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Discover Bodega Underground, Melbourne’s moody mezcal-fueled hideout beneath Chinatown that’s reinventing plant-based dining with bold, vegetarian-adaptable dishes. This isn’t just accommodation for plant-based diets – it’s a complete revolution of Mexican cuisine through a vegan lens.
Why Bodega Underground Captivates Melbourne
Located underground in Chinatown, Melbourne VIC 3000, this basement bar exudes character with vintage Mexican film posters and over 80 varieties of mezcal and tequila. Their kitchen treats vegetables with the same reverence as traditional meats, transforming humble ingredients into showstoppers that hold their own against any carne-loaded menu.
The Underground Experience
Step down narrow stairs into a glowing basement where Melbourne’s creative crowd gathers for an experience that’s equal parts bar and restaurant. The atmosphere is buzzing, boozy, and unapologetically fun – perfect for late-night dinners where conversation flows as freely as the impressive cocktail selection.
Signature Dishes
The Beetroot Chorizo Taco represents culinary alchemy at its finest – earthy beetroot mimics chorizo’s depth, balanced by creamy potatoes and tongue-tingling pineapple hot sauce. The Broccolini & Pistachio Mole showcases charred greens in luxuriously nutty sauce that converts even skeptical carnivores.
Key Highlights
- Cuisine: Bold Mexican with revolutionary plant-based options
- Bar: Over 80 varieties of mezcal and tequila
- Atmosphere: Moody basement hideout with vintage Mexican vibes
- Innovation: Vegetables treated with meat-like reverence
- Menu: $55 Feed Me menu with dedicated vegan track
- Dietary: 100% gluten-free kitchen, highly vegan-friendly
we sat down on stools not very comfortable chairs and the lighting was flicking low and bright the entire time
we ate mostly cold food- which didn’t really taste that good in my opinion (fish tacos was the only thing that were nice)
We then got told we needed to leave with in 10 minutes because they need the table- the entire place was ¾ empty
Kind of rude because I probably would have ordered a drink – the waitress with short bob hair was the one who asked us to leave
Not impressed- would not recommend to anyone
Because the drinks are the only good thing about it, the food was trash, had no flavour, only the corn on the cob and Tacos were great, everything else was just so mid. For such basic cuisine our whole group was truly shocked with how flavourless the mains were.
At least the service for the drinks during bottomless were constant snf flowing. Good choice of cocktails. But yeah really disappointed with the food, thought it’d be better
