Railway Wine, Highett: the neighbourhood bar with a big heart and even bigger flavour

Just across the road from Highett Station, on a busy stretch of Railway Parade, a burgundy façade and vintage-style signwriting mark one of Melbourne’s south-east’s most inviting local haunts. Railway Wine is not a city wine bar dropped into the suburbs. It is a purpose-built neighbourhood room — warm timber, amber light, a wall of bottles, and pizza arriving from next door — created by two hospitality veterans who simply wanted Highett to have somewhere good to sit with a glass.

Two Matts, one missing piece

Railway Wine opened in 2023 in a former aquarium shop. Co-owners Matt Vero and Matt Ward first met in 2010 and already ran Teo’s Pizza next door (and in Malvern). Vero’s résumé includes the redevelopment of well-known Melbourne pubs such as The Orrong Hotel, Marquis of Lorne, Mount Erica Hotel and Healesville Hotel. Ward has opened cafés since 2012, including Townhouse. When the shop beside Teo’s became available, they took it. “There are no pure wine bars in Highett,” Ward told Broadsheet, “so we jumped on the opportunity to create a space where Highett locals could perch for a drink, rather than having to venture to Hampton or Sandringham.”

The 60-seat room was designed by Jason Blake: banquettes, bar stools, a communal table, footpath seating and a courtyard that later became a proper beer garden. It still feels like a living room that happens to pour very good wine.

 

The list: Australian first, with a well-travelled cellar

The drinks list is the point. It leans towards minimal-intervention Australian wine, with around 24 wines by the glass that rotate every couple of weeks and roughly 60 whites and 60 reds by the bottle. Most bottles sit under $100. Early favourites included Patch Wines’ Disco Lemonade merlot rosé, Martingale Estate chardonnay and Mount Macleod pinot noir from Gippsland; Maison Soleil pinot noir from McLaren Vale has also been a regular crowd-pleaser. International bottles from France, Italy, Spain and New Zealand (Dog Point sauvignon blanc from Marlborough is a house favourite) keep the list from becoming parochial.

Four taps pour local beer — Bad Shepherd from nearby Cheltenham and 3 Ravens from Thornbury among them. Classic cocktails (espresso martini, margarita, negroni, Aperol spritz) sit beside botanical spritzes and a zero-alcohol chilled red for anyone sitting the night out without booze. You can drink in or take a bottle home. That dual identity — bar and bottle shop — is part of the charm.

Dinner without leaving your stool

Railway Wine does not run a full kitchen of its own. It does something smarter. Cheese boards arrive with quince, smoked almonds, olives, dried figs and crackers. Everything else — wood-fired pizza, handmade pasta, oven-baked gnocchi, caprese — comes from sister venue Teo’s next door and is delivered to the table. The Matteo’s Special (stracciatella, cherry tomatoes, prosciutto di San Daniele, parmesan and rocket) is the pizza people talk about; carbonara pasta and bubbling gnocchi hold their own. Gluten-free and vegan pizzas are available, and there is a proper kids’ menu (margherita, spaghetti bolognese, chicken and chips) that has made the venue a genuine family option before 7pm.

Who it is for

Date night, after-work wind-down, long Sunday session, parents with a pram and a glass, functions — Railway Wine stretches further than a typical inner-city wine bar because the suburb asked it to. The beer garden and courtyard work for sunny afternoons; the back bar and full venue can be hired. Function spaces include a semi-private back bar (up to 30 seated or 49 mixed), the beer garden (up to 36 seated or 60 standing) and full venue hire for around 100 guests. Minimum spends apply; enquire via bookings@railwaywine.com.au.

Note the house rules: bookings are generally two hours, the online system closes at 4pm (walk-ins after that are welcome but not guaranteed), and Friday and Saturday evenings the bar is 18+ from 7pm. Dogs are welcome. Street parking is free. The entrance is wheelchair accessible.

Practical details

Railway Wine
8 Railway Parade, Highett VIC 3190
Website: railwaywine.com.au
Bookings: railwaywine.com.au/bookings
Functions & groups: bookings@railwaywine.com.au
Instagram: @railway.winebar

For last-minute changes to an existing booking after 4pm, call Teo’s next door on (03) 9555 8812 with your booking details. That number is for amendments only; a new reservation made there will be seated at Teo’s.

Hours (check the website before travelling)
Monday: closed
Tuesday–Thursday: 4pm – late (kitchen from 4.30pm Tuesday and Wednesday)
Friday: 3pm – late (kitchen from 4.30pm)
Saturday & Sunday: 2pm – late

Typical close times reported elsewhere are around 10pm midweek and Sunday, and midnight Friday and Saturday.

Railway Wine is the rare suburban wine bar that feels both considered and easy. The list is serious without being snobbish, the room is handsome without being precious, and the pizza from next door means you never have to choose between a proper glass and a proper feed. Pop in, grab a glass, and make yourself at home — that line on their homepage is not marketing copy. In Highett, it is how the place actually works.