Tuscan-inspired wine bar The Florence opens above Flinders Lane favourite

A new late-night venue has opened on Flinders Lane, with Tuscan-inspired wine and cocktail bar The Florence taking over the level above The Meatball & Wine Bar in the latest move from Melbourne hospitality group Valarc.

The new city venue officially opened from April 30 and is being pitched as an elevated but approachable drinking destination, drawing inspiration from Tuscany’s hospitality culture and from the energy of one of Melbourne’s best-known dining streets.

For Flinders Lane, the opening adds another layer to a strip already known for its mix of restaurants, bars and late-night venues, while reinforcing the lane’s enduring role at the heart of the city’s hospitality scene.

Valarc Group, which also operates Tartine Bistro, Middle Park European, Ines Wine Bar and The Meatball & Wine Bar, says The Florence is designed to evoke the warmth and mood of 1970s Italy, with interiors by Melbourne-based studio Bergman & Co. The space features deep red tones, natural stone and timber finishes, a marble-topped bar, booth seating, original artworks and large windows looking down over Flinders Lane.

The drinks list leans heavily into Italian wine culture, led by a curation of Super Tuscan wines alongside Australian-made Italian varietals, including bottles from Valarc’s own Sandhill Estate Wines in the Macedon Ranges.

Cocktails also take their cues from Italy, with rotating takes on the Negroni and a range of house signatures shaped by bar manager Cameron Rogers’ time living in Tuscany. Among them are the Piazza Rosa, combining Campari, hibiscus, gin and raspberries, and the Tuscan Manhattan, which blends rye, Chianti Rosso vermouth, Pedro Ximénez and balsamic.

Food is centred around small plates and elevated drinking fare, but with a menu designed to work throughout the evening. The kitchen will stay open until 1am seven days a week, with offerings including crumbed Parmigiano-stuffed olives, scallop crudo with caviar, pecorino and Sangiovese-braised beef croquettes, ricotta gnocchi with butter and sage, and Tuscan cheeses. Dessert includes a chocolate Florentine semifreddo.

For Valarc founder Matteo Bruno, the new opening also carries a personal significance. Bruno said Flinders Lane had long been central to Melbourne’s dining culture, and that opening a venue above his first restaurant felt especially meaningful.

“Flinders Lane has always been the heart of Melbourne’s dining culture,” he said.

“I lived on Flinders Lane for 10 years and opening something above my first restaurant, The Meatball & Wine Bar, feels incredibly special. It’s somewhere people can drop in for a drink, share a few plates and enjoy great wine together.”

The Florence is open from 5pm to 1am, seven days a week, with happy hour from 5pm to 6pm nightly. The venue is located on level one, 133–135 Flinders Lane.