Named after Nick’s mother, Bar Evelyn has brought a little taste of Melbourne to the southern Gold Coast, with a quaint diner-style fit-out featuring a couple of leather-clad booths and a clutch of bar stools framing a sizeable L-shaped bar. Having the bar take up the majority of the internal footprint was a deliberate move. “We feel like that’s a very Melbourne thing to do, and something that we felt was a little bit different to what’s currently in Coolangatta,” Mark said. As it turns out, they were right as the bar stools have become the venue’s most coveted. Out the front, a scattering of low-set tables adorned with brightly coloured tablecloths fill the alfresco space. The aroma of woodfired pizza smoldering away in the oven creeps out from the open kitchen, filling the air and luring passers-by. Within minutes of opening, every one of the bar stools is occupied. The vibe at Bar Evelyn is intended to evolve as the evening rolls on. Families fresh off the beach popping in for an early bite, the full dinner service, and, finally, those who swing by for a post-feed negroni.