New to the Southport strip is New York style bar, Bar 11. Celebrating its official launch last month, the Manhattan-themed bar and restaurant is proving to be a hotspot with locals and Gold Coast visitors.
The creation of owner Richie Dia, Bar 11 offers world-class creative signature cocktails, tasty food and live music every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. This is not the first success of Japanese born owner, who trained as a chef in Washington DC, before moving to Australia in 2000. Previously he launched the successful Donny’s in Manly, Sydney.
Dia’s goal was to recreate the success of Donny’s on the Gold Coast, with the city’s first New York style cocktail bar. Bar 11 features a Manhattan-vibe interior design with rustic/industrial features including copper, timbers, old bottle crates, original railway sleepers, old railway brackets, steel caging on the bar and custom-made tables, as well as wood slate panelling wall fixtures with old bricks.
Its ‘world class’ cocktails are complemented by the modern Australian menu with a hint of Asian, completely designed by Dia. “This area of Southport is continuing to grow as a residential and tourism hub and Bar 11 seems to be complementing that growth.”
The cocktail menu, which ranges from a delectable sticky date espresso, to a more traditional lemon meringue, has been a hit with patrons looking to unwind at the classy new venue. Some specialty cocktails include the coriander ‘n’ chill martini, for a spicy tequila and cranberry kick or a Gold Coast special, the Ms Malone, complete with watermelon juice, Beefeater gin, and lemon.
With his background as a professional chef, Richie has designed a menu that tantalises the tastebuds, with full meals and tapas on offer, including some delicious takes on classics like mini crispy tacos, wagyu beef burgers, bugs mornay, Moroccan pumpkin flowers and an Asian bao.
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