There’s a celebratory spirit in the air at Lupo. From the warm and welcoming hospitality to the old-school rock’n’roll soundtrack belting out of the kitchen, the rustic, pared-back restaurant is the type of venue that encourages raucous big nights with friends enjoying good food, good wine and good times.

The owners are hospitality veterans, the Pearce family (ex-Espana Tapas Bar and Franc’s Deli). Mum Thea runs the floor, bringing passion, personality, knowledge and kindness in equal measure as she walks diners through the compact but cracking New World wine list that spans classics to funky, biodynamic wines. Dad Brad and sons Nick and Harry run the kitchen, serving an enticing line-up of Spanish-inspired snacks and share plates, many of which are produced in the woodfire pizza oven.

But don’t expect any pizza. The oven is instead left for delights like a wholeroasted cauliflower, cooked until tender, daubed with rich truffle cream and blanketed by melted, bubbling cheese.

Raw dishes are another highlight, like the “raw steak sanga” featuring a sirloin steak tartare, topped with lightly dressed leaves on sumac-sprinkled crispbread with a grating of horseradish – simple but brilliant. Or the cured salmon on horseradish cream, its fattiness balanced by pickled onion, capers and cucumber. Freshly caught seafood is a highlight, perhaps mussels or maybe clams in a white wine broth.

Barbecued octopus with a piquant capsicum sauce, and former Espana signature dish of bechamel and prosciutto croquettes also demand attention, as does a sticky date pudding with a whisky caramel sauce, salted caramel ice cream and peanut praline.

So whether you have something to celebrate or just want to let loose, Lupo will put you in the party spirit.