Marmalade Bar

Editorial

Marmalade is one of the newest joints on Commercial Road, which hasn't exactly bred the best drinking holes in the last few years. It's the latest outpost of the ever-increasing empire slowly conquering all of Windsor and Prahran, which includes La La Land, Holy Grail, Mother's Mile and Wonderland Bar amongst a good few more.  

There's a definite formula with these bars, and I'm happy to report it's one that works. A sort of shabby chic that can somehow traverse the fine line between trendy and stylish and shabby, retro comfortable.  

Spilling out onto the street near the corner with Chapel, the first thing you come across in the front bar is a pair of enormous brown leather chesterfields, perfect for whiling away the hours with signature cocktails served up in recycled jam jars. This quirky and cosy front space is tagged some pretty cool stencil art.  A cutely starlit passageway leads out to the equally awesome courtyard at the back, with its own bar, retractable roof and frankly enormous palm tree. It’s a great spot for summer arvos, but is already loaded with heaters for those winter eves too.  

Marmalade also thankfully mimics the successful and super-cheap, extended happy hours of its sister bars, as well as the now trademark $4 pizzas. It's pretty jammy all round.

Stephen Russell, February 2011