Naked for Satan, Fitzroy Melbourne

“Do you know how far down Brunswick Street Naked for Satan is?”
“Huh?”
“Naked for Satan...it’s a Vodka Bar that’s around here somewhere.”
“Oh, right” says the shop assistant as she wraps up my pretty new dress for me “it’s just across the road and down a bit.”

As well as having a quirky, if not somewhat confronting name, Naked for Satan is by far one of the coolest, and most visually interesting places I’ve been to in a long time. In a Melbourne suburb renowned for its quirky, alternate style, Naked for Satan stands out from the crowd...by a Fitzroy mile. 

This bar is named after Russian immigrant Leon Satanovich, who made moonshine Vodka during the depression in the very building that Naked for Satan occupies today. Aussies, being Aussies, shortened his name to “Satan” as Satanovich was just too much of a mouthful for them to handle. Legend has it that, in the hot summer months, Satan used to distill his Vodka whilst stripped down to his knickers. And there you have it...Naked for Satan.

The interior of Naked for Satan is an over-the-top-jaw-dropping homage to the Vodka stills that Satan used to run. Copper pipes and tanks twist their way around the downstairs bar area, and all sorts of copper coated items dangle from the high ceilings. The entire place glows orange from all of the copper and I feel like I'm sitting inside the sun. It's beautiful and magical and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

As well as being a bar serving Vodka (and other drinks too of course) Naked for Satan offers punters a range of Pintoxs, which are perfect for a quick snack before The Boy and I head on over to the Melbourne Museum to see the Tutankhamun exhibition.

What are Pintoxs you ask? Pintoxs are a tapas style of bar food traditionally eaten in Northern Spain. The tapas are served atop a slice of bread and secured to the bread by way of a toothpick (known as a "pincho").   It seems that nearly anything can be skewered to the bread. We are both impressed by the chunky slice of frittata held firmly into place by a toothpick, and the rice ball that has no hope in hell of rolling away. 

Pintoxs will set you back $2 each, but there are often weekday specials as low as $0.50 per piece.

As is the Basque way - drinks are paid for up front, and the Pintoxs are paid for when you've finished all of your eating.  At Naked for Satan you save up your toothpicks to take to the bar after you've finished eating so they can tally up the food bill - honesty goes a long way with a payment method like this.  

Naked for Satan can be found at 285 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy (Melbourne). It's an experience like no other and I will definitely be returning there the next time we visit Melbourne.