Speakeasy Kitchen Bar is operated by Petros and Alexis Lambis. The original building was built in 1885. The shopfront along Chapel Street is only 3m wide. Several walls were removed within the building and a large amount of structural work was undertaken in order to open up the space and establish a strong visual connection between the front bar area and rear kitchen and dining areas.
The small entrance off Chapel Street is discreet and can best be described as a hidden gem. The space is deceptive and is only revealed once you have walked past the main gate through to the entry doorway.
The brief was to create a venue that offered patrons an intimate drinking and dining experience. With small ‘tapas’ style plates on offer and an extensive wine and cocktail list, Eon Design knew they had to design a space that would offer varying modes of drinking and dining.
Some interesting design elements include new folding metal screen gates, custom chandeliers and matching mirror frames, recycled library ladders used for wine display and graffiti art on the outside walls.
The design of the motif for the folding metal screen gates was derived from the patterns found in some of the original iron lacework on the building. All of the feature lighting and mirror frames were custom designed and made by Studio Mecano specifically for the space. The library ladders, found in the bar and function room, were salvaged from Borders on Chapel Street during their liquidation sale and were recycled and modified to be used with the wine shelf displays, paying homage to Borders which for over a decade had been part of the Chapel St landscape.