Beach Burrito Fitzroy
Sydney’s favourite beachside burrito joint skates into Fitzroy
OK, so we don’t have a beach on Gertrude Street but we do have Beach Burrito Company’s first Melbourne outpost. And it has a skate bowl. In an indoor pool. “Why’s a skate bowl in a concrete pool in a restaurant?” you may well ask. Turns out that Beach Burrito’s founder, Blake Read, was a teenage skate addict. Beach Burrito Fitzroy is his tribute to the glory days of the ’80s (hence the neon signs and ’80s soundtrack), when abandoned pools provided skaters with a base to hone their mad skillz. “I wanted to recreate the feeling I had in the ’80s: completely obsessed with skateboarding,” says Read. It will be interesting to see how Beach Burrito rubs shoulders with its next-door neighbour, Trippy Taco. Will there be burrito turf wars? One thing’s for certain: there will be long-haired skaters (we’ve seen them) sitting hunched in Beach Burrito’s black-and-blue booths eating $5 tacos. You won’t get an authentic taste of Mexico from the menu, but you will get wallet-pleasing tacos, burritos, chimichangas and more. There’s also frozen Margaritas and a plastic tequila menu that has dangerous intentions.
Skating in the bowl is by invitation only but luckily, the beers, fun times and Mexicanvia-melbourne snacks are for all.
Beach Burrito Fitzroy 232 Gertrude St, Fitzroy 3065. 03 9416 4863. Sun-thu 11am11pm; Fri, Sat 11am-midnight. other. If you’re expecting fuss and frills, you’re in the wrong place. Peanuts in the shell in glass dishes are there for the taking. The kegs-cum-tables and long wood-topped bar are heaped with discarded shells, hoovered up every now and then by a Dustbusterwielding, jeans-and-hoody-wearing barman. Lulie St feels like it sprang up in an eye-blink, and could just as quickly be dismantled. This is sensible – the space is on a two-year lease from the shoe store next door.
What has been transplanted from Curtin House is a way with cocktails. There are just five on rotation. Cargo & Co pairs spiced rum with just-juiced Granny Smiths. It’s sweet, tart and pulpy, with a marshmallowy juice foam. Lulie’s spin on an Old Fashioned is more sugary than we’re used to, thanks to the substitution of Plantation rum for rye. There’s an espresso Martini featuring ice cream, served fuss-free in a glass milk bottle. Cocktails aside, the drinks are divided neatly into taps, cans, longies, sparkling, white and red. Hungry? Ask the bartender to order you a faultless, thin-crusted takeaway pizza from nearby Rita’s, or visit on Friday or Saturday night when Lulie hosts food trucks.
The bartenders DJ – and they’re good at it. Think ‘dad music’ in the best way: Gerry Rafferty, Beatles, Ry Cooder, Free. Unless you’re here in a group, we’d recommend pulling up high stools at the bar. You’ll have first dibs on drinks, can influence the soundtrack and chat to the friendly barman. Lulie St is well suited to chats: it’s quiet, there’s plenty of space and the mood is relaxed. File under Bars Where You Can Hear Yourself Think. Recent Melbourne bar openings have had gimmicks a-go-go. Lulie St is a tavern without trimmings, and that’s as refreshing as Lulie’s peach iced tea.
Lulie St Tavern Rear, 288 Johnston St, Abbotsford 3067. www.luliesttavern.com. Mon-thu 4pm-late; Fri, Sat noon-1am; Sun noon-11pm.