Blackcat

Address: 252 Brunswick Street

Ph: (03) 9419 6230

In one sentence…A Brunswick St institution.

In its 23 year stint as the beating heart of Brunswick Street’s café and bar scene Blackcat has witnessed Brunswick Street develop from grungy counter culture hangout to its more gentrified current incarnation. Blackcat too has undergone changes. Always one of Fitzroy’s top venues, a complete revamp in 2002 made it without doubt Brunswick Street’s best hangout.

Serving delicious fresh lunches and snacks and some of the street’s best fair trade coffee by day, of an evening Blackcat transforms into a meeting place and watering hole for the residents of Fitzroy and beyond to discuss the day’s events and to unwind over a
reasonably priced drink. The large covered outdoor area and communal tables make it a place not only to meet up with old friends but to make new ones. The range of local and imported beers, wines and ciders and the huge collection of spirits and liqueurs is
always being updated, keeping the place current and allowing even firm regulars new experiences and eye opening moments.

Blackcat’s strength lies in its welcoming nature. Local regulars and first time visitors to the bar will feel equally comfortable and the bar strives to maintain an all are welcome policy. The staff, and the vibe of its classically Melbournian ‘Shabby Chic’ interior, make you feel instantly at home, which may be part of the reason why the ‘cat is argued as one of the ‘Last Stands’ of the old school alternative Brunswick St scene.

Blackcat though as anyone who knows it will attest is much more than a café/bar. Its commitment to local artists, whether, musical or visual means that each visit to the bar is a unique and interesting experience.

DJs spin five times a week covering every genre from Jazz to Dubstep. The fact that a small bar attracts some of Melbourne’s best DJs to play says a lot about the affection that many have for blackcat, its eccentricities and its warmth.

Local artists are invited to display their works on the commission and fee free gallery wall and with the exhibitions lasting three weeks the walls are an ever changing testament to Melbourne’s thriving underground art scene.

Blackcat brings together everything makes Melbourne – Melbourne. Great coffee, fresh vibrant food, local beers and wines, talented DJs and quality artwork and does something so many others fail to do. It removes the pretentions and invites everyone to enjoy it together in the last bastion of what Brunswick Street used to be.