The People Behind South Wharf Restaurants
At South Wharf Restaurants, food and drink are only part of the story.
What really brings each experience together is the people behind it.
The chefs who test the sauce, adjust the seasoning and care about the detail. The wine people who understand why one bottle works with one dish and not another. The bartenders who know when a drink needs to be sharp, fresh or easy-going. The hosts who make a room feel relaxed from the moment guests arrive.
Across BangPop, Plus 5 and Henry and the Fox, our classes, lunches and events are built around those people.
Not just because we like putting events on.
Because food, wine and hospitality are better when there is a story behind them.
Experiences built around real hospitality
South Wharf Restaurants brings together a group of Melbourne venues with different personalities, but a shared approach.
Some events are hands-on.
Some are long lunches.
Some are casual, loud and social.
Some are slower, more considered and built around food, wine and conversation.
What connects them is the care that goes into each one.
A cooking class is not just about following a recipe. It is about understanding how a dish comes together, why a sauce works, what balance means and how small details change the result.
A wine lunch is not just about matching a glass to a plate. It is about the story of the producer, the style of the wine, the work in the kitchen and the conversation that happens around the table.
That is why we do them.
BangPop: Thai flavour, shared food and hands-on cooking
BangPop brings the colour, energy and flavour of Thai street food to South Wharf.
The events here are often built around movement, sharing and discovery. Thai Yum Cha is a good example. Instead of a standard sit-down lunch, guests experience roving carts, live stations and a more playful way to eat.
It feels social because it is designed that way.
BangPop’s cooking classes are another way guests can get closer to the food. Classes like Pad Thai & green papaya salad, Thai curries, roti and family-friendly school holiday sessions are about more than recreating a dish at home.
They are about learning how Thai flavours work together: heat, sweetness, salt, acidity, texture and freshness.
Best for: Guests who want flavour, energy, shared food and a more hands-on experience.
Plus 5: riverside sessions, casual classes and food made for sharing
Plus 5 has a more relaxed riverside feel.
This is where events can be easy, social and a little less structured. Pizza and pesto masterclasses, bottomless pizza and cocktails, gnocchi nights, weekend live music and riverside drinks all sit comfortably in the Plus 5 world.
The pizza and pesto class is a good example of what works well here. Guests roll, stretch, mix, taste and then sit down together with the food they have made.
It is casual, but still thoughtful.
That balance matters. Not every event needs to feel formal. Sometimes the best experiences are the ones where people learn something, have a drink, share a table and enjoy the venue without overthinking it.
Best for: Groups who want something social, relaxed and built around food, drinks and the river.
Henry and the Fox: wine, food and the story behind the plate
Henry and the Fox brings a more food and wine-led style to the group.
A true Melbourne experience.
This is where long lunches, masterclasses and hosted experiences can slow things down a little. Champagne lunches, cheese and wine events, risotto classes, gnocchi workshops, wagyu lunches and seasonal food events all give guests a reason to spend more time at the table.
The point is not to make food or wine feel complicated.
It is to make it feel more connected.
A Champagne lunch becomes more interesting when you understand the house behind the bottle. A cheese and wine event becomes more memorable when someone explains why the pairing works. A risotto masterclass becomes more useful when guests see the patience, timing and technique behind the final dish.
Best for:
Guests who enjoy food, wine, conversation and a more hosted experience.
Networking events, client drinks, team celebrations and flexible corporate functions in Melbourne CBD.
Why we keep creating classes and events
We put these events on because hospitality is at its best when people feel part of something.
A normal booking can be great. A good lunch, a drink by the river, a shared meal with friends or a table after work all have their place.
But classes and events allow us to go a little deeper.
They give guests a chance to meet the people behind the venues. To hear from chefs, hosts, wine people and bartenders. To understand why a dish is served a certain way, why a wine has been chosen or why a menu has been built around a particular theme.
That is what makes the experience feel more genuine.
Not bigger.
Not more formal.
Just more connected.
Event ideas across South Wharf Restaurants
Across the venues, our events can work for:
Cooking classes
Thai food experiences
Wine lunches
Champagne events
Cheese and wine sessions
Pizza and pesto masterclasses
Gnocchi and risotto workshops
Weekend live music
Bottomless brunches
Corporate team experiences
Private group bookings
Food-led celebrations
Some are designed for people who love cooking.
Some are for people who love wine.
Some are for groups looking for something different to do together.
All of them are shaped by the teams behind the venues.
More than somewhere to eat
South Wharf Restaurants is not just a collection of places to eat and drink.
It is a group of venues built around people who care about hospitality.
The kitchen teams.
The floor teams.
The bartenders.
The hosts.
The event managers.
The people who set the room, test the menu, polish the glassware, explain the dish and make sure the whole thing feels easy once guests arrive.
That is the part guests may not always see, but it is the part that matters.
Food is better with a story.
Wine is better with conversation.
Hospitality is better when people care.
That is what brings South Wharf Restaurants together.
Explore upcoming experiences
Looking for something different to do in Melbourne?
Explore upcoming classes, lunches, events and riverside experiences across South Wharf Restaurants.
From Thai cooking classes and Yum Cha at BangPop, to riverside sessions and hands-on workshops at Plus 5, to food and wine events at Henry and the Fox, there is always something happening behind the scenes.