Mr West Bar & Bottle Shop — Restaurant in Melbourne

Mr West is one of the pioneers that is breathing life into Footscray’s emerging bar/nightlife scene. They have bravely established a drinking hole on the graveyard of a $2 shop in the heart of Footscray’s aging mall.

Excellent range of craft beer, wine and cocktails pouring from their 24 tap setup as well as an impressive range of spirits. Being a craft beer fan, I was impressed with the delicious range of beers available. The choice of pot, schooner or pint also makes trying a range of beers more affordable. There is something for everyone which makes you feel less guilty for brining your non-beer drinking mates here. The cocktails are unique but approachable, I can confirm Caleb’s Special Drink (beetroot based) and the Espresso Martini on Nitro are delicious.

It has industrial feel to it with stripped back concrete walls, large timber beams, booth seating, natural light from skylights and a minimalistic layout. My only gripe with the layout is the rather uncomfortable low wooden stools. It’s not the kind of seating that makes you want to stick around and I noticed most people on this seating left after one drink or moved to the booths. Perhaps higher bar tables would be more comfortable however, I understand there are plans to improve the seating arrangements. A small rooftop courtyard sits at the front which to be fair will probably be crammed with smokers most of the time.

Cheese and charcuterie boards are available and you can also BYO food from nearby eateries/take-away shops. Relaxed environment with friendly and knowledgeable staff. I will definitely be coming back and swinging by the bottleshop when it opens. Hats...

As Footscray locals, we’ve frequented Mr West many times over the last year. As my profile suggests, I scarcely, if ever, leave a poor review. Tonight has thoroughly disappointed me here at Mr West. While the beer is cold and cocktails satisfying, the service has been lacklustre. To be told a booth needed to be saved “for a bigger group” despite 2/4 occupied booths also having couples was very insulting, especially after giving them the courtesy of asking whether there was further bookings to be aware of. The music is overwhelming, and while looking past this previously, tonight we felt a drink would be better shared where we could talk amongst ourselves while enjoying the ambiance in a booth. We would have been happy to move had a bigger party come along and required the space. We were even in the process of inviting more friends out to enjoy a drink with us now that more space looked as though it was about to be freed up. I don’t think we will be back anymore. The lack of customer service is disappointing given how much we have rallied around and talked about Mr West in an effort to showcase what Footscray has to offer. Thoroughly...

You can bring food in??? WDF??? (Read on) Drinks: As soon as this place was open, everyone knew it was gonna be a hit. Drinks list is off the hook. Especially for whiskey lovers. Service: Bar staff are super friendly. It gets super busy but they still remain very professional and composed. Ambience: It gets packed. But funnily enough, we have pretty much always found a seat. Open air smoking area outside as well. Value: You get more than what you pay for. Very reasonably priced.

Summary: You can bring food in??????? Seriously. How fricken’ cool is that? There’s a pizza shop right underneath and you can order from them and bring it up. The only other places I have seen do that are 2 plane rides away. But in food heaven Footscray? Far...