Patsy’s vegetarian wine bar in Melbourne CBD is a standout spot for meat-free dining

Patsy’s has found its feet since opening three years ago, evolving into a standout spot for meat-free dishes.

15/20

Vegetarian or vegan$$

One recent gorgeous Melbourne evening, I found myself at the edge of the city in front of a door with a sign stating that the restaurant I was planning to visit had permanently closed. I wondered what was nearby – somewhere I could pause and regroup and decide where to go next.

I remembered Patsy’s, the pretty wine bar and restaurant that sits across from Queen Victoria Market in a heritage building and is open every day from noon until late – a convenient trait for those of us who like to dine out between Sunday and Wednesday when more and more places seem to be closed.

The last time I visited Patsy’s was soon after it opened three years ago. Back then, it seemed like a nice room with good food. But, other than the fact that it was a vegetarian restaurant that relied on vegetables and grains and other delicious things rather than fake meat, it hadn’t stuck out as particularly noteworthy.

The warm, whimsical interiors.Photograph by Chris Hopkins

When I arrived there recently, however, I was amazed at the warmth from the staff, the whimsy of the room – all cottage-y comfort but without a hint of twee corniness – and the fantastic-looking menu. Our planned quick stop for a wine turned into settling in for a full meal, and it became obvious that Patsy’s had matured hugely in the few years it’s been open.

The place could stand alone as one of the more interesting wine bars in town, even without the distinction that many of the wines are vegan. The list is full of interesting producers and varietals, including some I’d never seen before, and the staff is wonderfully equipped to talk you through it.

I’ve had dozens of mushroom pâtés over the years, and most are weird and gummy or overly salted or ramped up with the chemical taste of truffle oil. Patsy’s version, served as a tartine, is creamy and umami-rich and everything you want in a silky, savoury parfait.

Mushroom pate dish.Photograph by Chris Hopkins

Large hunks of globe artichokes come in a smoked mozzarella gratin, the inherent richness countered with a fresh salad of greens and citrus. There’s very little counter to the richness of the cheese souffle, but it’s so wonderfully airy and fluffy and decadent you won’t mind, and the addition of pink peppercorns in the buttery sauce is dynamic and unexpected.

I tired a bit in recent years of dishes of giant charred hunks of cabbage, but the one here regained my attention and admiration with its mustard and thyme glaze, the acid tang of pickled shallots, and the crunch of hazelnuts.

Pastas are house-made and bridge the gap between tradition and creativity beautifully. Tortellini is filled with a purée of golden beets and sprinkled with a smattering of poppyseeds, while girella comes with ricotta, greens, brown butter and walnuts. There’s an elegant rusticism to the pastas in particular and a sense of generosity that can sometimes be missing from specifically meat-free menus.

Artichoke gratin with citrus saladChris Hopkins

In fact, it’s entirely possible I wouldn’t have even noticed that Patsy’s is a vegetarian restaurant hadn’t I already known that fact. First and foremost, the menu reads like a list of things I want to eat; the lack of meat barely registers. Perhaps this is a case, too, of people treating vegetables with more care because they understand the love and labour that went into growing them, given that the restaurant owners source most of their produce from their own small farm near Daylesford.

So many places have closed recently, ones that I never expected to see go – bars and restaurants that we perhaps took for granted or didn’t shine a bright enough light on because we assumed they’d always be there. In the reviewing game, we often focus too much on what’s new. Excellence and evolution can be underappreciated as a result.

I’m so glad to see Patsy’s grow into the fantastic restaurant it is today – it’s a reminder to check in more frequently and bestow praise as often and loudly as possible wherever it’s warranted: to the new, the old, and the place where it often hides in plain sight, the in-between.