Bar Lucia

Bar Lucia is the latest in a wave of new wine bars opening in Sydney in 2023—this time with a charming Madrid-inspired aesthetic, a fresh tapas menu, and a focus on female winemakers. 

Bar Lucia picks up where Casa Merida left off on leafy Kellett Street in Potts Point. Milpa Collective is still behind the venue, but the bar is the group's first non-Mexican venture and will be the headliner for a new sister hospitality group called Vina Collective. 

The mood might be Madrid, but the wine list leans more local. Curated by head sommelier Kasia Sobiesiak, wine at Bar Lucia is almost exclusively from NSW and, in a powerful move, mostly made by women too. 

Winemakers are named throughout the menu, which ticks off over 50 bottles with a detailed selection available by the glass. There's a smooth and spicy Mourvèdre from Canowndra, Liz Silkman's award-winning Hunter Chardonnay, and a pretty Tumbarumba Pinot Noir all worth a sip. 

Sydney loves a snack-style menu with gusto and Bar Lucio's is bodega-style meets European patisserie. Mexican-born head chef Alberto Palacios is dishing out roasted sea scallops on the half shell with saffron butter, ox tongue with salsa pintxo and salsa verde, the Jamon serrano croquetas, and Catalan-style cannelloni. 

Lastly, cocktails at Bar Lucia also play a starring role, with head bartender Luna Ercoli flexing her creative flair with a liquid cheesecake cocktail shaken with homemade jam and cheesecake-infused vodka.

The "Just a Cup of Tea" cocktail is a tea-infused twist on the trending Penicillin. Order the "Dos de Picas" (two of spades) spritz, and you'll be asked to shuffle a deck of cards. If you draw the two of spades, you'll score a taste of Ecroli's favourite sherry. 

Image credit: Kitti Gould