Bridge Road is back. The news from Richmond has the ailing retail strip shucking off the doldrums and getting a food-related spring in its step.
“Bridge Road is going through a full transition,” says Biggin & Scott’s Andrew Crotty. “There are some really great new food places opening up and I’ve also recently counted three new gyms. That’s the catch cry at our auctions in the precinct – that Bridge Road is back in a big way.”
Bridge Road in Richmond is undergoing a revival. Photo: Greg Briggs
The opening of the stylish 80-room boutique Motley Hotel, which also boasts rooftop bar Threads and ground floor cafe and restaurant Ms Parker, has been another adrenaline boost for an area once known for its factory outlet fashion shops. Down the road on the corner of Church Street, the newly opened Richmond Traders food market and dining precinct has brought endless sustenance options under one roof with the likes of a Coles supermarket, EARL Canteen, Cobb Lane artisan bakery, Au79 espresso bar and Cannings Free Range Butchers.
The suburb butting up to East Melbourne on the city’s fringe is known for its eclectic real estate. For Crotty, Richmond currently lacks quality three-bedroom apartments that appeal to owner-occupiers. “There are plenty of people living down the road in Hawthorn looking to sell the family home and downsize,” he says. “Richmond does the more economical one and two-bedroom apartments really well but at the high end it could deliver more.”
Richmond has a mix of historic homes, warehouse conversions and apartments. Photo: Greg Briggs
Eat and drink in Richmond
From high end to low and all ports in between, Richmond has gastronauts covered. Three-hatted Minamishima delivers an unforgettable evening of sushi and sake that’s well worth the splash-out, while Clover wine bar is all about flame-licked food smarts and a punchy drinks list.
Chris Lucas’ Baby gets the carbohydrate synapses zinging with excellent pizza, while Thi Le’s Jeow showcases a new world of Laotian flavours, such as a funky, fiery duck laarp and sweet-sour pomelo salad with air-dried prawn.
Richmond has plenty of food options across the suburb. Photo: Greg Briggs
See and do in Richmond
Melbourne’s pub culture is alive and well in Richmond, whether you like your beer with a band (at the Corner Hotel on Swan Street), with a burger (at the London Tavern on Lennox Street) or a beer garden (at the Royal Saxon on Church Street).
Take a walk along the river towards the city, or head along a thoroughfare like Swan Street or Bridge Road and get your boutique shopping fix as you go. Feeling flush? Church Street is Melbourne’s go-to for high-end homewares.
Source: domain.com.au
