Forget Parmas, Swedish Meatballs and Beetroot Lattes, Richmond has an inventive new destination for craft beer, cocktails and food offerings in the heart of Burnley Street.
Its namesake is a reference to the mysterious and enigmatic Yarra River and the local history of yesteryear, where unlucky gangsters and crims ended up in the drink, sporting ‘concrete boots’. In fact, the venue has the bullet holes to prove it and the front door is peppered with old battle scars from trigger happy crim, Squizzy Taylor.
Long gone are the dog days and Richmond is now riding a wave of hospitality euphoria and the team at ‘Concrete Boots’ are a striking and lively addition. Setting up shop in an old jazz club, the owner, Andrew Reed was intent on breathing new life into an area of Burnely Street that has been neglected for too long. Reed says, “We wanted to bring something a bit different to this part of Richmond. Our plan is for locals to be able to enjoy seriously good food and drinks in their own neck of the woods”.
A local defender, ‘Concrete Boots’ champions all things indigenous to the garden state. Victorian wines populate the menu and there is a rotating list of seasonal brews to cater for all beer persuasions. The tap list is imposing and this month features IPA’s, Porters, Pale Ale’s, Brown Ales and Stouts to name but a few from local breweries across the suburbs and further afield for the more audacious beer drinker. If cocktails are your Friday night thing, then rest assured, the Australian Negroni is a frontrunner, showcasing four pillars gin, maidenii vermouth and red okar amarao. Or perhaps a Love Lychee will satisfy your penchant for hard liquor, made with a house infused basil gin, lychee and rosewater.
The food menu is pioneering, burger centric and a little left of centre but in a delicious sort of way. Spam chips (yes, they really are made from spam & taste exquisite) avocado tartare and jalapeno poppers are a few moorish snacks on offer at Concrete Boots. The burgers are the focal point and will have you hankering for a second instalment and include the iconic ‘Squizzy’, beef, cheese, bacon, onion rings, lettuce, tomato, pickles, complete with aioli and BBQ sauce. There is a vegetarian option and a more curious burger that features Kangaroo, fittingly named the ‘Glenrowan’. Finally, let’s not forget the salubrious house salads, made with love and lots of nourishing goodness.
Concrete Boots is the brainchild of Andrew Reed, a Richmond local who wants to bring something new to the area. Reed has over a decade of experience in hospitality which was acquired whilst studying environmental engineering, which means that designing a sustainable hospitality venture was a must in Reed’s book.
Concrete Boots has created something unique, a space and team that exhibits a real passion and enthusiasm for beers, cocktails, good food and service and all of Burnley street is talking about it.