Bar Love to launch in Perth

Award-winning bartenders Pippa Canavan and Murray Walsh are just days away from opening their first venue, Bar Love.

The bar will take over a vacant block between Perth’s Northbridge and Highgate, on the previous site of the Harvison Gallery.

Bar Love will prioritise cocktails, with a seasonal menu of creative options alongside a focus on producing perfect classics.

The creative cocktail menu includes the likes of a Peaches and Cream Negroni and the Vamos martini (described as “the cheeky lovechild of an espresso martini and the viral Mont Blanc layered coffee”).

Alongside the cocktails, there are four taps featuring brews from Shelter Brewing Company, a draught cocktail from Idle Hands Drinks Co, and a guest brewer. The wine list is concise and prioritises good value.

The team has partnered with neighbouring restaurant Peasants Paradice to dish up loaded fries, focaccia with dips, and seasonal sandwiches, accented by owner and chef Dwight Alexander’s signature African spice blends.

An abundance of retro-kitsch aesthetics comprises the fitout. Gold-leaf emblazoned facade signage and burgundy, tangerine, pink, and cream accents meet bric-a-brac ornaments and velvet love seats.

Canavan has a decade of hospitality experience. Alongside Shirley Yeung, she co-founded of Mix Haus, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to empowering women in the industry. Canavan won Host of the Year 2023 at the Australian Bartender Magazine Awards, Bartender of the Year 2023 at the WA Bar Awards, Australian Bartender’s Top 100 Most Influential, and Drinks World’s Top 25 Bartenders.

Walsh has 15 years of hospitality experience and Diageo’s World Class listed him as one of the “Top 100 Australian Bartenders” three times.

Bar Love will open its doors by the end of August, although the exact date is yet to be announced.