Red Star Cafe & Wine Bar: Highett’s Neighbourhood Spot for Coffee, Comfort Food and a Proper Glass of Wine

On the corner of Highett Road and Major Street, a row of bright red umbrellas marks one of the most easy-going addresses in Highett Village. Red Star Cafe & Wine Bar is a family-run local that does what a good suburban venue should do: coffee when you want a pause, pub-style food when you are hungry, and wine, tap beer and cocktails when the afternoon slips into evening.

It is not trying to be a CBD destination restaurant. It is trying to be the place you keep coming back to.

A family idea that became a local

The story behind Red Star is simple and personal. After years in hospitality — nightclubs, pubs and clubs — proprietor Chris Toohey, together with Claire and Ali, wanted a venue of their own. The official website puts it plainly: a chance encounter on a romantic weekend away, a love of wine, food and family, and an idea that became a neighbourhood cafe and wine bar.

Their aim was not a concept-heavy dining room. It was a place where people could enjoy good food, good coffee, good wine and good company. That tone still shapes the room. Guests are welcomed as regulars in the making, and the team’s own line is that the best evenings are the ones spent lingering over a good bottle with good people.

The room: red bar, lounge chairs and a street-side perch

Step inside and the colour scheme does the talking. A long bar wrapped in vivid red sits at the centre of the space, with wine bottles lining the dark wall behind, tapware ready for a pint, and bar stools along a pale counter. Timber floors, black lounge chairs and a stretch of window seating give the room two moods at once: a proper bar, and a comfortable living-room corner looking out onto Highett Road.

Comfy lounge chairs are a point of pride. A TripAdvisor guest who visited in January 2026 described sitting by the open windows with a cooling breeze, a glass of Prosecco and a Sangiovese, and food that felt considered rather than hurried. That is the Red Star pitch in miniature: relaxed enough for a midweek catch-up, dressed enough for a Friday night pour.

Outside, black-brick walls, red umbrellas and a fenced terrace create a street-side dining pocket. Dogs on leads are welcome in the outdoor “Puppy Zone”, with water bowls at the ready — a practical touch in a village where plenty of locals walk the strip with a four-legged companion.

What to eat

Red Star leans towards generous, familiar cooking rather than fine-dining theatrics. The kitchen covers share plates, burgers, pasta, salads, gourmet toasties, larger meals, hot snacks and desserts. The bar menu runs through open hours, so a bowl of chips, a wrap or a snack plate is never far away even when the full kitchen is between services.

Typical plates on the current list include spicy buffalo wings, truffle arancini, lemongrass chicken skewers, chorizo and mushroom bites, cheesy focaccia fingers, a three-cheese plate and mixed olives. Cold options such as the artichoke and sundried tomato wrap, ham and cucumber wrap, and rice-paper wrap with chicken sit alongside chips or wedges with guacamole, aioli or ketchup.

Larger appetites are looked after with burgers, pasta and classic pub mains. Weekly value nights are a big part of the calendar: steak and chips for $28 on Monday and Tuesday from 5.30pm, and parma and pasta night for $20 on Wednesday and Thursday from 5.30pm. Those prices make it an easy midweek dinner without dressing it up as a special occasion.

Desserts keep things straightforward: cheesecake, sticky date squares with maple syrup, tiramisu and seasonal fruit skewers.

A visitor review on TripAdvisor singled out an artichoke, eggplant and sundried tomato roll as “brilliant”, and a Mediterranean salad loaded with olives, sundried tomatoes, roasted beetroot, marinated capsicum, roasted onion, baby carrots and red cabbage. It is the sort of menu that works for a light lunch, a family early dinner, or a later drink with something to nibble.

What to drink

Wine is the heart of the offering. The list mixes local and international bottles, with wines by the glass for people who want to taste rather than commit to a bottle on the first visit. Friday is Wine Lovers Night, with free tastings from 5.30pm — an easy way to start the weekend without a booking.

Beer is no afterthought. Red Star now pours beer on tap, and earlier local listings have also pointed to schooner and pint specials during the afternoon. Cocktails sit alongside the wine list, with Friday and Saturday nights often carrying after-dinner cocktail specials. Coffee and house-made muffins still belong to the daytime side of the business, which is part of what makes the venue useful: you can treat it as a cafe or as a wine bar, depending on the hour.

Happy hour is listed on the official site as 10 per cent off all food and drink from 3pm to 6pm daily. The Red Star Membership is $10 a year and takes a further 10 per cent off food and drinks on every visit. For regulars in Highett, Hampton East and around Bayside, that is a small fee that pays for itself quickly.

Instagram has also promoted a Wednesday Ladies Night with discounted cocktails, bubbles and wine. As with any neighbourhood venue, specials move with the season, so a quick look at @redstarcafe_winebar or a phone call is the safest check before you go.

A week of reasons to drop in

Red Star has built a simple weekly rhythm:

• Monday and Tuesday: Steak Night from 5.30pm
• Wednesday and Thursday: Parma and pasta night from 5.30pm
• Friday: Wine Lovers Night, free tastings from 5.30pm
• Saturday: trivia, typically from 7pm, plus later drinks
• Daily: happy hour from 3pm to 6pm

That mix is why the venue works for more than one crowd. Parents can do an early dinner. Friends can take the window ledge. Locals can bring the dog to the outdoor tables. Groups can stay on for a bottle and a quiz.

Functions without the fuss

The room also hires for private events. Red Star lists capacity for up to 60 guests, with custom catering, wine packages and AV available. Function menus are priced at $25, $35 and $45 per person, with a choose-five-items format and the option to mix a higher-tier dish for a small extra. Taste testing can be arranged about a week before the event.

For birthdays, work drinks or a family celebration that does not need a function-centre contract, that is a practical local option.

Finding your way there

Red Star sits at 481 Highett Road, Highett VIC 3190, on the corner of Major Street, in the Highett Village strip. Street parking is available, and the village itself is an easy wander of cafes, shops and everyday services. Highett station is a short walk for anyone coming by train.

Current published hours on the official website are:

• Monday to Thursday: 3.00pm–9.00pm
• Friday and Saturday: 12.00pm–late (midnight)
• Sunday: 12.00pm–5.00pm

Kitchen hours are slightly shorter, with full service Monday to Thursday from 5.00pm to 9.00pm, Friday and Saturday lunch from 12.00pm to 2.30pm and dinner from 5.00pm to 9.00pm, and Sunday from 12.00pm to 4.00pm. Hours and kitchen times can change, so confirm before a special trip.

Bookings are not essential, but the team is happy to reserve a table. Call (03) 8456 7202 or email chris@redstarcafe.com.au.

Why it belongs on a Highett list

Bayside has no shortage of cafes. What Red Star adds is range. It is a coffee stop, a wine bar, a midweek parma night, a Friday tasting bench and a Saturday trivia room under the same red umbrellas. The owners talk about guests leaving as friends. On a suburban high street, that is still the measure that matters.

If you are in Highett Village — walking the dog, meeting a neighbour, or looking for a glass of wine that does not require a trip into the city — Red Star Cafe & Wine Bar is the local that has made itself easy to like.

Visit Red Star Cafe & Wine Bar

Red Star Cafe & Wine Bar
481 Highett Road (corner Major Street)
Highett VIC 3190

Phone: (03) 8456 7202
Email: chris@redstarcafe.com.au
Website: https://www.redstarcafewinebar.com.au
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redstarcafe_winebar/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583612476381

Opening hours (check before visiting):
Monday–Thursday 3.00pm–9.00pm
Friday–Saturday 12.00pm–late
Sunday 12.00pm–5.00pm

Parking: street parking
Pets: dogs on leads welcome in the outdoor Puppy Zone
Functions: up to 60 guests