Ember & Oak

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Meat, Fire & Wine on New Haven Avenue

Ember & Oak on Melbourne's East New Haven Avenue is a dinner destination built around three things the restaurant itself calls out plainly: meat, fire, and wine. That straightforward conviction runs through every corner of the place, from the open-fire cooking to a beverage program serious enough to earn Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence in 2023.

A Drinks Program Worth the Trip Alone

The bar menu reads like it was written by someone who actually enjoys drinking. Barrel-aged cocktails — a Boulevardier leaning on Heavens Door Double Oak, an Antique Negroni built on Waterloo Antique Gin — share space with stirred originals like the Beef Fat Washed Manhattan, made with fat-washed bourbon, Cocchi sweet vermouth, house-made fig syrup, and tobacco bitters. The Smoke + Amber, an oak-smoked bourbon or tequila with brown sugar and fresh orange, signals clearly what the kitchen is doing a few feet away.

Wine pairings are available on request, and the by-the-bottle list spans Burgundian Pinots, Rhône Grenache, Argentine Malbec, and what the restaurant calls "the rare shit" — a candid promise backed by over 65 boutique selections. The centerpiece is a self-serve Wine Room where guests can taste their way through special allotments and house favorites at their own pace — an interactive format that stands apart from the standard sommelier-pours-you model.

The Room & the Experience

Ember & Oak accommodates private parties and offers outdoor seating alongside full table service, making it flexible for a quiet weeknight dinner or a larger celebration. The American cooking anchors everything, and the fire-forward approach gives the menu a character that pairs naturally with the wine-forward room surrounding it.

For a mid-size Florida city, a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence is not a given — it requires documented depth and range. That Ember & Oak holds one is the clearest signal that this is a place where the drinks are taken as seriously as what comes off the fire.