A place to meet, lounge and linger, Molli is a neighbourhood bar and bistro located on the corner of Nicholson St and Mollison St in the heart of Melbourne’s leafy river-side suburb, Abbotsford.

With interiors by Josh McLean and Ana Ćalić McLean of Melbourne-based design studio, In Addition, Mollie boasts vintage style and warm hospitality. With a brief to “design a space that was inspired by and reflected the rich surrounding context, embodying a feeling of nostalgia and comfort,” the studio set about creating a space where the building’s structure and volume is celebrated whilst also creating moments of intimacy. Concrete walls embrace custom joinery, soft leather and tweed banquette seating enhance the vintage mood, and a muted colour palette provides a unique backdrop for locally sourced treasures and art.

The menu features familiar and comforting flavours presented through the contemporary lens of head chef and co-owner Aleksis Kalnins, think seaweed crackers with mushroom ketchup; Portarlington mussels with nduja; Murray cod, toasted spelt, and lovage; and Spatchcock with preserved lemon.

Thanks to an in-house fermentation and preservation program, Molli’s drinks list comprises a rotation of hyper-seasonal cocktails, non-alcoholic tipples and a house kombucha that sits alongside classics, while a sharp selection of wines has been curated with approachability in mind.

Fusing old and new to create a place that feels like it has been around forever, Abbotsford’s homely bistro Molli is sure to create many a story to fill its pre-storied space.

@molli.abbotsford
@inaddition.studio

Molli Abbotsford Photography, Jack Lovel Photography.