With its striped umbrellas and emerald-green awnings, Adelita Wine Bar cuts a chic figure on the corner of Fox Street and Glenora Street in Wynnum. The eye-catching locale officially opens to the public today, Thursday November 24, not only becoming the latest entrant into Brisbane’s burgeoning wine-bar scene at large, but also continuing the boom in activity that’s raising the standard of hospitality across Brisbane’s bayside suburbs.

For Wynnum in particular, which has long been flush with fish-and-chip shops but comparatively poor when it comes to its own elevated eating spots, Adelita’s arrival heralds the start of a new age. Owner Chris Hollingsworth (who helped establish Melrose and Darvella Patisserie in Bulimba and Monocle Coffee in Morningside, all of which he has since divested from) has taken cues from neighbouring suburb Manly, which has recently undergone its own metamorphosis, and applied them to his vision for a neighbourhood locale that was a step above what the suburb has seen.

“I look at Manly Boathouse, The Arsonist, Shucks Bar – those guys are doing it well and they’re doing it right,” said Chris when he spoke to The Weekend Edition a few months back. “People want to be sitting back, eating nice food, drinking good wine while looking at the water.” With Adelita, which is named after Chris’ grandmother, he’s not holding back, recruiting some big-name talent to help him create the kind of eatery and bar he thinks Wynnum’s ready for.

Despite the temptation to lean into a coastal aesthetic to match the bar’s proximity to the twinkling waters of Wynnum’s esplanade, Chris and the team at Clui Design and Bullfrog Commercial have decided to hone in on a more cosmopolitan look for Adelita’s interior style. A colour scheme comprised of lush green and timber tones has been applied to the corner space, which boasts an alfresco area that curves around both frontages.

A mix of outdoor lounges and banquettes offer seating outside (where the majority of guests will likely find themselves), leaving the interior largely uncluttered so as not to distract from the venue’s centrepiece – a U-shaped, marble-topped bar illuminated by pendant lights. Eight stools line the bar, while a tasting table will be set up inside for intimate dinner services. While perfectly positioned to catch sea breezes, Adelita is equipped with retractable awnings, Bi-fold doors and umbrellas in case the weather becomes inclement.

The brains behind Adelita’s menu is Borneo-born executive chef Esca Khoo, whose resume includes stints at Noma Australia, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Sepia, Brae, Longrain and, most recently, as head chef at hatted Melbourne restaurant Miss Mi. Still based in Melbourne, Esca will oversee the menu creation remotely, working alongside Adelita head chef Noah Soowon (formerly head chef at Spicers Tamarind Retreat) to create an offering that takes a modern-Australian foundation and builds upon it with native ingredients, international twists and a strong focus on sustainability via waste-minimisation practices. “It’s a bit of a marriage of all cultures, in a sense,” says Esca of Adelita’s menu. “It’s a little bit of Australia and a little bit from around the world.”

Adelita’s debut daytime menu starts with small nibbles including charcuterie, oysters and bush-spiced roasted nuts, before gradually increasing the portion size with the likes of sardine escabache and fennel on rye toast, Caribbean jerk-chicken skewers and fermented crumpets with curried egg and spanner crab. Larger plates include wild-pig chorizo and guindillas, kangaroo tartare with oyster cream, marinated egg and wasabi leaves, and Basque wet rice with quail, peppers and morcilla.

Special mention must go to Adelita’s take on a Golden Gaytime, which is made with caramel, chocolate, macadamia and Vegemite. The bar is keeping it intimate on Friday and Saturday nights to start, offering a set-menu dinner comprised of snacks and five courses featuring some of the daytime standouts and other nighttime-only specials.

Venue manager Cooper Lawton has shaped Adelita’s beverage program, adopting a similar sustainability centric mindset by employing two wine taps and an ecoSPIRITS distribution system for all of its house pour spirits to reduce as much glass waste as possible. Adelita’s wine collection (which boasts hundreds of bottles) looks to showcase the international classics but also champion some interesting options from new-wave Australian makers like Dormilona, Snake + Herring and Gentle Folk, as well as a small selection of large-format bottles and Japanese sake.

As for the cocktails, the team is playing around with sweet and savoury flavour profiles, coming up with some out-of-the-box concoctions including the Ham & Pineapple (coconut fat-washed bourbon, toasted walnuts, spiced apple, pineapple and pork crackle), the Beets Me Martini (beetroot, stained vodka, rosso vermouth, honey, charcoal and caviar) and the Beer-noffie Pie (banana-washed dark rum, Stone & Wood, ginger and nutmeg).

Adelita Wine Bar officially opened Thursday November 24. Click over to The Weekend Edition’s Stumble Guide for operating hours, contact info and booking links.

This article was written by James Frostick from The Weekend Edition.