Moondrop Brings 1920s Shanghai Style And Elevated Boba Cocktails To Fitzroy​

Moondrop, inspired by the mahjong rooms of roaring twenties Shanghai, brings the team’s experience from Sleepy’s in Carlton to showcase their east-meets-west food and drinks on Gertrude St, Fitzroy.

The venue has sat empty since Melbourne legacy spot The Everleigh closed in March. Now Moondrop is filling that gap with a stylish homage to Chinese hospitality.

We're super keen to try the Me & Ube—a riff on boba milk tea. Clarified oat milk punch is dotted with tapioca pearls and finished with three rums: coconut, pineapple and dark (Yep—that’s a mouthful, in the best way). The Ube cocktail is an elevated take on boba, with a bit of science behind it but zero pretension. Who doesn't love boba?

Other highlights include the Sichuan Slipper, featuring a house hot sauce with a serious Sichuan kick, combined with Midori and a radish garnish. Hell yeah.

The food follows the team’s ethos, celebrating heritage and the contemporary Melbourne dining scene. Bar snacks include prawn crackers and a rotating selection of house dumplings, perfect with the innovative cocktails. The mooncake is a standout: filled with vanilla and red bean ice cream, this Chinese confectionery staple reflects the chef’s pastry roots. Caviar finishes it off, and together it’s shaping up to taste pretty damn good.

Australian-Asian design teams Studio Jomi and Local Optima spearheaded the reno with sleek elegance and attention to detail. The key feature is a large spherical moon-like lampshade casting a soft glow over velvet surrounds. Every night is a full moon at Moondrop—glamorous!

Ideal for date night but really perfect for any night, Moondrop opens December 4. Save us a mooncake.

Main Image Credit: Moondrop | Supplied