Mercedes-Benz Team with ST. ALi on new CBD Concept Store

A black steel mezzanine that calls back to car factories of the 1950s. Plush private booths, natural timbers, black leather and designer furniture. Fresh coffee sipped among high-end luxury cars. Designed by local architects Jackson Clement Burrows, the new Mercedes me Melbourne concept store is unlike any other venue in the city.

The combination cafe, dining, event and design space at the base of Rialto Towers on Collins Street, is just the seventh such store in the world, following Hamburg, Munich, Moscow, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Beijing. “You don’t have to be a car enthusiast and you don’t have to learn about the brand to enjoy the space,” says general manager Simon Johnson. “But it’s there to discover if you want.”

As is the food and drink. Mercedes-Benz has teamed up with long-time partner ST. ALi to take care of the kitchen; there’s a new menu curated to the store’s concept of innovation. “I really like the new Green Goblet dish,” says Salvatore Malatesta founder of the ST. ALi Family. “It’s stewed greens with chlorophyll. It sounds a bit unappealing but it’s absolutely delicious with a surprising sweetness and interesting texture.”