Melbourne restaurateur Con Christopoulos and chef Matt Wilkinson have launched Sergio’s, a new diner and bar located at 120 Collins Street alongside its sibling venue, Roma. Designed to revive the spontaneous and fluid hospitality culture of 1990s Melbourne, the venue draws creative inspiration from post-fascist Rome and Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone.
Sergio’s features a nostalgic interior equipped with red-and-white gingham over white tablecloths, bentwood chairs, warm globe lighting, dark timber, and a custom sound system curated by Greg Molinaro of Hub 301 Records. The venue’s audio setup moves fluidly between genres, ranging from John Coltrane and opera to breakbeat and cinematic Italian soundtracks.
Chef Matt Wilkinson’s menu prioritizes comfort food with a European accent, offering dishes such as baked liver sausage with pancetta, sardines in spicy tomato sauce, spaghetti with signature red sauce, Tuscan sausages with onion gravy and mash, chicken Kyiv, battered fish, and pots of mussels. Dessert options include crème caramel, vanilla rice pudding, and Cherry Ripe gelato from Roma Gelateria. The drinks list features playful cocktails like the grapefruit-laced Bicycle Thief, rhubarb Margarita, Banana Colada, and Sergio’s Martini, alongside Australian wines served by the glass, carafe, or bottle.
