Baix & 81 Bay
Brighton, Melbourne, VIC
- Services
- Reception venue
- Style
- Restaurant and bar
- In business
- 1+ year
About
Baix and 81 Bay sit side by side on Bay Street in Brighton — a restaurant and a wine bar from Ian Curley, the chef behind French Saloon and Kirk's Wine Bar in the city. They opened in 2025, and brought a city dining room to the bayside. Weddings go in 81 Bay. It is the largest and most dynamic of the three rooms, a contemporary, French-leaning wine bar that comfortably takes 80 or more guests, either as a lively canapé gathering or a more formal seated dinner. Weddings, christenings and milestone birthdays are what the venue hires this room out for.
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The other two rooms are offered for private dining rather than weddings, and they are worth knowing about for the gatherings around the day. The Vasari Room sits just off the wine bar and seats up to 20 around a single communal table — plush leather chairs, low light, a room built for a long lunch. Baix, the restaurant, has Italian leather booths, designer lighting and white linen, and takes an intimate seated dinner or a canapé event. The menus are seasonal and change every few weeks. A three-course shared menu is $95 a head, canapés are $68 a head for the length of your event, and beverage packages start at $50 a head for three hours. Wine is the house strength: a deep list by the glass and the bottle, a takeaway wine shop, and Baix's own label made by Ghost Rock in Tasmania. Rooms are held on a minimum spend rather than a hire fee, and the minimum for 81 Bay is quoted on enquiry. An 8% service fee applies to event bookings, and the venue is licensed until 11pm.
The venue
- Standing
- 80
- Curfew
- 11 pm
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Packages
Package details supplied by Baix & 81 Bay.
Three-course shared menu
What it includes
- Three seasonal starters to share, a choice of mains, then dessert
- Everything is served down the centre of the table
- Proper frites and a leaf salad come with the mains
- Add six oysters, or 30g Baerii Siberian Reserve caviar for $135
- Add three cheeses from Long Paddock, Castlemaine for $37
- Other starters and mains available on request
$95 per person
Canapés
What it includes
- Six savoury canapés and one sweet, served for the duration of your event
- Gougères of aged comté and caramelised onion
- Padrón and potato croquetas with ancho mayo
- Anchovy and sourdough soldiers
- Warm blinis and caviar with chives and sour cream
- Cannoli filled with lemon, chocolate, ricotta and pistachio
- Seasonal, so the list changes with the produce
$68 per person
Classic beverage package
What it includes
- Free flowing for the length of your event, charged per person
- Vallformosa MVSA Cava Brut, Spain
- Larry Cherubino Folklore Chardonnay, Pemberton WA
- Rutini Trumpeter Malbec, Mendoza
- Urban Alley draught, Two Brothers Taxi Pilsner, Prickly Moses Light
- Soft drink, juice and sparkling water
- $65 for four hours, $75 for five
$50 per person / 3 hours
Premium beverage package
What it includes
- Six wines, all beer and non-alcoholic drinks, free flowing
- Ruggeri Argeo Prosecco, Veneto
- Red Claw Pinot Gris, Mornington Peninsula
- Baix Chardonnay by Ghost Rock, Devonport
- Yangarra Estate Circle Rosé, McLaren Vale
- Baix Organic Pinot Noir by Ghost Rock, Devonport
- $85 for four hours, $95 for five
$70 per person / 3 hours
Superior beverage package
What it includes
- The full list, free flowing for the length of your event
- Deviation Road Loftia Vintage Brut, Adelaide Hills
- Shaw & Smith Sauvignon Blanc, Adelaide Hills
- Giant Steps Chardonnay, Yarra Valley
- Saint Maison AIX Rosé, Provence
- Moorooduc Estate Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula
- Ravensworth Sangiovese and Wonderground Shiraz
- $105 for four hours, $120 for five
$90 per person / 3 hours
Pricing and availability may change. Confirm the current details with Baix & 81 Bay before booking.
Questions
Which room do weddings go in?
81 Bay, the wine bar. It is the largest of the three rooms and the one the venue hires out for weddings, christenings and milestone birthdays — 80 or more guests, either canapé style or as a formal seated dinner. The other two rooms, The Vasari Room (up to 20 around one table) and Baix, the restaurant, are offered for private dining rather than weddings, so ask the events team if you are after something smaller.
What does it cost to hold the room?
Rooms are held on a minimum spend rather than a hire fee, so what you spend on food and drink counts towards it. The minimum spend for 81 Bay is quoted on enquiry — the venue publishes figures for its two smaller private dining rooms but not for the wedding room. An 8% service fee is added to every event booking; anything beyond that is at your discretion.
How late can we go?
The venue is licensed until 11pm and last drinks are called at 10:30pm.
How do we hold a date, and when is payment due?
A tentative booking is held for seven days. A 50% deposit confirms it. Final guest numbers are due 48 hours before the event — that is the number catered for and charged. The balance is settled by credit card at the end of the night, and the bill can be split by a custom amount as long as it is all paid at once.
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What happens if we need to cancel?
Outside 60 days you get a full refund. Between 60 and 30 days your deposit can be moved to another date, and that credit lasts six months from the original booking date. Between 30 and 7 days the deposit is forfeited. Inside 7 days the room's minimum spend is charged.
Can you cater for dietary requirements?
Yes. The kitchen accommodates all dietary requirements — tell the events team when you confirm numbers. The menus are seasonal and change every few weeks, so dishes may vary from the ones listed.
Do you have suppliers you work with?
Their preferred suppliers are The Road Stall for flowers, Hopetoun Tea Rooms for cake and Party Affair for decorations. Note that the venue takes no responsibility for property brought in by an external supplier, so check with the events team before you book anyone in.
What about wine?
It is the house strength. There are three free-flowing beverage packages from $50 a head for three hours, or you can build a list from the cellar and pay on consumption — the wine team will help you match it to the menu. Champagne or cocktails on arrival can be added, and the house label, Baix by Ghost Rock, is made in Devonport, Tasmania.
Where it is
81 Bay St, Brighton VIC 3186, Australia
Send an enquiry
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