SweatShop

The look: The long-awaited basement addition to Seamstress, SweatShop continues the theme but with reclaimed décor and a work-in-progress look. Rolls of fabric, rather than finished garments, adorn the ceiling while packing crate seats and exposed pipes lend a boiler-room ambiance.
To drink: In keeping with Sweatshop’s low-key feel, there’s a brief beer and wine list but then they go and confound you with a full-on cocktail cabinet. Try the Fools Gold Smash ($17 - Sweatshop’s liquid tribute to the Stone Roses) or share the love with a thermos of tequila-spiked Donkey Punch ($45 per litre).
To eat: Food comes courtesy of the Seamstress kitchen upstairs and includes mod-Asian nibbles like coconut rice balls filled with scallop roe ($8).
The vibe: If Seamstress was a house, then Sweatshop would be the free-wheeling rumpus room. Look for the Wall of Firsts where staff record momentous events like ‘first person to lick the bar’.
Best for: Cocktails without the cocktail frocks.

By Marinella Padula

 

Address: 113 Lonsdale St, City
Phone: 9663 6363
Open: Monday – Saturday