Redfern-Chippendale
artwinecheesebar.com.au
86 Abercrombie St Chippendale
Zigi's is the kind of place you want to like. A great combination of art space, international cheese menu and wine, all in one spot in Chippendale. From the outside, the mural wall lit up at night keeps this expectation running. Inside it is a different story. While nearby Chip Off The Old Block and Freda's are packed, Zigi's has plenty of free seating and the bar staff are unoccupied. The music playing seemed more in place at a generic city pub. Blaring Michael Jackson at a half-empty cheese/wine/art bar just seems to sum up where the great ideas of Zigi's and their execution seem worlds apart.
The cheeses on offer are excellent but the portions are tiny. For $20, the plate came with two small pieces, which were not likely to be more than 50 grams in total. The sprinkle of dried fruit pieces seemed equally stingy and even the accompanying single piece of home made lavosh, though delicious, seemed laughably oversized for the amount of cheese. A quick scan of review sites shows that this meagre portion size doesn't appear to be an isolated occurrence. For $46 you can choose three cheeses but that is close to double the price you'd expect to pay elsewhere, and at least other bars are more generous in both accompaniments and serving sizes.
Wines are mostly by the bottle with a 'wine of the moment' for $12 a glass. This is basically whatever bottle has been opened for wine sold by the glass. Customers get to choose if a bottle isn't opened. While a nice idea, if it's a red that needs to breath for 30 minutes or more, you are going to be waiting a while to properly enjoy it. The wine list has some impressive choices but it's a bit questionable selling Old Socks Semillon Chardonnay 2013 at $41 by the bottle when it is available for about $6 retail.
Best things: Friendly service, upstairs art space
Ideal for: Small groups, catch-ups with friends, after work drinks
Date tip: There are better places for dates nearby.
Rating: 5/10
Last updated: August 2017
You are here: Zigi's Art Wine Cheese Bar review and address. The kind of place you want to like with its friendly staff, art space plus the cheese and wine options. But it's let down by poor execution.