In New York there are plenty of places like Bar Margaux, thanks to celebrity restaurateur Keith McNally. In Melbourne, its mix of late-night French dining, top-tier cocktails and rowdy basement ambience stands alone. Where else can you get a perfectly diluted Martini and double-patty bordelaise-soaked burger at midnight?

 

Though Margaux is a little hard to find – it’s down a nondescript Lonsdale Street staircase, behind a plain door only marked “MGX” – it’s almost always heaving, and it’s hard to get a seat. The buzz as we step inside never fails to set our stomachs aflutter.

 

The fit-out is pure Paris-meets-NYC, with red-leather booths, black and white tiles, and a long bar that makes ordering a cinch. Table service is also a possibility, though, and something we fully recommend. Head in for oysters and champagne, escargot in Pernod butter, duck frites, and other French classics. Plus, half-sized “snack” servings of golden-era cocktails such as the Martini and Manhattan.

 

Our top picks from the menu are the double-patty Wagyu cheeseburger with bacon and bordelaise (bone marrow) sauce stuffed into a milk-brioche bun, and the puffy souffle de jour served with a side of ice-cream.

 

Every day of the week, Bar Margaux is giving us access to tables that have previously been unbookable by the public, and for the first time have been made available through Broadsheet Access.

 

Get a table for two or four at 6pm or 8:15pm.

 

You can book 30 days in advance of your desired booking date (with a minimum of two days prior).

 

Love Bar Margaux? Check out our other tables at Connie’s and The Everleigh, the other venues from Made in the Shade Group.