Mongrel Bar & Kitchen

Mongrel Bar & Kitchen is a funky dive bar with a 1970s rumpus room vibe and a Peruvian-flavoured menu on a prime corner of Milton’s Park Road.

The casual open-sided venue has a pool table at its centre, a well-stocked bar to one side and a lounge nook with bulky nanna-style retro couched and arm chairs.

Mongrel is the kind of no-fuss place you can rock up in flannel shirt and uggs with a posse of mates, play pool and just hang, listening to the likes of anything from country and western to 1970’s & 80’s rock icons.

While the ambience is laidback retro, the food is on-trend and a wake-up for the tastebuds, with a bar menu that includes lamb brain croquettes, roadside chicharon (pork belly, pork crackling, toasted chulpi corn and salsa criolla), Taqueros (deep-fried finger wanton pastry fingers), salchipepas (Peruvian loaded fries), tongue tacos, green noodles (udon noodles with Peruvian pesto) and Ceviche (fish and octopus or mushroom).

For drinks, Mongrel has their own house brew beer and a small selection of unique wines (fizz, white, pink/amber or red) such as Good Intentions Wine Co ‘Gris Diddy Dae’ pinot gris, Belly Button ‘The delinquent’ verduzzo and Bondar ‘violet hour’ shiraz, as well as Puncheon Darts prosecco and a curated cocktail list, all on rotation.

The menu may have changed since our visit.