Bar Allora has that unmistakable Italian energy. Sitting on the corner of George and Bond Street, the all-day Italian bar and restaurant takes its cues from 1980s Milan, where espresso is taken standing up, lunch can stretch longer than planned, and no one asks why you’re still there hours later.

It feels like a proper Italian diner. Waiters in bow ties move quickly between tables, conversations overlap and cutlery clinks. It’s loud, but acceptable – the good kind of loud. Outside the trams run along George Street, adding to the atmosphere rather than disrupting it.

I popped in for a dinner reservation after work, but there is no pressure to commit here. Come with a reservation, come without. Pop by for an espresso on your early commute into the office, come for lunch, an after work snack, or a drink that turns into a few. Anything goes, and Bar Allora doesn’t mind at all, it’s all part of the charm.

Vince Lombardo, Co-Founder and Director of The Maybe Group said “Bar Allora captures the energy, culture and connection at the heart of Italian hospitality, authentic flavours delivered with a joyful, modern twist. Every detail has been designed to feel vibrant, welcoming and unmistakably Italian.”

Dinner started light, as it should on a warm evening. Rock oysters with vermouth and mignonette, then eggplant fritti with verde aioli,  crisp and salty. Poached prawns Catalana with fresh herbs and heirloom tomato followed, light and clean. Pasta came next: paccheri al pomodoro with ricotta salata, then finally bistecchina with rocket, fries and verde, because sometimes a girl just wants steak.

The glass that made sense in the heat was the COS “Rami” Bianco 2023, a naturally made Sicilian white that stays refreshing even on a balmy night in the city.

I am writing this from my couch one evening, already mentally adding Bar Allora to my list of places to pop by for an espresso one morning. Because who doesn’t want to sip a $1.50 espresso al banco before the day properly starts? A quiet nod to the Italian way of drinking coffee at the bar.

I am writing this from my couch one evening, already mentally adding Bar Allora to my list of places to pop by for an espresso one morning. Because who doesn’t want to sip a $1.50 espresso al banco before the day properly starts? A quiet nod to the Italian way of drinking coffee at the bar.

Bar Allora
Corner of George Street and Bond Street, CBD
barallora.com.au
@bar_allora