Southern European-inspired Bar Blondie to open in former site of Milk Beach Queen’s Park

The former head of wine at the Michelin-starred Plates London and the founder of Australian restaurant Milk Beach have teamed up to open Bar Blondie in London’s Queen’s Park this summer.

Sommelier Alexandra Price and Sydney-born Elliot Milne are behind the new wine bar and restaurant, which will take inspiration from southern Europe.

Bar Blondie will showcase a 160-bin list featuring both old and new age wines from across the world.

The food menu, which takes its cue from Italian and southern French cuisine, will include a range of bar snacks, small plates, fresh pasta and sharing dishes from the grill.

The upcoming restaurant will take the former site of Milk Beach Queen’s Park and position itself as a community hub, with a cultural programme of musicians, DJs, poets, guest speaker nights, chess nights and wine tastings already in place.

The mid-century modern interiors have been designed by Price and Milne in close partnership with Macaulay Sinclair, while the collection of artwork has been chosen by Ryan Stanier, founder of the Other Art Fair.

Milne said: “I’m excited to be working with Alex. She is not only a thought-leader in the London wine community with a real talent for writing beautiful and distinctive wine lists, she’s also a writer herself and the perfect person to embody the cultural philosophy of the concept.

“As a Queen’s Park local I want to create a central ‘living room’ for the community – a place to bring people together over great food and wine; a place to experience different cultural events and meet new people. Lonsdale Road is a unique hub of restaurants, breweries, designers, co-working spaces and other creative businesses; it’s the perfect place to bridge the gap between East London wine bar creativity and energy, and West London sophistication and comfort.”

Price added: “London isn’t short on brilliant places to drink wine but they seem to become fewer and further between as you move west. It feels like the right time to contribute to that shift and help shape west London into more of a wine destination. 

“I’m looking forward to immersing myself in a new neighbourhood, bringing a change of perspective into Queen’s Park’s growing, energetic hospitality scene. For those who know my wine lists, there will be familiar threads. For those who don’t, expect something expressive and a little eccentric; a list that balances creativity with a respect for tradition, built with intention rather than convention.”

Prior to opening the first Milk Beach café and wine bar in 2018 in Queen’s Park, Milne had a career in law, finance and energy. He had also lived in Ethiopia with the Gates Foundation to set up the Coffee Initiative Project.

In 2022, he opened Milk Beach at Ilona Rose House – part of Silver Tree Restaurants – in Soho.

Price previously worked across the buying teams at the Birley Clubs and Caprice Holdings and later became head of wine for the Ham Restaurant Group, which operates restaurants including Bistro Freddie and Crispin at Studio Voltaire.

She was most recently head of wine at the Michelin-starred Plates London and was also a regular contributor to The Caterer’s Drinks Doctor features.