Peek inside Andrew McConnell’s new cocktail bar, The Apollo Inn, before it opens next week

One of Melbourne’s leading restaurant tastemakers, Andrew McConnell, has today shared the first glimpses inside his latest hospitality project with Jo McGann, The Apollo Inn: a diminutive bar nestled in an austere neo-Renaissance building on a bustling Flinders Lane corner.

Opening on Tuesday, June 13, the 30-seat bar draws on the rich tradition of mid-century cocktail bars while also referencing French brasseries, private members’ clubs and casual Spanish establishments in its atmosphere and offering.

Located just two doors from Gimlet – the restaurant group’s most recent opening, which has rocketed to worldwide acclaim – The Apollo Inn might be seen as the bar that Gimlet was supposed to have before its runaway success made spontaneous visits there a slim possibility.

The Apollo Inn was, in fact, the original name of Cavendish House, the building that houses Gimlet.

“What I love about the restaurant environment is the sense of occasion and ceremony, but it comes with certain parameters,” says McConnell.

“This bar has the same ethos and celebration of hospitality, but it doesn’t have the same prescribed routine and formality.”

The Apollo Inn has more of a lounge vibe than its older sibling, McConnell says, channelling 1950s Europe rather than Gimlet’s 1920s Chicago. At least half the venue will be kept free for walk-ins, and standing at the bar with a drink will be encouraged.

Despite sitting on the busy corner of Hosier and Flinders Lanes, the venue will be an escape, tucked behind thick concrete walls in the 1924 building and reached via a hallway.

I want people to feel they’re in a space where there’s this welcoming person behind the bar, always good for a conversation, always good for a joke.

Andrew McConnell

Cloaked in soft light and dark timber panelling, the design by Sydney firm ACME (also responsible for Gimlet) features a large banquette along one wall facing the timber bar, which is topped with inlaid stone.

There, bar manager Cameron Parish will prepare eight signature cocktails, including a Stinger with river mint; a Lucien Gaudin (the French cousin of the negroni); and a Chicago Fizz made with agricole rum.

Parish has also made his own amaro using Alpine Valley fruits and herbs, which he is showcasing in a Picon Biere, a refreshing French aperitif involving lager poured over a shot of amaro.

A chef will also be behind the bar preparing simple snacks, such as raw seafood on ice; sliced jamon Iberico presented on silver platters; and Spanish potato chips and dip, starting with buttermilk and dill next week.

“For me, it’s really important to have something that I want to eat in a bar, something not too serious,” says McConnell.

More refined items include raw tuna paired with the Majorcan pork sausage sobrasada; endives, anchovy and mozzarella; or creme caramel later at night. A prawn and spanner crab club sandwich will walk the high-low line.

“I want people to feel they’re in a space where there’s this welcoming person behind the bar, always good for a conversation, always good for a joke.”

The Apollo Inn marks Andrew McConnell’s 10th hospitality venue as part of his Trader House group. Reservations open today.

Open daily 5pm-1am from June 13.

The Apollo Inn, ground floor, 165 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, apolloinn.bar