Footscray’s legendary Franco Cozzo site has undergone a wild transformation

UPDATE: The launch of Moon Dog Wild West has been delayed, with a revised opening date to be confirmed.

Swishing through the saloon doors into Moon Dog’s new 800-person mega-venue – which has transformed the iconic former Franco Cozzo furniture showroom on Hopkins Street in Footscray – it’s clear that you’re not just in the west. You’re in the Wild West.

The buck quite literally starts with a massive mechanical bull imported from Texas (naturally), ready to be ridden and with a dedicated riders’ club now accepting members. Faux shopfronts emulate an old western township. Artificial cacti and rocks add to the kitsch film-set vibe. Booths are horseshoe-shaped. And that’s just level one.

The increasingly popular independent brewer has gone all out bringing its third venue, Moon Dog Wild West, to life, with founders Josh and Jake Uljans, and Karl van Buuren, working closely with Maribyrnong City Council to address community concerns.

For half a century, the three-storey building was a showroom for the Italian-Australian Cozzo – Melbourne’s most beloved furniture salesman – who ascended to cult-figure status with his ’80s TV ads, his pronunciation of “Footiscray”, and, of course, his baroque wares.

The iconic nature of the location was a lure for Moon Dog. And it lives on, at least in part, as an ode to Cozzo, who died last year, aged 88. A mural of the ever-charismatic man remains untouched on the outside, as does the original signage.

Opening this Thursday, the interior has undergone “radical changes”, Josh Uljans says, with a dramatic void cut through the centre to better connect the levels and create a skylight.

Moving upstairs, level two promises to be “less yee-haw ... more honky-tonk”, says van Buuren, despite a mezzanine overlooking the bucking bull. Dimly lit and divey, there’s a “Blues Brothers-ish” stage for live music and a pianola bar (with “very Cozzo” wallpaper) for private functions, as well as more lounge areas to sprawl in between games of pool.

Above that is a ludicrously capacious open-air rooftop, an extension of a low-ceilinged space once used for furniture storage.

Two shipping container bars have been plonked in the middle, and there’s a surprising vantage point of the city skyline.

“I really want people to make their way through and think, ‘this is not what I was expecting’,” says Uljans.

Much of what there is to eat and drink is as on-theme as the surroundings. Slushies are spiked (layered tequila sunrise or Jack and coke?); cocktails are supersized and shareable (the hard peach iced tea is one for whiskey lovers); and shots come in novelty cowboy-boot-shaped glasses to get you giddied up. Plus, the entire Moon Dog catalogue of beers and seltzers is on pour from 100-plus taps venue-wide.

Food is a bit pubby and a bit Tex-Mex, with cheesy jalapeno poppers and sizzling fajita platters alongside chicken (and vegan) parmas. There are also double-decker (a soft tortilla inside a hard shell) pulled-pork tacos, or you can go large with a one-kilo T-bone, sliced up and topped with herby chimichurri and discs of “cowboy butter”. Because everything’s bigger in Texas.

As much as the Wild West is woven throughout, “it’s not a theatre restaurant”, Uljans insists. The success of Moon Dog’s OG Abbotsford location and Preston follow-up Moon Dog World, complete with an indoor lagoon, has a lot to do with their local-hangout status.

He has the same hopes for Moon Dog Wild West. “We really want to become part of the Footscray community – a place where the whole west can converge.”

Whether that’s just to blow the froth off a few, to be blown off the back of a mechanical bull, or both.

Open Mon-Tue 3pm-11pm, Wed-Sun noon-11pm, from Thursday, April 18.

Moon Dog Wild West, 54 Hopkins Street, Footscray, moondog.com.au/wild-west