Moondrop, a new Chinese-inspired cocktail bar, is opening in Fitzroy this Thursday 4 December.
Steve Chan, Jesse Kourmouzis and Jacob Muoio, the trio behind Carlton North favourite Sleepy’s Cafe & Wine Bar, are taking over the former Everleigh space on Gertrude Street, Fitzroy. Moondrop pays homage to Chan’s heritage and the old-world glamour of 1920s Shanghai, blending traditional eastern flavours with contemporary Australian hospitality.
Open Thursday to Monday, the low-lit venue features white drapery hanging from the ceiling, absorbing the soft glow of an impressive moon-like orb that commands the space. A red mosaic bar stretches the length of the room, peppered with hand-painted tiles created by the Moondrop team themselves.
Moondrop – Fitzroy
- Opens Thursday 4 December
- Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
- Open Thursday to Monday
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Custom-made mahjong tables are built into the building’s original bluestone walls, while velvet red drapery and Chinese knick-knacks accent the space. Guests can sink into The Drop Lounge, lined with upholstered burgundy seating, or The Burrow, an intimate 12-person corner framed with velvet curtains.
Head of beverage Jesse Kourmouzis, formerly of Above Board, has created a cocktail menu that heroes lesser-known Chinese spirits and traditional flavours. Drinks nod to the east-meets-west era of China’s Paris of the East, with standout offerings including Me & Ube, a riff on bubble milk tea made with clarified oat milk punch, tapioca pearls, pineapple juice, ube and three types of rum.
Other signature serves include the M.S.Gibson, a dry and savoury gin-based drink laced with baijiu, MSG brine and sherry served ice-cold, and the Chanhattan, which combines NIKKA From The Barrel with lapsang souchong tea infused sweet vermouth and is finished with a delicate chocolate tuile. Moondrop’s take on a negroni features tangerine peel infused sweet vermouth and comes with a bespoke ice cube stamped with the bar’s moon rabbit emblem.
Spicier options include The 5-Spice Girls, mixing Plantation 3-Star Rum with umeshu, pineapple, lime and sesame, and the Sichuan Slipper, which packs a punch with house-made hot sauce alongside Midori, Cointreau and Anchos Reyes Verde.
In the kitchen, Jacob Muoio is serving Chinese-Australian bar snacks alongside a rotating dumpling menu that changes with the seasons. Expect prawn crackers, cheddar tartlets with quince and osmanthus, BBQ mushroom bao buns, and both pork and chrysanthemum dumplings and yumyum vegetable dumplings. Grazing plates of charcuterie and cheese will be available, plus a caviar menu featuring 30-gram tins served with scallion pikelets, crème fraîche and chives.
For something sweet, Moondrop’s signature snowskin mooncake is filled with vanilla and red bean ice cream. Muoio, who started his culinary career as a pastry chef, is also crafting delicate garnishes to accompany the cocktails.
Opening in early 2026, Moondrop’s private dining room The Mahjong Room will accommodate 50 seated or 120 standing guests, complete with its own bar, burgundy leather sofas and custom mahjong tables.
Chan has worked with Australian-Asian design teams Studio Jomi and Local Optima to ensure no detail has been overlooked. From uniform pins and ice stamps to embossed leather-bound menus, the moon rabbit emblem – steeped in Chinese folklore – is woven throughout the venue.
For more information, head here.
