They’re coming for oyster shooters, Bourbon-glazed ribs and the Cherry Bomb, a brash cocktail with vodka, Kahlua and Dr Pepper. Where? To Frankston favourite Humdinger, which has been given new life by the dynamic crew who brought nearby Mornington the dive bar Wowee Zowee, retro Loosie’s Diner & Bar, and slice specialist Slim’s Hot Pizza.

A light-touch renovation of Humdinger’s 50-seat front bar and the roll-out of a US-style tavern menu is drawing a crowd to the venue, which is in the centre of the beachside suburb, next to the Frankston Arts Centre.

“No one is doing quite what we’re doing in Frankston,” says chef Simon Tarlington, who owns the suite of American-inspired businesses with shopfitter Craig Baum, cocktail creative Clint Hyndman (also the drummer in band Something For Kate), and admin gun and winemaker Cam Marshall.

“We’re taking some classics you see in pubs and putting a fresh twist on them while keeping it all approachable,” says Tarlington.

The opening menu includes Clamato-dashi oyster shooters, jalapeno poppers, crumbed barramundi (or “a schnitzel with a difference”) and prawn caesar salad. Grass-fed local Angus beef dominates the steak menu.

Humdinger occupies a third of the venue; the rest of the premises will eventually become a new site for Wowee Zowee, which faces eviction because its building is slated for redevelopment.

“It’s pretty sad for Wowee Zowee to leave Mornington after five years because we’ve been really successful there,” says Tarlington, noting queues of 300 at weekends. “On the other hand, Frankston is thriving. There are lots of new businesses and apartments and the council is working hard to get hospitality happening.”

Tarlington made his name at Highline at Windsor’s Railway Hotel between 2014 and 2019, earning the venue a hat. He shifted to the Mornington Peninsula and headed the kitchens at Paringa Estate then Jackalope’s Doot Doot Doot, simultaneously building his roster of crowd-pleasing American-style restaurants.

“Humdinger is touching on what I’ve done over my career,” says Tarlington. “It’s simple but good quality ingredients at a good price point.”

The pork ribs are a point of pride. “They’re smoked for about eight hours so they fall off the bone, then they’re glazed in Coke and Bourbon,” he says. “Achieving that perfect caramelisation just before the glaze burns is touching a bit more on my career in fine dining.”

Open Wed-Sun noon-late.

101 Young Street, Frankston, 03 9783 1382, humdingerbar.com.au.