It takes a skilled hand to make a brand new bar feel like it’s been well-loved and well-worn already, even though it’s barely been open a week. That’s why Michael Delany-Korabelnikova is a master of his craft.

Responsible for the likes of Honkytonks and Sorry Grandma!, Michael has triumphed again with The Bottom End, somehow rewriting the rulebook and getting it oh-so-right.

The place is a self-described “love-child of a fair-dinkum pub and a hedonistic party palace with an all-night pseudo-US diner thrown in for good measure”, and its menu is gleefully bogan-chic. There are only three kinds of wine: cheap, reasonable and good. If pressed, they’ll reluctantly divulge the grape varieties, but they’d really prefer that you just call it like it is and be done with it.

Notable cocktails include the Australian Martini, complete with a smear of Vegemite, a bright green pickled onion and a slice of Coon cheese; the Single Mother, a dubious-sounding blend of Southern Comfort, red wine and ginger beer; and the Boston Tea Party, a great twist on a Long Island Ice Tea.

You’ll notice a patron or two wandering around with a Doss Blockos Pale Lager, a microbrew originating right here in St Kilda and served in a customised brown paper bag – so derelict cool. The beer list is extensive and has cred.

This bar will make the most of its all-hours licence and you can expect the hospitality industry to come flocking in the wee hours of the morning for a knock-off drink and a fix of dude food.

American diner is the inspiration here. The fried mac and cheese balls are a must, as is the po’ boy – a prawn and chorizo ‘hero’ sandwich with spicy Creole sauce. For traditionalists, a hearty selection of burgers and buffalo wings awaits.

We predict a new Melbourne favourite that may just entice the cool crowd from the Paris end of town… The Bottom End is beckoning.

Where: 579 Little Collins St, Melbourne CBD
Hours: Wed-Sun, 4pm–late
Phone: (03) 9629 3001
Details: thebottomend.com.au

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