It’s been just over a year since Iberia landed on Rundle Street.
The Spain- and Portugal-inspired bar yanks fortified wines out of grandma’s liquor cabinet and serves a menu shaped by the team’s Balhannah kitchen garden and a hyper-sustainable seafood supply chain.
I ask owner James Roden if the first 12 months have been what he expected. “It’s been a rollercoaster,” he says. “And I guess we did expect a rollercoaster.”
This Friday the team will trade in table service for a stand-up birthday bash. “No bookings, just rock up, come in and have a good time,” Roden says.
Upstairs grab $2 roving tapas and pintxos. Downstairs magnums will be popping all night. The line-up is still evolving, but there’ll be Little Things shiraz and Vinteloper touriga nacional (one of Portugal’s most important red-grape varieties).
You can count on $5 vermouth Spritzes; $7 Mismatch beers and Ounce G&Ts; $15 cocktails (including a Tom Collins with a splash of Fino sherry); and a few “party drinks – like Strawberry Daiquiris – just for a bit of fun,” says Roden.
DJ Fazz will be spinning funk, soul and disco on vinyl. “We’re ‘gonna be wearing party shirts,” Roden adds. You’re encouraged to do the same.
Iberia’s (Belated) First Birthday is on Friday May 25 from 4pm to late.
