Luxsmith Bar & Wine Shop

The Verdict

If you live near Seddon, you probably know Luxsmith already. It’s a modern Asian eatery that popped up back in 2015. Well, now Luxsmith has a boozy little brother, right next door. Introducing Luxsmith Bar & Wine Shop.

For Luxsmith owners Andy Smith and Denis Lucey, this was always part of the plan.

“We always wanted to open a bar and wine shop on the West,” says Andy, who’s lived in Seddon for 20 years. “These days wine bars are the new ‘local’, a spot where you can call in for a beer or a wine and catch up with a mate. After we settled into the rhythm of Luxsmith, adding a bar and store to the corner was a natural progression.”

So what can you expect from the new wine bar and bottle shop? Well for starters, bloody good wine. Every bottle on the shelves has been handpicked by Ben Knight (one of the West’s famous wine fiends). Knight actually curates the cellars for Lucey’s other venue, Bottega in the CBD.

The by-the-glass options are deliberately tight—no mulling over 1700 bottles here. Think Skillogalee Riesling from the Clare Valley, Jules IGP rosé from Provence, big Barossa reds like Muster shiraz and Torbeck GSM, and interesting drops like the 2017 Secateurs Chenin Blanc.

There’s also a crackerjack cocktail menu, courtesy of bartender Tom Benn (who cut his teeth at Siglo). Again, it’s not an encyclopedic menu (there’s only seven cocktails on there), but you can tell Tom’s put a lot of thought into each one.

Our favourite is the Raspberry Beret: Monkey Shoulder whisky, Amaretto, Grand Marnier, lemon, raspberries and rosemary. Soon to be Seddon’s signature cocktail, if we’re any judge.

Luxsmith Bar isn’t where you come for dinner—in fact, the food menu is limited to nibbles, including some very moreish chilli salt lotus root chips—but that’s why you have Luxsmith next door, right? Start with a few drinks here, then kick on at Luxsmith with crispy chicken, seared scallops, ribs and Massaman curry.

Not a bad night in the West, right there. 

Image credit: Mel Desa