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Old-school Euro aperitif bar Vermuteria opens in former Cafe Hernandez site on Kings Cross Road

Scott Bolles
Scott Bolles

The Vermuteria team (from left): Dave Spanton, Michael Drescher and Michael Delany.
The Vermuteria team (from left): Dave Spanton, Michael Drescher and Michael Delany.Christopher Pearce

Hot on the heels of the successful reboot of Kings Cross stalwart Piccolo Bar, entrepreneurial hospo operator David Spanton has turned his attention to another icon of the area.

On Friday, February 24, he opened Vermuteria, in the former Cafe Hernandez site on Kings Cross Road.

Last year Good Food reported that Spanton had snapped up the building where the Hernandez family roasted and sold their eponymous coffee for 40 years.

The bar's menu includes simple, clever dishes such as mortadella plates.
The bar's menu includes simple, clever dishes such as mortadella plates.Christopher Pearce
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The building featured in many films and TV series. Its new owner-operator has crafted a venue that cleverly feels like it already has a storied history.

"We left a few rough edges," Spanton says of designer Michael Delany's work recrafting the shopfront space. "We wanted people to feel it has been there a long time."

Vermuteria squeezes plenty into a tight space. An old-school European aperitif wine bar with a big focus on vermouth and sherry, it's a wine bar with a clever food menu.

Vermuteria has taken over the former Cafe Hernandez site in Rushcutters Bay.
Vermuteria has taken over the former Cafe Hernandez site in Rushcutters Bay.Christopher Pearce

They've also found space for a small deli section where you can grab takeaway olives, pickles or coffee (Hernandez, of course). Spanton, who has interests in media and venues, has even found room to stock some of his favourite drinks books to sell.

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He's banking on vermouth – which boomed in the 1970s – staging a serious comeback. "People are used to drinking it in martinis and negronis," he says. "We want to showcase it, and not just in cocktails."

Spanton says he is excited to offer two different vermouth blends direct from barrels positioned directly above the bar. "Guests can choose from our 'Euro sweet rosso blend' and the 'Aussie pinot noir vermouth' with the semi-dry blanco blend straight from the tap."

The old-school European aperitif venue has a strong focus on vermouth and sherry.
The old-school European aperitif venue has a strong focus on vermouth and sherry.Christopher Pearce

The food menu is designed to be simple enough to be prepared by bar staff rather than a chef. It includes an LP's chorizo hot dog, Ortiz anchovies, razor clams, gildas and cold plates of mortadella and Penny's cheese.

One thing you won't be able to buy at Vermuteria is the very thing the site is famous for: an espresso or flat white.

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"If you want a coffee, you can buy an espresso martini," Spanton says.

Open Thu-Sat 4pm-midnight.

60 Kings Cross Road, King Cross, vermuteria.com.au

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Scott BollesScott Bolles writes the weekly Short Black column in Good Food.

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Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/goodfood/sydney-eating-out/oldschool-euro-aperitif-bar-vermuteria-opens-in-former-cafe-hernandez-site-on-kings-cross-road-20230224-h2a2ns.html