Your new late-night obsession has arrived on Melbourne’s Bourke Street.
Vinyl listening bars are having a moment. With their retro-cool appeal and low-lit ambience, it’s easy to see why a cache of the Japanese-inspired haunts are sprouting up across the country. Never one to ignore a trend, MAMAS Dining Group has debuted Disuko – restaurant, rooftop and record bar – on Melbourne’s Bourke Street.
Translated from the Japanese word for ‘disco’, Disuko delivers a dose of 1980s Tokyo disco culture with izakaya dining and vinyl tunes. It’s a sensation-swirling space that deals in cosy nooks, amber-lit lounges and hanging glow balls, making it an enviable hangout for specialty sakes and late-night bites.
The multifaceted venue opened last week, taking over the former Bourke Street institution Madame Brussels. It marks Melbourne-founded MAMAS Dining Group’s seventh restaurant, with their other venues including Hochi Mama 3000, Kiss & Tell and Suzie Q.
Disuko offers several dining and drink concepts: the Izakaya Lounge (main dining room), a vinyl cocktail bar, an eight-seat omakase counter and rooftop terrace, along with a private dining room.
Inside the 76-seat Izakaya Lounge, guests can savour bites from the hibachi grill and delicate nigiri in forest green booths. Interiors are a sultry mash-up of cherry ruched leather, back-lit glass and eclectic wall decor that give the space a warm retro feel.
Food is treated as more than the supporting act. Leading the dining concepts are MAMAS Dining Group’s creative culinary director, Michael Stolley, and Hung Hoa, an esteemed ex-Nobu name who’s now whipping up a smattering of Japanese flavours as Disuko’s head chef. The two have spearheaded a menu of izakaya-inspired dishes available a la carte or via the ‘Disuko Setto’, where guests choose five share items for $65 per person. Try the wagyu tataki topped with crispy potato, kingfish dressed in citrus-yuzu soy, jalapeño and coriander oil, or the shoyu-yaki chicken – which is brined in sake for 24 hours, then flamed over the hibachi and brushed with chicken fat.
Those keen on a more intimate setting can slink into the Omakase Bar. With just eight seats, the counter offers a 12-course sushi and sashimi experience where guests watch their meals being prepared right in front of them. Seasonality and Japanese craftsmanship are at the forefront.
The heartbeat of Disuko is found at the Vinyl Bar. Here, mixologists shake craft cocktails and artists spin funky tunes, recalling the tempo of Tokyo’s nightlife. From smooth disco to hip hop and Japanese soul, bespoke boomboxes panelled with a traditional Japanese woodwork technique set the vibe.
There’s more fun to be had on the Terracotta Rooftop. Lean into the rhythm of the weekend on warm nights while sipping spritzes and snacking on spicy edame, all backdropped by a skyline glow. This relaxed space is walk-in only.
Above, Disuko’s 30-seat private dining room, ‘The Tokyo Sky Mezzanine,’ is ideal for functions of all kinds, from milestone birthdays to family gatherings.
Disuko isn’t the quietest bar in Melbourne. But if you want to feel glamourous, uninhibited and fully plugged into the city’s current, this lively venue – lights humming, cocktails flowing – is waiting with open doors.
The details
Location: Level 3/59-63 Bourke St, Melbourne 3000
Opening hours: from 12pm to late, seven days a week
Prices: Share plates $14-$42 or ‘Disuko Setto’ $65 per person, cocktails $21-$24
Capacity: 76 in the main dining room, 44 on the rooftop terrace, 30 in the private dining room and eight in the omakase bar
Website: Disuko
