retained everything locals loved, while adding reasons to stay all evening. New head chef Miller Mimmo Cowie has joined forces with Charley Snadden-Wilson to create a menu that balances comfort with craft, centred around Romana pizza with its characteristically thin base and edge-to-edge sauce coverage.
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We began with oysters accompanied by pepper mignonette at $6.50 each. Like everything on the menu, the focus is on quality suppliers delivering pristine ingredients. The anchovy toast at $7 per piece demonstrates The Alps’ philosophy perfectly: why reinvent classics when excellence lies in execution? Paired with 2023 Adrien Berlioz La Pepie Jacquere from Savoie, France, the combination delivered citrus and pear notes that complemented the briny anchovies beautifully.
Our server’s recommendation of the bolognese pizza proved suitably comforting. Beef bolognese, scamorza, chilli and pecorino created the perfect canvas for the 2024 Bruno Lafon Collette Pinot Noir from Languedoc. That classic pairing of abundant cheese and red wine exemplifies why pizza works so brilliantly in wine bars: it’s fun, shareable, relaxed and nourishing. The challenge lies in refining this most versatile of dishes to suit the clientele’s palate, something The Alps achieves effortlessly.
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The chocolate delice provided a surprisingly refreshing finish, with hints of citrus in the cream cutting through the richness. Our attentive service throughout the evening reflected the venue’s commitment to hospitality that feels genuine rather than performative.
Like the mountain respites that inspired it, The Alps offers exactly what Melbourne needs: somewhere to step off windswept streets into a warm embrace of delicious food and wine aplenty.
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