IVY Piano Bar

IVY Piano Bar is a cocktail lounge and entertainment venue in Prahran, Melbourne, built around live music, drinks and shareable food. Its programme gives the venue a different character across the week, with the Big Blow Jazz Jam on Wednesdays from 7.30pm to 9.30pm, live piano entertainment from 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and B’s Sunday Lounge every second Sunday from 5pm to 7pm. The music calendar features a rotating group of performers, keeping the focus on live, changing entertainment rather than a fixed playlist.

The Wednesday jazz session is led by Steve Sedergreen and is open to instrumentalists and vocalists of all experience levels. That makes it particularly appealing to musicians who want to take part, as well as listeners looking for an evening shaped by improvisation and collaboration. Fridays and Saturdays centre on the piano bar, with artists performing familiar material and bringing their own energy to the room. B’s Sunday Lounge features Brenda Bressed, adding a more relaxed end-of-week option to the schedule.

The food menu is designed for grazing and sharing, with options across small plates and sweets. Standouts include baked camembert with salted maple glaze, macadamias and crisp pastry shards; pumpkin arancini served with whipped feta and basil pesto; coconut prawns with cucumber, mango and mint salsa; and the venue’s lobster rolls in toasted brioche with lime and sea salt. There are also crispy chicken sliders, glazed chorizo, a cheese plate and seasonal dips with grilled Turkish bread. For dessert, Spanish churros come with warm salted caramel, while the chocolate lava cake is served with vanilla bean ice cream.

The drinks list covers cocktails, mocktails, beer, cider and wine, with original cocktails such as the Toe Tapper, Rhuby Sour and Apricot Negroni alongside non-alcoholic choices including Heaps Normal Quiet XPA and several zero-proof mixed drinks. With its live piano sets, open jazz format and food suited to sharing, IVY works for a date, after-work drinks, a small group catch-up or a solo visit centred on the music. The open jam also gives performers a genuine opportunity to connect and play, rather than simply watch from the audience.