Bar Francine

Pescetarians, this one’s for you: the crew behind South Brisbane’s famed vegan Mexican eatery, El Planta, have opened a neighbourhood wine bar one suburb over in West End, and this time there’s seafood on the menu. 

Taking over the old cottage that previously housed All The Green Things, Bar Francine has been a labour of love for the past several months, with the building needing to be almost completely gutted and rebuilt—apart from the retro green floor tiles which were painstakingly restored. The hard work has paid off, however, resulting in a character and light-filled venue that will make you feel right at home. 

Being a wine bar, the drinks list is of course the main drawcard—and there’s plenty to choose from. Everything you’ll sip here is Australian, from the carefully curated list of local vinos in a variety of styles to the spirits in the creative cocktails. If you’re feeling playful, the Francine Fruit Cup is a nod to the classic Aussie childhood, featuring Never Never Fancy Fruit Cup, ginger and an actual Frosty Fruit, while for more grown up feels, the Francine Fire Negroni combines Never Never Triple Juniper Gin, Autonomy Distillers Davo Plum Bitters and sweet vermouth. 

On the food side of things, the bites on offer will change regularly, but you can always expect a snack-worthy menu of vegan, vegetarian and pescetarian eats. Crunch your way through the mushroom parfait with cherry mustard and crostoli, tear apart a chewy pizza fritta or tuck into the mussels with almond rouille and shellfish vinaigrette. A must order while it remains on the menu is the onion fritti served up with creme fraiche and mint jelly for dipping—it’s basically the fanciest version of onion rings you’ll ever eat. 

Image credit: Ranyhyn Laine