Concrete Playground
What happens when a bunch of affable booze reps turn their hands to opening a bar? You get Mr West — a bottleshop and bar in Footscray that offers punters flagons of rosé and more beers than your Pa could squirrel away for winter.
The downstairs bottleshop is open every day. We repeat: every dang day. And you can sit in amongst the dark woody hues and enjoy a brew with your new favourite keeps. There are shelves of beers — sours, stouts, IPAs, you name it — and the current staff favourite doesn’t disappoint. The Green Beacon Wayfarer is a moreish American wheat sort which you can choose to sip-in.
The bar is the kind of place you head to for an after-work drink, take your dog to on weekends (to the upstairs pup-friendly area) or rock up to solo and sit amongst the locals. Time your visit right, and you’ll be met with the soft scent of sugar syrup floating down the stairs. The lads intermingle their prep necessities with experimental excites. We’ve landed right on the money with our visit and are privy to a measure of their rye bourbon, barrelled-aged Long Island Iced Tea. It distinctly resembles 90s cola-bottle candy, with its hazy white and burgundy-coloured layering.