Benchwarmer

West Melbourne craft beer taproom pairing a deep tap list with Japanese-leaning izakaya plates

Relaxed, quirky taproom with a street-side patio and a quieter back beer garden. Cosy enough for a wet day, lively enough for a Friday night, with staff who know the beers.

Rotating craft tap list plus bottleshop takeaways, a sake tasting tray, QR ordering, a leafy back beer garden and guest-chef food nights that change the menu.

Japanese izakaya framing with yuzu kosho, takana, aonori and sake, filtered through a Melbourne taproom lens and Thai guest-chef nights.

Mid-range. Share plates sit around $13 to $25 and a six-dish feed for two came to roughly $53 each. Reviewers rate quality highly but feel the value drops when dishes sell out.

Summary drafted with AI from public reviews.