If the brief for Kaiju! Cantina, a lively new 16-tap beer hall and pizzeria in Huntingdale, was “make it look and feel exactly like a KAIJU! beer can,” then can we just say, YA NAILED IT. The playful aesthetic from illustrator Mikey Burton’s signature Kaiju! style echoes throughout the space, from the 12-metre-long mural of the Melbourne city skyline to the blue Toyota minibus that’s inside the dining room.
The converted warehouse, which opened in February, is close to home for Kaiju! founders Nat and Callum Reeves. “We wanted [Kaiu! Cantina] to be in the southeast,” Callum says, “for proximity to the brewery itself, and to where we grew up.” The brothers both studied at Monash University, too, which is only stone’s throw from the site.
Another deciding factor was not being too close to any of their mates’ breweries or bars, “That’s the inner north as far as Rezza [Reservoir]," Callum jokes, and having enough space to cater to folks who have kids. Nat and Callum both have young families, and Huntingdale is a residential area. “We thought surely other people with kids would want to go out, too.”
The vast 445 square metre venue houses an on-site six hectolitre brew kit for limited edition and one-off brews. First up is the Pleasure Kruze Hazy IPA, currently only available at the Cantina. Visitors can expect Kaiju! favourites on tap such as Kaiju! Krush Tropical Pale Ale, and the Aftermath Double IPA. Non-beer drinkers have plenty to choose from with a list of Victorian made or owned wines and spirits alongside non-alcohol options.
New-to-Melbourne chef Jay Jafari is in the kitchen, where he will draw on time spent in the United States and Canada with some fun pizza options, including a “cheeseburger pizza” topped with San Marzano tomato, American cheese, red onion, ground beef, pickles and mustard.
“Jay has been hand-stretching bases for 20 years and as a result, has an uncanny ability to make a superb pizza — every single time,” Callum says. There are 10 or so pies to start with, plus dinosaur nuggets and ice cream topped with Ice Magic and Pop Rocks for the kids (fun times for all).
