Bar Liberty’s famed sourdough flatbread lures all to the stylish Fitzroy bistro-bar. This toasty, wholemeal crowd-pleaser comes with whipped cured butter for slathering and scissors for cutting – but it’s too good to share. New bar manager Josh Begbie’s refined drinks list complements the Euro-inspired snack food. 

There’s pate-style blue cod between two ultra-fine potato crisps, best washed down with a skin-contact vermentino that also teams well with head chef Zackary Leon Furst’s smoked razorback prawns. The IDES alumni injects Aussie native flavours into dishes; see the crisp saltbush that tops a fluffy brown ale cake. Can’t decide what to eat? There’s a great value $65 set menu and $45 Sunday lunch. 

Bar Liberty’s worth a visit if you’re curious to try natural wines or no-fuss cocktails like the strong-but-sweet Starward Whisky sour grapes. Much like the drink and food it serves, Bar Liberty is warm and welcoming, posh but far from pretentious. 

Must Eat Dish: Wholemeal sourdough flatbread