Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

Calling All Replicants: A ‘Blade Runner’ Bar Just Popped Up in Melbourne, Australia

By

Blade Runner Bar from Blade Runner 2049
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The original 1982 Blade Runner proved to be a remarkable turning point for sci-fi cinema. Thirty-five years after its debut — and a full 50 years after Philip K. Dick released the source novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? — fans continue to dissect and scrutinize every scene, character, and line of dialogue. Needless to say, the film’s legions of followers have spawned all manner of fan fiction, Comic-Con costumes, and exhaustive fan forums. Now, a week before the highly anticipated debut of Blade Runner 2049, a Blade Runner bar has popped up.

It’s difficult to imagine how a three-decades-old sci-film that depicts a bleak, dystopian future full of warring humans and androids might inspire a watering hole. Nevertheless, we’re intrigued by Melbourne’s Cinema Nova theater’s announcement of Bar 2049, a one-off conversion of its Nova Bar & Kitchen into a fully immersive Blade Runner-themed pop-up bar. The art house has screened the original film many times over the years. Street artist Chris Hancock has created exclusive wall murals for the space, and filmmaker Ben Helweg crafted specific Blade Runner-inspired video installations. Large LCD screens, neon lighting, lasers, silver unicorns, and creepy mannequins round out the atmosphere. The entire experience will be soundtracked with audio that blends Vangelis’ original film score with synth pop.

Recommended Videos

Every aspect of the Nova kitchen is pulling visual and artistic inspiration from the original film and its forthcoming sequel. The “Tastes from the Future” dinner and cocktail menu will include drinks like The Offworld and Nexus 9. No word yet on how many concoctions will make use of Rick Deckard’s (Harrison Ford) drink of choice (whiskey ).

Themed bars, especially of the pop-up variety, appear to be the modern expression of ultimate fandom. We’ve previously covered LA’s Tim Burton-inspired Beetle House and New York’s permanent Oscar Wilde . The mose recent, a Stranger Things-inspired bar called The Upside Down, also proved to be wildly popular (that is, until Netflix put the kibosh on the whole unlicensed spin-off). With this last bit of news in mind, Blade Runner fans may want to get to Bar 2049 soon before the fine folks at Columbia Pictures shut this one down too.

Bar 2049 opened Thursday, September 28, and will run through the end of October.

Mike Richard
Mike Richard
Contributor
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…
The ultimate guide to Lebanese cuisine, a rich and distinct food culture
After you read this, you'll be excited to cook this cuisine at home
Middle Eastern, Arabic, or Mediterranean dinner table with grilled lamb kebab, chicken skewers with roasted vegetables and appetizers variety serving on rustic outdoor table

The food culture of Lebanon is rich and resonant, reflecting both its Mediterranean setting and deep anthropological history.
Even those who have never trekked to Beirut — let alone their local Middle Eastern eatery — are likely familiar with a few of the staples. Lebanon, once a major part of the Ottoman Empire, is the birthplace of earthy dishes like baba ganoush and sweet treats such as baklava.

With its admiration for seasonality and a mix of breads and produce almost always accompanied by beverages, Lebanese cuisine is like the Italy of the Arab world. Whether you're munching at a cafe in Tripoli or just thumbing though a good cookbook at home, this kind of food is not only delicious and distinctive, but it welcomes an unhurried pace over the duration of many, many enjoyable courses.
The history of Lebanese cuisine

Read more
6 easy camping cocktails to shake your post-hike thirst
Bring all these ingredients to quench your thirst in the wild
Outdoorsman's Hot Toddy

So you're camped out in your best tent for too long? Or wearily panting atop the summit of a fourteener? Perfect! Time for some easy cocktails to make everything better. Yes, that's right, when you've got the 4-1-1 behind these easy-to-make, tasty adult libations, you can enjoy a fine drink on a mountain, at the campsite, or when you're home and don't feel like cutting lemon twists or adding sugar to the rim of your cocktail glass.

The secret to making great camp cocktails is the same trick to achieving military victory: Keep it simple. There's no camp-friendly version of the Long Island iced tea, but that doesn't mean you have to stick with cheap whiskey when roughing it.

Read more
23 easy cocktail recipes you can make at home
Check out this curated list of classic cocktail recipes to master in your own bar
Bartender making a whiskey highball

A cocktail doesn't have to be a complicated thing. In fact, many of the best classic cocktails involve just a few ingredients. These, my friends, are the cocktails you should know how to make, as they're simple to pull off and taste superb.

Maximalist cocktails with as many ingredients as there are stars in the sky are great, but better left to the pros. We like to make the ones that don't require a whole lot of special equipment (outside of a good cocktail shaker) or that take too much of your precious time. These are cocktails that tend to let your favorite spirit shine, whether it's good rye whiskey or a favorite gin.

Read more