The SG

SG’s or Spooning Goat is the bar you’ve been looking for.
This underground tavern is adorned with Star Wars artwork and memorabilia and it’s a nice place to gather with friends and enjoy some unique Kraft beer and the best bar nuts which are actually spicy Nutri-​grain pieces (which are amazing)
Staff here are very down to earth and have an extensive knowledge of what they sell and what’s a good thing to try out :) if you are adventurous like that!

Everything I’d read about The SG on Unilocal led me to believe it would be my kind of bar. Turns out it’s my kind of bar! Met some mates here for our regular Wednesday night drinks. It’s a way cooler space than it has any right to be, given that it’s hidden in one of those ugly 1970s semi-​arcade things that blight towns everywhere. The lesson is: there’s nothing red velvet curtains can’t fix! The bar itself is pretty petite with maybe four beers on tap (none of which I was familiar with) and they do cheese toasties by way of food — I had the brie with mustard pickles and it made me very happy. There’s comfy armchairs and cute little lounges dotted about the place (it reminded me of a mini version of The Clare, from the era before The Clare became a fancy boutique hotel), and the décor is heavy on the Star Wars memorabilia — there’s a cardboard cut-​out Storm Trooper in the window in an aim-​and-​fire pose that from behind makes it look like a punter who snuck out to light up a smoke — and artefacts from my childhood, like those string-​and-​nail artworks (I love those!) and arcade machines. The toilets are the kind where you exit into what seems to be the building carpark and have to trek down corridors. Staff were playing Oasis and You Am I among other things, contributing to the overall vibe. One of my friends loved it here — I mean, really loved it; said if it was closer to work he’d be there all the time. It’s a great place to while away an evening!

This place gets five stars from me simply because the friend from Colorado we took here has an obsession with goats and she almost died and went to heaven when she saw all the goat pics and she loved taking a photo with the ‘I love Goats’ sign out the front. The Star Wars memorabilia and arcade games are wicked. This bar manages to balance the kitsch with really good mood lighting and craft beers and cider so that you feel like you are in a funky Melbourne-​esque bar rather than your mates basement in the 1980’s underage drinking strongbow cider.

It feels like you are back in the 80s and sitting in the basement of one of your friends, sipping a few drinks, chowing down on some homemade pies, and basically just chilling! Loved the Goats, so casual, cozy and comfortable with their huge, velvet sofas, retro furniture, and all the Star Wars memorabilia. They even have a Sega retro video game system, which can play tricks with your mind if you try and play it after a few cocktails! Highly recommended for all the kitsch and memorabilia and the dose of nostalgia it evokes.

Turned up to The SG at 4:40pm on Saturday, and it was closed. No staff in sight. No idea if it is still opened, but i do know advertised opening hours are wrong if it still is.

A hidden bar in the middle of the city next to a convenient store. Decorated with Star Wars artwork and limited edition miniature spacecrafts. Complete with functioning über cool arcade machines. More than 10 local craft beer on tap. Need I say more?
Awesome little place to chill out after work.

Cozy small bar which has retro video games, lots of star wars memorabilia, an awesome selection of beer, and very tasty pies.
And also they accept bitcoin thanks to Bitpos (which you should look into if you run your own business), which makes it very unique (for now anyway). So basically, bitcoin for beer + pies. A 5 star rating in itself because of the effort they have undergone to accept bitcoin.
Also, every Wednesday from 6pm onwards (till around 8) there are bitcoin enthusiasts who meet here each week. Which you can also trade with.

Impressive. Most Impressive
The two guys who run this place are in-​saaaannneeeeeeeee (voice like Oprah if you will) and I love them for being in-​saaaaaaannnnneeeeeee!
Fabuolous, secret cocktails were revealed to me the day I bounded down the stairs and held aloft my magic martini glass and said: «By the power of S. G!!!» (do-​do do do do dooooo do,… um yeah. you remember that tune fellas don’t ya!)
‘Cause being the last of the Gen Xers (1978 if-​you-​please-​thank-​you-​very-​much!) I am fully down with the décor of this place. All Terrain Armoured Transports, All Terrain Scout Transports, and a space cruiser that can do the Kessel run in under 12 parsecs! (its a measure of distance not time George!); these are things I know and love, and which scatter themselves about the wonderful bar that is The Spooning Goat.
Beastman, Man-​e-​faces, Kringer, Skeletor and Cy-​clops are there behind the bar, sneaking behind expensive bottles of whisky and non-​standard tequila bottles. So is authentic Battle Damage He-​man!!! Heart!
A pot of strawberry jam (it’s for the cocktails!) bubbles away on the stove top next to a maniacally grinning bartender, who serves the most pristine set of cocktails I have yet to try. And don’t get me started on the nibbles. Ohhh Emmm Geeee. Nuts and Bolts are amazing! Nutrigrain and peanuts with sassy spice attitude! Sign me up! What are they made with? Arrakeen Mélange???
This small little easily missable downstairs speak-​easy is just the ticket for a good slosh fest of alcohol after a busy day at work. Sega Master System (in working order and with appropriate cartridges) CHECK. 4 in 1 table top arcade system (with Scramble, the god of all pre-​1984 games!) CHECK. Great atmosphere and fully retro-​ized décor. CHECK. Awesome drinks. CHECK CHECK CHECK CHECK CHECK fizzle bang crash! (and the sound of a robot overloading and bursting into flames)
These bartends of awesome-​repute are the Aladdins of the city; what they have created is just magical. Women beware, because your men will revert to children in this place. But the cocktails will send you back in time with them…
But can we just have one care bear?! Shun the non-​believers!
Go here and enjoy yourself! You must, it is your… .destiny!
(Can I get the award for the cheesiest amount of pop culture references to nerdy things in a review please? OMG Thank you, thank you!)

Pimp my Nutri Grain!
Spooning Goats (The SG Bar) is the living embodiment of my 8 year old childhood mashed unceremoniously with my formative uni years. It’s an eclectic mix of he-​man action figures, sega master system, star wars, retro décor, sit down arcade games and… you guessed it… Nana’s spoon collection (where are the goats exactly?)
As I entered for my first Unilocal event (the Shoes for Planet Earth charity) dressed in my casual attire I felt strangely overdone. What this place needed was my faded brown Gauntlet retro-​ringer tee to complete the ensemble… Elf is about to die!
My eyes surveyed the Star Wars scene, cocktails and dreams, and I felt like a kid in a candy shop. Except I was a man. In a small bar.
Pretty soon there was a dozen peeps in the place enjoying hand-​crafted tap brews and discussing the correlation between Billy Mitchell’s mullet and his gaming prowess. In between my planes crashing into the water on 1942 and my lil miss Pacman getting sodomised by the gang of 4 (Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde) I met some great people and enjoyed the awesome atmosphere of this Man Cave on steroids. I think even the girls got into the Sega.
Then it happened! Betwixt one heart beat and the next as my hand hovered over the red token slot I wondered if this was how Connect 4 was really meant to be played. Heart-​wrenching anxiety palpatating into purple pulp was mere microseconds away. And yet, from the jaws of that awful despair came salvation, one column over, in the form of victory!
Two games later I connected 6 and learned that Science was indeed my sweet little beach!
Girls if you want to treat your man, bring him here and let the kid in him loose. You’ll thank me for it later, and so will he (maybe with a ring. on it)
Guys if you want to treat yourself, grab some buddies, head here and fire up the sega over some cheeky brews.
Who knew Nutri Grain and Bhuja Mix had a bastard child?
Why’s it a 5? Let’s tick the boxes:
— Star wars theme — tick
— Sega master system — tick
— Arcade games — tick
— Friendly hosts — tick
— Good service — tick
— Tasty hand-​crafted beers — tick
— Suitably priced — tick
— Pimped Nutri Grain — tick
— Relaxed feel — tick
— Fun — big tick!
What else do you need?
The only thing missing was Living Colour belting out that unmistakable «Cult of Personality» riff whilst bowl after bowl of nuts ‘n bolts were devoured!
P. S. Oh they are also missing the Fisto He-​man figurine (Man-​at-​arms brother) and his arch-​nemesis, the golden handed Jitsu! (but they seem to have the rest!)

I went here for a Unilocal event. The décor is unabashedly 80’s, with some of the guys playing old school computer games in one corner. This makes me feel like I’m in someone’s lounge room… in the 80’s. It’s got a comfy, retro vibe to it.
Besides the yummy drinks we also had:
— nuts and bolts. This is a bowl of nuts and Nutrigrain, which was strangely savory. We tried to get the recipe but I guess it’s a well guarded secret!
— pies! The pies are made on the spot so they take a little while to come out, but they are really yummy!

Came here on a Tuesday night as part of a Unilocal Elite Event, and this was the second stop in our Small Bar crawl. It’s definitely one of those places you wouldn’t have expected to be there, being beside a convenience store.
The bar is decorated to appeal to Star Wars fanboys (and girls like me) and they have a working Atari with a handful of games you can play for free. There was also an arcade game but I was told you had to put in coins to play. The chairs and lounges are all very retro and adds to the blast-​from-​the-​past vibe of the place.
We were feeling peckish and decided to order the chorizo and potato pie which was very yummy and worth the short wait, as the pies are made to order. It came in a small bowl with a tiny handle, and we were given these little spoons to use as cutlery that looked like they were from a rich old lady’s spoon collection.
We were given a complementary bowl of Nuts and Bolts, which is nutrigrain and nuts mixed with spices. Such great value for $ 2 a bowl and just oh so good. The bowl we were given didn’t even last two minutes as we couldn’t get enough of it.
It was just the Unilocal group on that Tuesday night, but I happened to pass by around 11−12pm on a Friday night and it didn’t look too busy. That’s a big plus for me because I don’t really enjoy crowded and noisy bars where you have to shout at each other to have a decent conversation. But heck, even if it was crowded, I’d be going back here for the Nuts and Bolts alone.

Spooning Goats, an Atari 2600, Star wars themed paintings and models in the front window. I have to admit, I was taken aback — and front — I loved it. I came here as part of a Unilocal Elite event and the place is lovely. The savoury nutragrain did wow my senses and I want to take a bunch of people I know back here because of its atmosphere. So good. No, I don’t get the spoons, but I do get the rest.

A great bar for my demographic: Star Wars-​themed décor (though not overdone), old video games (an Atari 2600 with several game cartridges), and some great drinks. For the more nana-​minded there were also racks of silver ornamental spoons. OK… The vibe was my style though: easygoing, kitschy, comfortable seats with lots of room to move around.
It was laid back on the Tuesday night I was here for a Unilocal event; it’s tucked below street level beside a convenience store, and easy to miss.
A rep from Milagro tequila splashed out some great drinks, including a Moscow Mule-​type punch (but made with tequila instead of vodka, obviously), and some straight shots of their reserve reposado that were really yum.

There are AT-​ATs in the window!
Plus an X-​Wing Fighter complete with a certain whiny little farm boy, and snowspeeders, and something from Battlestar Galactica, and. .. and. .. and it’s hard not to go fanboy when you see things that were so definitive from your childhood. And people do. When you’re hanging out inside the basement level of Spooning Goats you see passersby — grown men and women! — on York St above stopping and losing their shit in gleeful nostalgia.
Proprietor Jason has crafted something special here: an intimate retro lounge where you can hang out and have a good time without any of the crap pretensions of other Look At Me bars where nobody relaxes because they’re too worried about who’s looking at them or what they’re wearing. Forget that. This is real local stylez. And even better, he’s committed to only using recycled fit out materials … which means kick-​ass retro couches from your lounge room circa 1988, blew me away with their old skool cool.
They got a whole buncha great beers on offer, and a menu that focuses on gourmet pies. Give the 5xmini pie tasting flight a crack. I also hear rumours of a signature Pop Rock cocktail in the works…
.. . and look, I got through that whole review without mentioning the original Atari they have set up for people to play, or the plans for a Sega Master System. Um, can you say Sonic and Altered Beast?!

When I heard that this place had a working ATARI with a selection of games to play, I knew that I must get down there to check it out!
I mean what could be better?! Video games from my early childhood alongside a great selection of Boutique Beers and Cocktails! Surely a winner you say?
The concept is clearly there, and I like the idea and the décor, which is funky retro, from the chairs to the wallpaper. Where it begins to unravel is the layout. Too many BIG seats taking up all the space, so that you have to squeeze in between to get anywhere. There is also zero place to stand, as all the floor space is taken up with the seats. So try to avoid getting there later on a Friday night.
Overall, not bad. Go for a quick drink and a hit-​out on the Atari.

Amazing pies, great selection of beers and quirky furniture. Bar staff were extremely friendly and the clientele aren’t ever douchey. Love the Atari … fuuccckkk yeah