Seamstress Restaurant and Bar
113 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Bar
•Within the dark mauve façade of 113 Lonsdale Street lies Seamstress Restaurant and Bar. What was once a former textile factory, 1930s sweatshop, brothel and Buddhist monastery is now home to one of Melbourne’s much loved restaurants and cocktail bar.
Split over four distinct levels, each mirroring the theme of the building, with draping rolls of raw fabric, a multicoloured collection of yarns, scattered Singer sewing machines and silk cheongsams hung from the ceiling which adds a quirky touch to the building’s décor.
The levels consist of The Sweatshop Basement Bar and Yard, Drystore Espresso, Dining Room and Cocktail Bar, each level different to the other.
Located on the edge of Chinatown and in the heart of Melbourne's vibrant East End Theatre District, Seamstress has something for everyone. It’s a quintessential Melbourne haunt, with interiors and a history to match.
From team meetings, long lunches, birthday celebrations and everything in between Seamstress offers everything you need to make your next event truly memorable.
Our function spaces and dining options allow us to cater for a variety of events, with stand-up cocktail style events to intimate private dining experiences.
Both private and semi-private room options are available with AV capabilities on request.
Seamstress Restaurant and Bar Function Rooms
Sweatshop Basement Bar & Yard
In the basement underneath Seamstress lies The Sweatshop Basement Bar & Yard, a New York inspired self-contained function area with an urban and industrial chic vibe. A robust space allowing for complete privacy for sit down dinners of up t...
Cocktail Bar
Perched at the top of the staircase, lies the Seamstress Cocktail Bar, a Prohibition-style bar inspired by the clubs of yesteryear where ice spheres are hand-carved for the selection of premium spirits. Jazz and blues play in the backgroun...
Reviews for Seamstress Restaurant and Bar
Shayan Soroush
Great cocktail bar in Melbourne - we had a small group function here and we were looked after well. The finger food was decent, the soft shell crab burgers were something else… unreal. The soup dumplings and the mango/coconut bites were a bit small, even considering they’re finger food.
Riley M
Unfortunately my experience here was ruined. The atmosphere of the restaurant is fantastic. The service I received was fantastic. Chris. My server was very gracious and professional. The taste of the food was also quite nice but unfortunately towards the end of my meal I felt a crunch and as I pulled it out of my mouth it seem to be a small bit of glass or glass like material in my food which is quite unfortunate as I was really enjoying myself before this moment I was refunded the cost of the part of the meal that contained this glass like substance although the atmosphere and service was fantastic I am unsure if I’ll be able to recommend this place considering what happened
Richard Little
A return visit. The food was fresh and delicious, as good as our first visit. We asked for recommendations on some dishes and ordered a variety of meat and vegetarian. The atmosphere is relaxed & cosy and the staff were friendly and attentive. If you like and appreciate this review please give it a like or a thumbs up so that I know what content to include in future reviews.
Steve Carr
Such a lovely spot for an evening drink and late night snacks! Our server was brilliant, explained why their Martini's were so good and helped us chose, also great explanation of the food too. Really enjoyable evening! Thanks everyone.
Andreea Iuga
Severely disappointed unfortunately with my food experience. Maybe this restaurant is really not my vibe. The prices, taste and price did not match at all in my opinion. There was a slight miscommunication when I ordered my drink I was just asking for a list of available options with my preference of taste but instead of listing them out to me (nonalcoholic drink aren’t on the menu) it was taken as that’s what I want and was put through without me actually picking what drink I want. Thankfully though I did enjoy my mocktail even though I did not want to or prepare myself to pay $12 for it (was never told the prices). My second mistake was asking for a recommendation from the waitress because the menu was a little overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time. I wanted something creamy and curry like with meat and rice. I was recommended the barramundi dish, as it came with a “yellow curry and seafood”. I had to add $9 rice to the dish as it doesn’t come with. That barramundi plate was minuscule, thank goodness I got the rice. The barramundi dish alone cost $43 💀. Flavour profile it had none. I honestly didn’t taste anything but blandness, it might be a really expensive fish but so not worth it. I added chilli oil and soy sauce from my friend who ordered the dumplings. It really didn’t help much so I had to ask the waiter if I could please have some salt and rice. After I added them the dish was more palatable. I may be in the wrong as maybe my taste buds are not made for more “refined and expensive dining”. But safe to say I’d never eat here again or recommend it to anyone. The staff had no fault, I found them very friendly and nice. I just wish I had better communicated with them.
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