St Kilda restaurant Republica hit by arson attack

Curse of St Kilda hits another beachfront restaurant

Arson attack makes Republica the third restaurant on the St Kilda foreshore to catch on fire, after Donovans went up in flames in August and the Stokehouse burnt to the ground in January.

Arsonists set fire to popular St Kilda restaurant Republica overnight, causing $50,000 damage.

Three offenders were seen throwing petrol bombs into the Jacka Boulevard restaurant about 1.50am on Thursday.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said fire investigators and an arson chemist attended the scene and confirmed water and smoke damage. She said the restaurant was likely to be closed for cleaning but had not been destroyed by the fire.

Police investigate the Republica fire. Photo: Joe Armao

Republica management said the eatery would be closed Thursday but their other sites - Captain Baxter and Encore - would be operating as usual.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the attack. The offenders were wearing dark clothes with hoodies and scarves over their faces, and were last seen heading towards Fitzroy Street.

Speaking outside Republica, St Kilda Police Detective Sergeant Adam Vohmann confirmed that the offenders gained access to the building during the attack.

The scene at Republica after Thursday morning's firebombing. Photo: Joe Armao

"They've forced entry into the restaurant and inside they've used a number of items to assist in the fire starting," he said.

The attack was caught on CCTV cameras, which police are examining as they continue their investigation.

At this stage, investigators have not established a link between this fire and other fires this year at popular St Kilda restaurants.