Kirk's Wine Bar

Kirk's Wine Bar holds the corner of Hardware Lane and Little Bourke Street at number 46, on the site of Kirk's Bazaar Hotel, one of the city's earliest pubs per Broadsheet. Chef Ian Curley opened it in 2014 with Con Christopoulos and Joshua Brisbane, the partnership behind The European and City Wine Shop.

Concrete Playground points out the tell: it is the only corner on Hardware Lane where nobody waves a menu at you, which is exactly why you should walk in.

Time Out credits Kirk's with kickstarting the lane's turn from tourist trap to food destination. No bookings, ever.

A curved timber bar, small round tables built for two, and 1950s charm inside a historic corner shell. Concrete Playground compares it to a Florentine wine bar, peeling paint included, while a Parisian style heated terrace works the lane outside.

A wine filled cellar room seats twelve, and Time Out singles out the saloon style bathrooms as a detour worth taking.

The list leans European with pet nats and small Australian growers alongside; glasses average around 16 Australian dollars. Order the pig's head doughnut with sauce gribiche at 8.50, the dish Time Out calls iconic and Concrete Playground calls the stuff of legends.

The steak frites with Café de Paris butter justifies the trip alone. Time Out claims the fries have never tasted better anywhere in Melbourne.

CBD workers at lunch, aperitivo crowds after five, and a weekday breakfast trade from 7.30am. Time Out found it full even on a wintry Tuesday night and met a suited regular who comes only for the doughnut and a pint.

What regulars say:

• Time Out Melbourne, four stars: the unstinting loyalty of its regulars, walk in only since day one.
• Broadsheet: it balances new world informality with old world sophistication without effort.
• Star Wine List and Young Gun of Wine both list it among Australia's better wine venues.

Who it is for:

• Two people, one bottle, no plan
• Solo lunch at the bar with a doughnut and a glass
• Avoid if you need a booking or a table for eight

Hardware Lane's honest corner. Walk in, order the doughnut, and let the list do the rest.

Getting there: 46 Hardware Lane, corner of Little Bourke Street; Melbourne Central and Flagstaff stations both sit within a few blocks.

Timing: Weekdays from 7.30am breakfast through the evening, weekends from 9am. Hours shift, so call (03) 9600 4550 before a special trip.

Cost: Glasses near 16 AUD, the doughnut at 8.50, Time Out rates it two of four on price.

Make a night of it: Start with a glass at City Wine Shop on Spring Street, then cross the Hoddle grid to finish at Kirk's corner.