A grand old dame is set to return to the Melbourne pub scene with the news that St Kilda’s Hotel Esplanade will shortly be reopening. The historic drinking space will relaunch on Friday November 23 after an extensive revamp that hopes to bring the mammoth build back to its former glory.

Privately owned hospitality group Sand Hill Road bought ‘The Espy’ back in May 2017 and have used the past 18 months to restore the space back to its former glory. The result is nothing short of a mansion of eating and drinking opportunities; inside The Espy’s walls sits 12 bars, two restaurants and three stages. There’s a beer garden, garden terrace, and a Cantonese restaurant (set to open in December) among the collection.

“The Espy has always been our ultimate pub dream,” says co-founder of Sand Hill Road Doug Maskiell of the team’s new project. “But it’s also an awesome responsibility. Every day, we’ve uncovered layers and layers of The Espy’s history that have absolutely blown us away. We know we’ll never truly own The Espy – that title belongs to the many thousands of people who have walked its staircases before us, and the many more thousands still to come.”

The Espy’s elaborate design is the result of a collaboration with TechnēArchitecture + Interior Design, who have worked with Sand Hill Road for the past decade. The teams focused on the venue’s history, finding inspiration in the bones of the building itself as well as its most famous resident, the wealthy art lover Alfred Felton who lived and died within the hotel. The work on the hotel have expanded its three level offering to six, opening up the top level to the public, a space which was Felton’s home till 1904. “There’s something about this hotel that captures the imagination like no other,” says Sand Hill Road co-founder, Tom Birch. “These are the things we determined to keep at the forefront of our minds as we conceived the look, feel and spaces of the new Espy – age, grandeur, history, arts – and respect for what it took to keep her alive all these years.”

The Espy’s food offering has been designed by executive chef Ash Hicks. The main eatery has been dubbed The Espy Kitchen, where a 60-strong team of chefs work a series of charcoal grills, wood-fired pizza ovens, and French rotisserie. Of course this being the seaside, and a pub at that, the menu is heavily focused on quality casual dining, with a decent array of seafood. There’s The Espy crispy bug roll, fresh salads laden with roast chicken and pumpkin, and a separate seafood bar serving up heaped platters of oysters and calamari among more. On weekends, brunch will also be served from 9.00am (naturally accompanied by plenty of booze if you wish).

Sand Hill Road Group Bars Manager Kevin Peters and Group Sommelier Matt Skinner were placed in charge of The Espy’s new drinks list. The surrounding coast has heavily inspired the tipple available to order; stand-outs include the Sun Sparkle Sour (Vanilla Absolut, passionfruit, lemon, egg white and sparkling wine) and 500 Days of Summer (Four Pillars Sticky Carpet Gin, Fiorente elderflower, lime, strawberry, mint, ginger beer). “Local craft beers, such as the stunningly successful Balter XPA, will sit alongside unpasteurised Carlton Draught delivered direct from the bright tank in Abbottsford. Beers and ciders have been sourced both locally and globally to provide for the full range of palates The Espy lives to serve,” continues Peters. “I want the lists to be exciting without being too challenging, accessible without being dull, and diverse enough that were will be something for everyone. But most of all, I want the lists to make you thirsty,” agrees Skinner. Alongside the standard wine, beer and cocktails, will be a special aged barrel drinks programme, with spirits and cocktails made on site in 28L custom-made barrels in The Espy’s own ‘rickhouse’.

Hotel Esplanade sits at 11 The Esplanade, St Kilda; hotelesplanade.com.au.