Bear's Wine Bar — Restaurant in Melbourne

A short stroll from home, Bear’s Wine Bar is the kind of place that just feels right for a date night. Cozy, dim lighting, and a really welcoming vibe. Nathan greeted us like old friends and looked after us the whole night with that perfect balance of relaxed and attentive.

We started with a bottle of Pet Nat and couldn’t resist ordering the famous potato cakes. Thick-cut slices of potato wrapped in a crispy golden batter, perfectly seasoned. The crème fraîche and caviar on the side added just the right level of indulgence - rich, creamy, salty, and a great contrast to the crunch.

The prawn toast was next level - generous chunks of prawn, not that mushy stuff, with a crispy outer layer that held up beautifully. Seriously good.

But the pork belly stole the show. Cooked to perfection - soft, juicy, with a crunchy top and packed with flavour. One of those dishes you pause for after the first bite just to appreciate how good it is.

Nathan somehow talked us into dessert (didn’t take much), and a deep-fried Tim Tam showed up before we could change our minds. Pure chaos in the best way - warm, gooey inside, crunchy outside, with ice cream on the side. An Aussie superfood if you ask me.

Service was flawless, food was banging, and the space had a great energy to it. Can’t...

I've got to say, I didn't really like anything about this place. The menu was somewhat different and a little more inspired, but the execution wasn't great in my opinion. Fine, but not exactly good. And the price of the dishes when thinking about the quality was pretty out of alignment. The potato cake thing was horrible. Overcooked fat. The service was friendly enough but not attentive. Food came very slowly from the kitchen and haphazardly. The biggest issue for me was the noise. The kind of place without sound dampening and you have to shout to talk to your dining companions. There were several tables of drunk groups of women and you couldn't hear yourself think. And finally, the toilets were not nice. Apart from being dirty, the toilets just haven't had any thought about continuing the impression of the restaurant through to the full experience of the venue. I definitely wouldn't go back. Melbourne has too many excellent options, especially within this price range....

Such a cute, vibrant, and intimate wine bar! The menu isn’t huge, but it makes up for it with some truly unique and delicious offerings. The servers were lovely, friendly, and attentive—at times a little on the eager side (likely due to the two-hour booking window), but still made us feel welcome. Once we ordered, the food arrived quickly and was absolutely delightful. The potato cakes were a hit, the kangaroo dumplings were something different and delicious, and the Gruyère gougères were to die for. The wine list offered some interesting and unusual finds—even for us wine lovers—which made exploring it a lot of fun. Overall, a fabulous experience with great food, great wine, and...