Melbourne craft brewery Moon Dog has revealed plans to open its newest venue Moon Dog Wild West in the old Franco Cozzo furniture showroom in Footscray. Set to open in March 2024, the venue will span three levels with over 100 taps and capacity for 800 patrons.
Moon Dog’s Karl van Buuren (pictured above on the right with fellow founder Josh Uljans) said: “We’re so excited to join the vibrant Footscray community in such an iconic location, the support has been overwhelming and we can’t wait to finally throw open the doors and welcome everyone in for a cold beer”.
Patrons will enter Moon Dog Wild West through swinging saloon doors on the ground floor which houses the venue’s largest bar and a bucking bull as the centrepiece. The entrance floor will also have a barrel ageing room, western arcade and The Kids’ Ranch.
The first and second floor will comprise the Honky Tonk bar, secret Pianola Bar, live music stage, pool tables and a balcony outpost lounge. The final floor is the rooftop with views across the city which includes the Watering Hole cocktail bar and a food offering at Prickly Pete’s Cantina.
Josh added: “With a venue of this size, we knew we could achieve something that hasn’t been seen before and really go bigger than we ever have. We’re hoping to create somewhere for people to enjoy the outrageousness of it all”.
Moon Dog will serve a range of craft beers and seltzers, along with a variety of wines, spirits, cocktails and non-alcoholic offerings. The food offering will include gastropub classics like burgers and chicken parmigiana alongside western-style favourites such as American BBQ bites.
As the brewery continues to expand its Melbourne footprint, it has also announced plans to open Doglands on the Marvel Stadium concourse in July, set to hold over 1,500 patrons, with further news to be announced for a Frankston venue set by the sea.