"It Feels Like Home"
We proudly acknowledge the Bunurong as the first people to love, live and dine on the lands on which Attica sits today.
We recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Peoples were the first sovereign nations of Australia from time immemorial, and they never ceded this sovereignty.
"It Feels Like Home"
The team here at Attica is superbly diverse, with people joining us from all over the world. Here, some of our wonderful staff members share places, dishes and tastes from around Melbourne that feel like home.
Published 25.02.25
Co Thu Quan
Melbourne is always regarded by passers-by and locals alike as an Australian foodie hub, proud of their world-class coffee game and welcoming all culinary narratives, from tacos to tramezzini.
The culinary scene tells a story of travelling Australians’ memories of Europe and international upbringings shared with locals. Our team reflects on what spots in Melbourne make them feel at home. We have team members from all over the globe, but even those from interstate or homegrown Melburnians feel at home in a venue for more reasons than the culinary narrative.
Geralds Bar
Sous-chef Camilla Vargas: It’s an institution for many in Melbourne, but Gerald’s Bar always makes her feel at home. The food is great – white anchovies with a Basque Spritz is a must. “They always know my name and play my favourite record for me when I come by.”
Chef Caleb Baldwin may call north-east Melbourne home already, but that feeling extends when he visits Neighbourhood Wine, in Fitzroy North. Its cosy interior transports him to feeling as if he is visiting his grandmother – Caleb’s gran is a lady of stylish habitat. While this makes him feel totally at home, he returns particularly for the seasonal, modern and relevant food and wine selection.
Mr. Lee's
For chef Matty Kirwan, it’s Mr. Lee’s, specifically the one in Ringwood. It feels like a restaurant you would find walking in the streets of Korea. “The jokbal (pigs’ trotters) and the soondae (blood sausage) always make me feel like I’m right back there.”
For Bee, our senior waiter, The Irish Times Pub in the CBD always makes them feel at home because their dad would play Irish music and vocals on guitar there. “It makes me feel connected to the history of the place.”
Shannon, originally from Scotland, feels at home right here in Ripponlea at Spout Café – the coffee shop just down the road that we all frequent often. Always bustling and busy, the team never fails to give their best to you and ask you how things are. We’ve all come to know them well and they us, and for Shannon, that has a huge impact.
Spout Cafe
Co Thu Quan
Chef Louis Dang feels at home away from home at the North Richmond shops – Co Thu Quan. Beyond the authentic Viet food, the manager seems to love his job. He is so chatty, smiles constantly and is always having fun while moving energetically around the room. “It makes you feel so welcome and like you don’t want to leave.”
For restaurant manager Claire, it’s City Wine Shop – an institution for many, and nothing new, but as a guest in this city sitting there on the streets watching patrons recognise each other from table to table, or passers-by on the street saying hello to staff, it gives a sense of community she remembers from her small town in Loch Lomond, Scotland. Combine that with the bustling city traffic, people coming and going from the theatre and the beautifully lit parliament house and it makes her feel like she is sitting in Soho in London, another adopted home for Claire.
Dani, a front of house waiter, considers Perreo Colombian Street Food, in South Melbourne, a second home. The loaded hotdogs take her back to the streets of Ibagué, Colombia, from where she hails.
