Geralds Bar

Took my partner here for their birthday as a surprise, upon a friend's recommendation. Everything was 10/10. From the attentive and friendly servers, prompt service, well-portioned and finger licking dishes, and beautifully made cocktails. Stars of the evening: Basque Spritz (I don't even like olives but this was phenomenal), broccoli with pickled walnuts (the puréed sauce on the side - wow), and best of all: the Sicilian white anchovies. God I could eat that everyday. All in all, what a spectacular meal and experience. Can't wait to be back.

Upon walking into this establishment, you already feel a calmness come over you. You're greeted warmly and taken to your seat. Menus and orders were taken quickly. The selection of food and wine is carefully picked to have a small but absolutely delicious assortment. As time melted away, everything my partner and I had was superb. We will definitely be coming back.

Their new venue is so nice! You definitely can make a booking for a large group of people. They have another open space at the back, it will be nice during summer. Food, services and ambiance all totally 👍 I definitely will come back here

Our first time here and "Wow!" From the moment we opened the stunning door we were I greeted by such a lovely vibe: Amazing handmade bar; cool and eclectic artworks and memorabilia - many of which are, we were told, are from the previous venue, and all of which having a story; fun background beats and a real buzz; friendly and helpful front of house staff; and, an impressive wine and drink list. All very affordably priced. The highlight for us though, as ex-restaurateurs, was the food. Chef and his young team have excelled themselves. Our favourites were the Scotch Eggs, house-made pasta with an almond and basil pesto, the Boudin Noir in a delicate broth and, the Snapper Carpacio. This is award-deserving, although we got the impression that the award they value most is having delighted customers who come back time and again. These guys clearly know and ooze hospitality. We were so impressed we have booked for a group in a few weeks time, but will no-doubt pop back for a drink and bar snacks on our way out (or way home).

Gerald’s - one of Melbourne’s iconic institutions! Heard so much about this place before my bum got to touch one of their seats but I can honestly say the wait was definitely worth it & the hype surpassed any & all expectations I may have had. Lucky for me - I had none when I went so I was blown away! Impeccable service, superb atmosphere & vibes, great food (oysters & the rhubarb/lemon myrtle tarte - SPEECHLESS! OUT OF THIS WORLD GOOD - will have them every time I go back type shit) & outstanding staff who are friendly & knowledgeable. Most importantly they’re happy, aren’t run off their feet & stressed which means they can focus on delivering great service. Superb recommendations & easily slid into my top 5 bars!!! Sadly no pics because I didn’t need to be on my phone - being there was everything! Thank you Gerald’s!

I've been meaning to get to this gem for many moons, and after a few failed attempts and losing hope that it would happen at all (Gerald's Bar is moving to its new home on Lygon St soon...) - I MADE IT! Worth wait/disappointed it took me so long, and that I waited until I moved out of Carlton North. Vibe = immaculate. Coffee = rich and strong. Olives = aplenty. Service = friendly, attentive, but not intrusive. Can't wait to take someone on a date to the new Gerald's Bar down the track... 11/10 ✨️🍝🍷

i went with a friend for dinner and drinks. the wine selection was great, and the food was white good (although the barramundi wasn’t properly scaled). the one relatively minor complaint we both had was that the food came out too fast! we had four different dishes on the table, plus bread, at one stage. not only was the table overcrowded (making it difficult to actually pick up and transfer the food to our plates), but it meant some of our warmer dishes sat on our table and cooked down while we were finish the dishes before them, and our dinner went by more quickly than we would have liked. if the pacing of the dishes was adjusted, the experience would have been borderline perfect.

10/10. every dish astonishingly good. mushrooms like I’ve never had it. unreal curls of 🐙. the most succulent and soft lamb. oysters w watermelon granita all washed down w a cold chardonnay. a perfect summers alfresco dinner in Carlton.

- awesome bar - trendy music - can't wait to try the food it looked goo - you might meet gerald - trendy music serves all genres

Okay, while this place may not necessarily be a beer bar, they do certainly have some awesome beers available here. In fact this place really feels as if it is more like one of those European bars which serve some rather exotic European beers. Well, Delerium Tremins for one, which honestly is pretty expensive, but that is basically because it is imported from Belgium, and it isn't one of thise more common Belgium beers that you come across. The other thing is that this place is table service, which is another aspect of this place that reminds me of Europe. Yeah, this bar is awesome.

Could this be the best wine bar in Melbourne? I'm going to say yes. I absolutely love it here. I had been here years ago when I used to live in the area and frankly I don't know why I hadn't returned earlier. Sitting at the bar would have to be the best spot in the house. The staff are friendly and attentive noticing all the oddities on the bar and walls definitely makes for some interesting talk. We ordered the mixed cured meats plate as well as the broccoli, burrata and almonds to go with our wines. I could not fault anything. The meats were absolutely divine (this coming from someone that rarely eats meats!) and the broccoli was the perfect compliment. The vibe in here is like you are at someone's house. Everyone seems to be jovial in here and it just makes you want to be friends with all of them. I'm definitely going to not wait years again before I return!

This is a great neighborhood spot with friendly staff. They have a few tables on the sidewalk to catch the last rays of sun. They have several bottles of wine available by the glass which rotate often. I especially enjoyed the rose on a sunny afternoon. The food menu is hand written on butcher paper and they will move it closer so you can see it if need be. The cheese plate for $18 seemed far too small. Yes, the cheeses were nice but this was a tiny portion for the price. The spiced nuts were generous by comparison (and tasty). The staff and other patrons were all friendly and make you feel welcome. We will be back!

I had the pleasure of experiencing Bastille Day at Gerald's Bar with some of the rowdiest French people on the planet. As you can imagine they were in high spirits and wanted to party the night away. The staff at Gerald's (3 or 4 guys who collectively must have worked in the hospitality industry for 100s of years) were so much fun and did everything in their powers to ensure the Frenchies - and other peeps who got involved - had the night they wanted. By the end of the night a rather well oiled crowd was mesmerized by one of the staff singing La Marseillaise in perfect pitch to rapturous applause. Great hospitality. I wish I lived closer!

AVOID Nice bar, nice drinks but erratically loud music. Refuse polite request to turn down. "That's what we do" from arrogant management. They don't care that the music makes it hard to converse especially for people with mild hearing loss. Such a dumb counter productive attitude. Check out the Google reviews for comments on rude management.

Terrific wine bar. Gerald's is famous for it's rustic atmosphere, eclectic vinyl collection and friendly-yet-brusque service (I miss Bruce, who departed a couple of years ago). Any by famous, I mean it. Gerald's is one of those institutions that feels part of the fabric of Melbourne. A bit like Pellegrini. To give you an idea of the feel of Gerald's- this was Gourmet Traveller's Bar of the Year in 2010. I recall the customers and staff being pleased, but mildly miffed about it - why miffed? Because they are a local bar, they are a hospo bar and quite proud of it. Gerald's has a constant rotation of Reds and Whites open. I always go for these - they're not the high-margin plonk that you get in some wine bars. They are genuinely interesting and varied. The food is Trattoria style - the menu hangs from butcher's paper that is draped over a ladder. Want to see the menu? The ladder slides your way. Order the charcuterie or some other sliced meat and you'll get to see the hand-cranked meat slicer in action. May sound odd, but it's a beautiful machine to watch. Unpretentious, quirky and interesting. Can see what Gourmet Traveller were on about. Can see why locals were grimacing about them shouting about it.

If I opened a bar in my house, I'd want it to be just like Gerald's. It feels a bit like an intimate, cozy speakeasy in someone's house. There's classic cinema paraphernalia spattered around the bar and touches of kitsch here and there. The food is simple and tasty, the wine list is outstanding and the noise levels are just right. Most nights you'll find Gerald himself behind the bar. He mixes a perfect G&T and will help you pick a wine if you're stuck. The crowd is a nicely balanced mix of people aged from their twenties through to sixties, which I think is one of the best indicators of a relaxed venue that people are drawn to because of its quality rather than popularity. Take your mum or take a date - just don't miss the cheese platter.

Pretty darn Ace! A huge wine list; long and varied, with some great labels- some of Australia and the rest of the world's best labels. Some really good varieties, not just the usual stock standard favourites. They will have a few wines open at any one time, which makes practical sense, so be sure to ask, what's on the current rotation, you're sure to find something that works for you. Elsewise, sit at the bar, and enjoy some antipasto. Of course all your favorite usual beverages, and cocktails will be avaiable here. Highly recommend for a post dinner tipple and thier respective selection for such.

I think I'm a little slow to find this place.....what a spot great simple food with super straight forward service with none of the usual melbourne bullshit .....refreshing