Jaga Jaga raises the bar for Greensborough nightlife

Spotting a gap in the market for a bar in Melbourne's growing north-east, two friends have opened an approachable Greensborough watering hole with space for 200 people, a pizza-driven menu and a strong drinks game.

Steve Kingi and Chris Stanley have combined their skills to create similar venues in Melbourne's suburbs (Sonder in Bentleigh, OnTop in Ormond). Kingi, a former Prince of Wales manager, looks after the food and drink, while Stanley puts his architecture training to use for the fit-out.

"We try to deliver an inner-city experience in the suburbs," says Stanley.

They've called the bar Jaga Jaga after the local electorate, which in turn is named for an important Aboriginal elder. The bar's owners say the words also mean meeting place in Maharashtra in India.

Inside, warm gold tones, including metallic mesh screens, contrast against dark surfaces to mimic colours at twilight in the nearby Diamond Valley, says Stanley. Large groups can pile into booths; high-tops and stools are there for dates.

Drinks for the Saturday night crowd include the bubble-topped Muriel's Passion, mixing Aperol, vanilla and passionfruit. Wines come from the Yarra Valley and 12 beer taps pour mainly Victorian craft brews, such as Bad Shepherd.

A Marana Forni gas-woodfire combination oven spits out 10 different pizzas, made to a naturally fermented pizza dough recipe developed by an ex-Baby Pizza chef who consulted to the venue. There's also puffy wood-fired bread, olives and salumi, oven-baked chicken wings and a kids' menu.

The venue will include a rooftop for 180 people by end of April and a basement with a dance floor by next summer. A plot in Red Hill will supply more vegetables and drive the menu in coming months.

Open Wed-Fri 5pm-late, Sat noon-1am, Sun noon-8pm

28 Main Street, Greensborough, no phone, jagajaga.com.au