Note: The City Tiler has moved to a new location at 3-7 Albert Pl, South Melbourne and is no longer operating as a bar at night.
The industrial end of Port Melbourne rarely springs to mind as a go-to, hot-date destination. But knock us down with a leaf blower – and you can get 'em cheap in this 'hood – if the City Tiler isn’t a guaranteed pants dropper.
As the name implies, it actually is a tile shop, which moonlights as a bar three nights a week. But don't be fooled- this is no average grout store. A converted courthouse, with arched windows, wooden beams, earthenware pots and a bar sporting as many wine bottles as tiles, this little gem looks like it’s straight out of Seville. You can see why they threw open their doors for after hours action. Aside from serving up jugs of cinnamon and orange-spiked sangria (fruit salad for winos) they’re also doling out antipasto platters heaving with cold cuts, dried figs and Manchego cheese, and some finger-clicking-good live jazz.
Take a seat at the dominant wooden table that runs the length of the room, and order one of the bottles (or tumblers) of Spanish red, and some tapas on the side. It’s all good, homey stuff like portions of meatloaf, braised in a red wine tomato sugo. You'll need a spoon – and a bib. If cerveza and sunshine are more your speed, a walled garden courtyard is primed for summery sessions. Gather some friends – there’s room for dozens of them at the six-metre tables – and get in a few rounds of Argentinean Quilmes beer. It has all the party-in-your-mouth crisp lager qualities you need to fiesta your socks off late into a mid-summer's eve.