Seasonal pop-up bar and restaurant Arbory Afloat is returning for Melbourne’s first day of outdoor dining on October 26. The 69-metre venue might be floating on the Yarra River, but it will transport Melburnians and visitors to the Aegean Sea.

This year Arbory Afloat is themed on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, a popular tourist destination known for its white-sand beaches, warm aquamarine waters and ancient cities. Also known as the Turkish Riviera, it’s the launching point for gulet boat cruises, but Arbory will focus on recreating those beach club vibes.

Spread over two levels, Arbory Afloat’s upper deck will be a dedicated pool club, where day beds can be booked for four to six guests, and cabanas for four to sixteen. Expect tasselled umbrellas, thatched roofing, 80-year-old olive trees and a palette of pistachio, olive and aqua.

The kitchen is sticking to the theme, with executive chef Nick Bennett working alongside Turkish-born chefs Nada Thomas (ex-Cecconi’s and Press Club) and Salim Gafayri (ex-Bar Nacional and Cecconi’s). The siblings will reimage a taste of home for a Melbourne summer, with plates such as raki-cured kingfish, falafel-crumbed prawns with lemon yoghurt and a selection of ekmek and gyros (the sandwiches of the Aegean and Mediterranean). Turkish ingredients such as sucuk (sausage), pomegranate molasses and isot pepper (smoky dried chilli pepper) will also appear on the pizza menu.

Venue manager Tom Byrne and beverage director Matt Thomas have created a drinks list to match, featuring eight house cocktails on tap and five Turkish Teapot cocktails, served to share with flavours such as raki and melon. From the menu, our cocktail pick is the Turkish Delight Sour, which mixes Tanqueray Gin, rose liqueur, Maidenii X Arbory Rose Vermouth, sour cherry, lemon juice, aquafaba and Davidson plum.

The Four Pillar and Arbory Afloat Pink Gin collaboration will also return, while beer lovers can sip Summer Mediterranean Lager from Pirate Life Brewing, exclusive to Arbory Afloat and the adjacent, land-based Arbory Bar & Eatery. 

 Georgie Larkins, marketing director of HQ Group, the hospitality collective behind Arbory Afloat and Arbory Bar & Eatery, is excited for a summer out of lockdown.

“This season, we think there will be a new energy, a thirst for new hospitality experiences, but also for those old treasured times. Eventually, the city will come alive again, Melbourne will be reborn, and people are going to love it even more,” she says.

HQ Group also plans to open a five-storey venue on Lonsdale Street in the city, across from Emporium, in 2022. It will include five different spaces – most notably a rooftop bar – and has taken as many years to renovate. More details to follow.

Arbory Afloat Turquoise Coast will open October 26 from 11.30am to 1am daily. 

Bookings open on October 11 via arboryafloat.com.au. Limited walk-ins available.

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