Nowhere Bar opens in the former Olivia Hotel spot
Expect bite sized snacks, a local wine list and an affordable community spot at Hutt Street’s Nowhere Bar.
According to Matt May and Thomas Hector, 80s music “is just the best”.
So much so, they’ve named their new hospo venture – Nowhere Bar – after a Talking Heads hit.
“It started from a conversation. We used to listen to 80s music together, and it’s all driven from that,” Matt says.
This inspiration has extended onto the wallpaper artwork and logo design, led by Divide Agency.
“[Talking Heads have] got an album artwork cover [Speaking in Tongues] … but it’s the oranges and the greens, the yellows, the blues. That bright kind of retro look that’s reinterpreted,” Matt says.
“Hence the name Nowhere as well, because they’ve got a song called ‘Road to Nowhere’.”
But when walking into the former Olivia Hotel spot, it’s hard not to notice the bright coloured wallpaper and crayon-painted like walls.
“It’s different,” Matt says.
“When we first put it in here, we were like ‘shit. It looks awful. Lock it up. We’re going home’,” Thomas laughs.
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“We put some furniture in and then it was like ‘okay, this is great’,” Matt replies.
“It was good having our friends come around and just be like ‘have faith. Because we’re here all the time, you don’t really get to see it with fresh new eyes.
“Luckily, we had our friends, who were just like ‘no, stick with it, it looks good’”.
Nowhere Bar is the kind of place Matt and Thomas would like to go to with an “offering for everyone”.
“It’s just a community bar,” Matt says.
“It’s not focused on any one [thing]: like beer, wine, spirits or cocktails. It’s everything: back to what we think is the root of an old school bar which encapsulates the whole thing.”
In creating this bar, which opened around three weeks ago, affordability loomed large in their considerations.
“I think it’s from going to venues recently, over the last couple of years, and seeing that price hike, and seeing it get out of reach, and seeing the customer’s reaction to the price sometimes,” Matt says.
“Because it’s the two of us working here, a small team, and we don’t offer things like table service, it means that we can keep our prices a bit lower.”
“It’s also where we would want to go,” Thomas says.
“[Nowhere Bar] is a bit of an amalgamation of everything that we love when we go out. I’d want to come here if I didn’t work here. I think affordability is a major factor in that.”
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In regards to the wine list, Matt says “affordability and approachability are probably the two key words”.
“It’s nothing that’s going to break the bank. And then we’re probably going to sit a bit lower in price than a lot of our competitors, and that’s deliberate to make the place comfortable for everyone,” he says.
The wine list will be “mostly local” as they’ve listed “winemakers that [they have] had a relationship with before through working in hospitality”.
For the food, they’ve opted for smaller plates designed to order multiple and share.
“It’s bar snacks, it’s not quite wine bar level … it’s all bar service,” Matt says.
“We’re trying to fit somewhere in between what people know as a wine bar and a pub.
“I think there’s a pretty big market there, and it’s where we feel comfortable serving – that bar service, but elevated from a pub offering with small, little intricate plates, strong cocktail offering in a big local wine list by the glass.”
Matt and Thomas’ menu favourites are the Stracciatella and smashed cucumbers, which is tossed in balsamic and the mortadella bun which is a “a direct rip off Anthony Bourdain’s favourite sandwich”.
Community is a huge aspect of Nowhere Bar, considering Hutt Street is close to the city yet has that suburban feel.
Because of this, well-known Adelaide musician Dusty Lee Stephensen, will be playing at Nowhere Bar every Sunday night.
“We might be a bit biased, but he is the best. It’s unreal that we can get that,” Thomas says.
“We find on our days off together, we would find where he is to just to go and see him.”
Nowhere Bar is located at 170 Hutt Street, Adelaide and is open on Thursday and Friday from 4pm until 12am, then Saturday and Sunday from 12pm until 12am.
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