The wonky Albert Park corner’s wine bar beginnings have been built upon rather than shrugged off; maturing into a romantic, accomplished modern European restaurant, with a strong team in charge.

Wonky and cute, Wally’s is perfect for date night.

Did you hear about Wally? He grew up. After opening as a wine bar in 2024, then briefly rejigging as a French bistro, Wally’s has become a romantic, accomplished modern European restaurant with one of Melbourne’s best restaurant managers – Gitana Gordon (formerly of Amaru) – at the helm, and co-head chefs Monique Collins and Angus Cadden (both ex-Osteria Renata) working their stations with clever ideas and fine touch.

On a roundabout at one end of Albert Park Village, the two-storey Victorian property is slightly off-square, so it looks wonky and cute. The 24-seat dining room is a Parisian idyll, with a mirrored ceiling, banquette down one side and a window bar with a brass-topped bench. The new first-floor dining room is carpeted and candlelit, framed by a timber wine cupboard that’s as much statement as storage.

The bathrooms are nice: a striking antique marble sink in the main commode speaks of an attention to detail that no doubt involved a lot of lugging and probably a bemused plumber. Upstairs and down, it’s a set-up that makes you imagine yourself here in all kinds of scenarios: date night, “you need to meet my parents”, girls’ lunch, aesthetic golden hour, all the ancient and modern occasions.

Wally’s has matured into a modern European restaurant.

Come warmer weather, the sprawling pavement plaza will scream aperitivo. There’s a tree wound with fairy lights, a bicycle gelato cart, and enough room for all the Albert Park oodles and their slaves. The only bummer is that you’re looking across the road to a Foodworks rather than a boulangerie.

Let’s look at the food instead, then. Cadden has cooked a lot of Italian; Collins is a baker. Those threads are evident in a menu that still leans Gallic. Bite-size galettes start with delicious short pastry made with spelt and crème fraîche. That’s layered up with caramelised shallots and dates, a furl of butternut and a dab of curd. Prawns sit over ricotta tortelli paddling in a winter greens puree.

Ricotta tortelli with prawns and winter greens puree.

Prawn shells are used to build a bisque that flavours another great dish. Lentils are cooked in the bisque and become the base for spice-poached, wood-grilled octopus. The grill also leaves its mark on a handsome vegetarian main, a cauliflower that’s then drenched in brown butter and laid over macadamia romesco. None of these flavours or ideas are wild, but there’s spark and flair and the execution is terrific.

You see it in the lemon tart, too. The clean cut, crisp base and just-set curd are regulation, but the pastry includes spelt, the lemons are the fragrant Meyer variety and the top is bruleed, which adds polish to the presentation and complexity to the textural experience.

Wally’s wine bar beginnings have been built upon rather than shrugged off. There’s an ice bucket full of bottles sealed with the Coravin wine-keeping system, meaning premium wines can be offered by the glass. I was seduced by a blackboard scrawl offering 125 millilitres of Krug for $59 dollars, then panicked as it was being poured. “Oh my god, what am I doing?” I exclaimed.

“You’re enjoying life,” the waiter soothed. The fizz is a “grande cuvee” blend of 150 wines spanning 13 years; I can’t say I appreciated the job each does, but I did find each sip heady and opulent. Whether that makes me suggestible or sophisticated is something we can ponder over another glass.

What needs no deliberation is that Wally’s is now more than a wine stop: it’s a restaurant to watch. With a strong team in charge, under owner Baxter Pickard (he recently took over the Napier Hotel in Fitzroy, too), the venue has matured from photogenic hangout to gorgeous little restaurant. Summer will be the test, as the small kitchen is stretched by the competing demands of the spritz o’clock hordes and those after a proper dinner. Don’t wait ’til then.

Three more date-night suggestions

Ciao Cielo
Port Melbourne’s old courthouse is on a trafficky corner but the exterior hides one of the city’s most atmospheric dining rooms, with a fireplace, artfully distressed walls and arched windows. There’s also a cosy curtained room for intimate rendezvous. Try confit duck arancini with spiced orange aioli.
115 Bay Street, Port Melbourne, ciaocielo.com.au
Malin
The low lighting already gives Malin a romantic feel, then there’s the no-decisions set menu, lovely and intuitive service, and detailed and expressive seafood-forward cooking. The clincher? If you give them your coat at the start of the night, it will be returned warm to send you out into the chill. I’ve never experienced such wonder!
687 Rathdowne Street, Carlton North, malinmelbourne.com
The Dining Room
Lindenderry Estate’s restaurant is making Mondays more appealing with a $60 steak frites offer that includes a glass of Chianti. Sit by the fireplace and wonder why you’re not staying the night. If you were, you’d be able to wake up for a winter wander through the property’s expansive gardens.
142 Arthurs Seat Road, Red Hill, lancemore.com.au

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

Dani Valent

Wally’s is now more than a wine stop. It’s a restaurant (and date night spot) to watch