Images: Helena Wilson/Cantina Group
A long-vacant upstairs terrace overlooking Rymill Park has been stripped back to its bones and transformed into an intimate new bar designed to make guests feel like they’ve been invited into someone’s home.
No.6 East has opened above 6 East Terrace, with the 40-seat venue coming from the team behind Jennie Wine Bar, Bar Bar, Malt & Juniper and Alfred’s.
For Lachy Harrison, who has stepped away from running Bar Bar to take the reins at the new venue, much of the concept came from the building itself.
“When we started peeling all the layers of Gyprock and sheeting off the walls, we exposed these beautiful double-brick walls,” he says.
Rather than covering them back up and creating another polished small bar, the team used the building as a starting point for the design.
The result is deliberately relaxed, with vintage furniture, artwork, plants and other collected pieces filling the space.
“There aren’t banquettes or booth seating. It’s all very free-flowing, and that came from the venue itself.”
That loose, lived-in feeling is central to what No.6 East is trying to achieve.
Harrison describes the approach as “hosting rather than service”, with two bartenders behind the bar and a roving host moving through the room.
“There’s always someone you can flag down to grab another drink, have a chat with or just make you feel right at home,” he says.
“That’s what we really want.”
The drinks list follows the same philosophy, steering away from the increasingly familiar wine-and-martini-heavy small-bar formula and instead putting rum and nostalgic cocktails front and centre.
You’ll find mojitos, piña coladas and Mai Tais alongside other retro-style serves, he said.
The drinks are accompanied by a similarly unfussy offering of wines and beers, chosen to evoke the kind of drinks you might find at a dinner or house party.
“It’s a very straightforward wine list, and the beers are what you would expect to find at almost a dinner party or house party. It’s stuff that sparks old memories.”
Food will eventually join the offering, although Harrison says the opening days have made it clear guests are already hungry.
The initial plan is for a handful of snacks including cheeses, a house blend of olives, popcorn and dips, rather than trying to compete with the restaurants already established throughout the East End.
“Give me a month to get everything nice and consistent and make sure I’m happy with the service, and then I’ll add the food in.”
That patience also seems to be part of the broader approach to the venue.
Rather than trying to replicate the success of the group’s other bars, Harrison says the team looked at what was already happening around East Terrace and wanted to add something different.
“It’s also about looking at what’s already on the street,” he says.
“It’s about seeing what’s already around there, adding to it and also not trying to compete.”
For now, No.6 East will trade from Tuesday to Saturday, before moving to seven-day trading from 3pm once summer arrives.
And if Harrison gets his way, the upstairs terrace will become less of a destination people seek out for a particular drink, and more of a place they simply know will always be there.
“It’ll become a real staple down in the East End,” he says.
“We’ll be there every single day to welcome guests home.”
No.6 East
Where: Level 1, 6 East Terrace
When: Open Wednesday to Saturday from 3pm until late, and closed Sunday to Tuesday.
To find out more, click here.
