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Gerald’s Bar

Top Wine Bars Etc
  • Wine glass icon
    200+ bottles with an international and Victorian focus
  • Fork icon
    Wine bar classics along with an intensely seasonal dinner menu with a “feed me” option.
  • Music notes icon
    Vinyl only, jazz, funk, soul, ska, blues…

The lowdown

A wine bar of rare character, Geralds is as much a locals haunt as it is a destination venue for Peter Savage’s thoughtful cooking, Gerald and Mario’s smart wine and drinks selections and the uniquely personal ambience.

The nuts & bolts

  • Opened 2006

Gerald’s Bar slipped into its second decade a few years back (it’s 15 years old this year: 2021), but it feels like it’s been with us for much longer than that. Carlton’s Rathdowne Street has never been much of a late-night haunt, with the plane-tree-lined streets typically surrendering quietly into the dark. But that was before Gerald Diffey and Mario Di Ienno arrived, not that they did so disruptively. Indeed, the main noise came from Diffey’s vast collection of vinyl – jazz, funk, soul, ska, blues – played properly, through a valve amplifier. No, it was not so much noise, but a sense of quiet energy that they brought with them, two not so weary veterans with nothing to prove, doing exactly what they wanted to do, and often well into the night.

Fast forward, and not much has changed – although an Iberian Gerald’s, in San Sebastian, was added to the roster in 2014. They’re a bit more receptive to making cocktails. Well, a lot more. The walls are more heavily adorned with ornaments and collectables, and the shelves boast more drained prime bottles, spilt into glasses in good times past. But the vinyl, the eclectic selection of wines, the 1960s David Bailey portrait of Michael Caine that watches over all, and, most importantly, the attitude, has remained the same.

The by-the-glass policy has been similarly enduring, with the early arrivals dictating the open bottles, which can be switched around once exhausted, with ten typically open at any one time. The main list sits at a tick over 200, with and even international and domestic split, though Victorian wine makes up over two-thirds of the local listings. The soft drinks, cordials and bitters are all house made, and there’s a tight but broad-ranging beer offering, with both classic and original cocktails available. Food stretches from charcuterie, cheese and other typical wine bar snacks to changing small and large plates and deserts, with a “feed me” degustation option for those in for the longer haul. Indeed, under the decade-long stewardship of chef Peter Savage, Gerald’s Bar has become as a much a dining destination as it has a temple to liquid pleasures.

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