Ahh, the Blackcat of Fitzroy. The quintessential Melbourne bar. The place that friends go. The place that’s always there. The corner spot, the quiet lunch, the music-filled evening, the date night drinks, the friendly banter companion, the rustic, the vintage the staple of Fitzroy… The Blackcat.
It’s the type of place that time seemed to walk past. A place you get lost in. A childhood fantasy come to life. A nostalgic corner you melt into, leaving the world behind and just being.
Few places can be many things at once. Usually, when you find a place that tries to be many things, it comes off all wrong. Like wearing four hats at once, it just isn’t right. It’s either too much of one or not enough of the other. There’s a balancing act that is difficult, to say the least.
And then there are places like Blackcat. You see, Blackcat is, in fact, being a lot of things to a lot of people and all at once. But it isn’t necessarily by design. That’s where others get it wrong. No, the only way you can be all those things, is by being there for almost four decades. By the accumulation of moments. By living through each one of the special characteristics that make you, you. Gathering each piece and chucking it into the basket until what you’re left with is a place that makes you comfortable and a place that gives you the opportunity to make of it what you will. Because it’s been all those things, and more. Time, people, and moments have designed the Blackcat. Organic, authentic, and honest.
Blackcat is a pillar of Fitzroy history. A staple among staples. The people that work here are as much part of its story as the walls adorned with paintings, the drawings in the bathrooms, the bricks, the wood, the plants hanging like Babylon, the polished and weathered bar. They are part of the fabric.
The patrons, too, seem to be woven into this place. It’s a familiarity that comes from authentic friendliness. Salt of the earth and true.
When it comes to their menu, they have what you’d expect. Seasonal brunch, fresh ingredients, incredible coffee, a solid selection of beers, and spirits that will make you see spirits. Often you’ll hear some of Melbourne’s best DJ’s spinning vinyl, and as mentioned before, some of Melbourne’s finest artists hanging their creations on the walls.
The beer gardens are absolutely marvellous. The interior is a sheer joy if ever there was a picture definition of joy in the dictionary.
We really cannot get enough of the Blackcat, and we think you should definitely stop by and say hello, pull up a chair, and enjoy a moment away from time, away from the world, in a place that is a world of its own.
Cheers!
Address
252 Brunswick St, Fitzroy VIC 3065
Website
https://www.blackcatfitzroy.com/
Contact
(03) 9419 6230
Opening Hours
Every day: 2pm – 11pm