“When you’re in here, you kind of forget you’re on Chapel Street,” Lee Theodoridis, who co-owns The Chapel with his cousin Dimitri Degrenis, tells Broadsheet. “We’re trying to take you to another world.”

That world looks like a futuristic cyberpunk land inspired largely by Stockholm nightlife venues.

Lighting placements and colours (predominantly red and purple) were chosen based on how they would interact with the venue’s textures and, in Theodoridis’s words, “the way different lights and colourways can make you feel in different environments”. Lights beneath the bar add shadow and dimension to the textured stone tiles, and those directed at the walls highlight the custom murals painted by local tattoo artist Mayonaize.

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Contrasting the decor is a menu mostly influenced by the owners’ Mediterranean heritage. A family-style menu is served in both the large dining area and the 30-person function room.

Dishes include barbequed pumpkin with whipped feta and pickled pumpkin seeds; prawn dolma with buttermilk and tarragon; slow-roasted lamb shoulder with chermoula; and a spin on the Greek rice pudding rizogalo, made here with saffron, rhubarb and a pistachio praline.

“It does not look anything like a traditional rizogalo – it’s a fusion version of it – but when I tasted it, it still brought in those flavours that I remember from my yiayia making it,” Theodoridis says.

The cousins have brought on mate and former Ends and Means owner Marc Frew to oversee the cocktail program. The changing drinks currently include the Neon West, a vibrant blend of white rum, green chartreuse and lime marmalade, and the Part-Time God, made with vodka, lime, pineapple, lavender and quillaia (a soapbark extract often found in root beer).

The music also changes up. “Depending on the day, you might get some jazz, soul, funk, house, hip-hop,” says Theodoridis. And there are DJ sets on Thursday to Sunday nights.

The team will also host a series called Sunday Service, where the venue will play what Theodoridis considers feel-good music. You can listen back to past playlists and live sets online.

The Chapel
113 Chapel Street, Windsor
(03) 8827 3824

Hours:
Wed & Thu 5pm–11pm
Fri 3pm–midnight
Sat 2pm–midnight
Sun 2pm–11pm

thechapelwindsor.com.au