The floating venue is all about championing Victorian produce and Melbourne city’s comeback.
Great news for those keen to get out and explore the city: a new two-level pontoon bar with a botanically-inspired line-up of food and drinks will open Melbourne this March.
The unique, two-level floating bar and eatery Yarra Botanicals will open in Southbank on Thursday 10th March, giving Melburnians and visitors alike another new reason to return to the heart of the city.
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Bookings are now open for the highly anticipated new all-year-round venue (which cost a cheeky $5.2million to build), championing Victorian producers with a 100% Victorian beverage menu and a 90% Victorian food menu.
Floating on the Yarra River, the venue will offer a relaxed setting for up to 690 guests, who can enjoy a unique eating and dining experience where they can feel immersed in an inner-city garden oasis. Top it off with sweeping city views and Southbank’s bustling promenade alongside and this new venue is certainly looking super lush.
Excitingly only Victorian drops will appear, with Yarra Botanical partnering with Drink Victorian. The all-local lineup is extensive, with cocktails, wines, beers, ciders and premium spirits, while a variety of Yarra Botanical flavours grace the Signature Yarra Botanicals Spritz menu which the Peculiar Pepper Berry Spritz (Billson’s Alfred Peculiar gin, grapefruit, Pepper Berry, Prosecco and soda) and Lemon Myrtle & Jasmine Spritz (Four Pillars gin, Lemon Myrtle, jasmine water, Limoncello and soda).
At a glance, Victorian producers include the likes of Two Birds Brewing, Rochford Wines, Fixating Brewing and Grainshaker Ausvodka.
As for the food, the menu will feature the bounty of seasonal produce available from Victorian farms and fisheries, and proudly name drops the Victorian regions that power each dish. Executive Chef Telina Menzies’ menu is designed for socialising and sharing, with tasty snacks, fresh local seafood and six woodfired pizzas.
While pizza is always a winner, hero dishes include Hand Stretched Burrata with rosella, green tomato, basil & jalapeno (Gippsland), Pickled Portarlington Mussels with nduja, garlic, aioli, curry leaf, pizza fritto dippers (Bellarine Peninsula), Lakes Entrance Calamari with native spiced salt, confit garlic and lemon (Lakes Entrance), Local Whiting with Ronin kelp, soy & lemon aspen caramel, pink grapefruit & finger lime (Port Philip Bay) and Halloumi with new season fig, honey and mountain pepper (Yarra Valley).
Knowing how much Melburnians love their brunch, each weekend Yarra Botanicals will host a sun-drenched brunch session from 11am-1pm every weekend for $69per person. This includes a signature Yarra Botanicals Gin Fizzer on arrival, a choice of brunch item, 2 Yarra Botanicals gin cocktails and a Hemp soft serve cone.
The floating bar & eatery will span across two levels with Melbourne’s stunning cityscape as the backdrop. As a year-round venue, it has been designed with Melbourne’s four seasons in mind. From lattice pergolas on the lower deck to oversize market umbrellas providing protection from both the hot sun and rain to heaters, blankets and rugs for extra warmth in the cooler months.
As the name suggests, the venue is botanically themed, decked out with native plants and aquatic vegetation, including climbing vines, native trees, planter boxes, herb gardens and edible plants. Patrons will enjoy the memorable Australian experience that has been intertwined into the design and feel of Yarra Botanicals.
If all that wasn’t enough, Yarra Botanicals has been designed to be installed with minimum impact on its surrounding natural environment and will have a dedication to nature and sustainability.
Entry into Yarra Botanicals is free, and the venue will be open 7 days a week. Bookings are encouraged with walk-ins available. Find out more here.
