“G’day, come on in. What would you like to do? Have something to eat or just a drink?”

Just like the Espy in St Kilda, which also has someone greeting customers upon entry to welcome and guide you, Fancy Free has nailed the service part of customer service before I’ve even walked through the door. A bar that puts a smile on your face before a drink in your hand is doing a whole lot of things right.

It shouldn’t be a surprise this new CBD spot has hit the ground running, given it’s the lovechild of a dream team of Black Pearl alumni who are shaking  and stirring in their first names-onthe- lease joint, welcoming a mix of suits by day and city slickers after dark.

Occupying what was an 8 Bit burger shop on Little Collins Street for a six month stint, this is the opposite of a dark and moody late-night Chesterfieldand- candle bar and instead makes use of walls of glass to create a bright two-level space. The mezzanine level comes with full table service, while the ground level’s a mix of standing and bar stools.

A keen focus on non- and lowalcohol cocktails helps sippers seize the day, though when something stronger is called for the house martini is a juniper-driven, olive oil-slicked way to turn a frown upside down. Beers come from Collingwood’s Stomping Ground and the tight wine list has a decidedly non-interventionist bent.

Hip Sydney burger joint Mary’s is on canteen duty for the next month before handing over to another restaurant. For now, expect tasty, if expensive, versions of the classics – the cheeseburger is an especially good sopper – but serving fries sans salt is a noticeable hiccup in an otherwise polished offering.

Here for a good time, not a long time, Fancy Free is more footloose than legless and that’s something well worth celebrating.