2 weeks Ago By Daniela Frangos, Jay Clough
Pubs are where many families celebrate every birthday, bands get their first gig and teenagers get their first hospo job. Along with cafes , they’re probably our most welcoming hospitality space and a key part of the Good Food Guide 2025 . You don’t need to follow a dress code or earn a certain amount to stake your claim to a table or stool.
Right now, Melbourne is at the height of a pub renaissance that’s been 10-plus years in the making. Many point to The Marquis of Lorne and The Builders Arms as the lodestars for today’s schmick but soulful renovations that are sweeping pubs across Melbourne. The pub revival gathered pace after the pandemic , as veterans decided to leave an unpredictable market and many old gems ended up in the hands of next-gen publicans, who got to work polishing them.
From the restored Mona Castle in Seddon to The Beehive in Hawthorn and the North Fitzroy Arms, today’s rebooted pubs combine nostalgia with a sense for what punters want now: food that’s a cut-above, a sense of community, and more than just beer in their glass. Most importantly, their owners have retained the character that so many previous pub renovations have destroyed. To celebrate the pub’s triumphant return to a beloved cornerstone of Melbourne’s drinking and dining, The Age Good Food Guide 2025 includes a new award for Pub of the Year.
It recognises a pub – new or old – that embodies the best parts of our city’s pub culture, from genuine community spirit to quality food and drink. Here are 20 that we believe are the city’s worthiest watering holes right now. Emma Breheny, co-editor, The Age Good Food Guide 2025 Albert Park Hotel There’s plenty going on behind this historic facade.
Frothies and footy in the front bar. Feasts of Peking duck, dumplings and dan dan noodles from in-house Chinese restaurant Happy Valley. And ritzy cocktails throughout.
Despite flashes of glam and an atrium flooding the entire place with natural light, the vibe is unpretentious. A true art. 85 Dundas Place, Albert Park, thealbertpark.
com.au The Albion Hotel Bar crawls along Smith Street have a new stop-off. Resplendent in red brick and tartan, this reborn pub comes with a likeable menu that includes Caesar salad, three different cuts of steak and wildcards such as the bacon schnitzel: gently cured pork in a golden panko crumb.
The owners’ Bodriggy brews are on tap, including a kneeslapping Cosmic Microwave NEIPA and a more entry-level tropical seltzer. 314 Smith Street, Collingwood, albionhotel.pub The Beehive Hotel This old beacon is buzzing again.
It’s been restored with heritage interiors, custom light fixtures resembling beehives, and a return to its original name. Leek and gruyere croquettes with hot honey are on theme, joined by beer-battered fish and chips, grilled spatchcock and cheesy pastas. The bar caters to all budgets, pouring $6 Pirate Life ponies and pricey Penfolds Grange.
84 Barkers Road, Hawthorn, thebeehivehotel.com.au Builders Arms Hotel The Builders is the frequent conclusion to “where should we meet?” debates, and with good reason.
Drop in for a couple of pots over the wood, a beaut burger or a full three-course dinner with wines from the impressive list. The whipped cod roe and fish pie live in Fitzroy food folklore while a half rotisserie chicken on taleggio polenta is a full-on flavour assault. It rarely gets better than this.
211 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, buildersarmshotel.com.au Flying Duck Hotel Need refuge from the chaos of Chapel Street? Slip into a green leather booth or perch in the fairy-lit glasshouse at this rejuvenated 1868 beauty.
Either spot is good for appreciating wood-grilled Shark Bay scallops in garlick herb butter. Or the namesake bird, which is confited and served with green lentils and a vegetable of the moment. 67 Bendigo Street, Prahran, flyingduckhotel.
com.au Hardimans Hotel The rowdy courtyard at this multi-level space is a go-to for summer sessions. The kitchen churns out wood-fired pizza – plump chilli-prawn and caper or fiery pepperoni with hot honey – and 20-plus taps pour everything from Irish stout to niche farmhouse saison.
Kids are welcomed with quality grub and colour-in menus. 521 Macaulay Road, Kensington, hardimans.com.
au Mona Castle Hotel The great Aussie dream lives on at the Mona. This beloved working-class watering hole had a recent overhaul but lost none of its geniality. Dim sims with chilli jam are a highlight, as is the raucous front bar.
On Sundays westside families flock to the beer garden for a roast or huddle around the open fireplace with a bottle of red. 45-53 Austin Street, Seddon, monacastlehotel.com Mount Erica Hotel With its moody lighting and vintage Australiana artwork, the Erica happily walks the line between refined and casual.
In the vast dining room of dark chestnut, revel in the dual wood-fired aromas of the roaring fireplace and chargrilled sirloin steaks bolstered by best-in-class bearnaise. Or head for the bar, an easy-breezy hangout where schnitzels are fancied up with fresh fior di latte and zippy radish slaw. 420 High Street, Prahran, mountericahotel.
com.au Naughtons Hotel Cheerful staff herald this handsome 151-year-old pub, where locals pack out the dining room (especially on steak night). They’re seeking well-executed comfort food:porterhouse cooked over coals, coq au vin, house-made salami and fancy potato cakes, all underscored by a dedication to small producers such as Barongarook Pork.
43 Royal Parade, Parkville, naughtonshotel.com.au Northcote Social Club A live music institution has no business serving food this good, but the glossy braised lamb shank, two-hander burgers and buttery chicken kiev are as much a drawcard as who’s on stage.
From the Corner Hotel crew, this rollicking stomping ground brings together old rockdogs and young families alike. On weekdays, make a beeline for $20 lunch specials. 301 High Street, Northcote, northcotesocialclub.
com North Fitzroy Arms The bar at this 150-year-old haunt draws vocal crowds for Sunday footy and cold Carlton Draught. Things are more zhuzhed-up in the restaurant. Chicken liver parfait with apricot brandy jelly is a riff on apricot chicken, while pie floaters and sticky date pudding travel further back in time.
Even cocktails, such as the Appletini, make for a tasty, tongue-in-cheek throwback. 296 Rae Street, Fitzroy North, northfitzroyarms.com.
au North Port Hotel The phrase “any port in a storm” doesn’t apply at the North Port, where regulars know there’s more than beer and crumbed chook to be found. Salt and pepper calamari tingles with jewels of grapefruit, oysters Kilpatrick are boosted with bourbon, and the Sunday roast stars memorably light Yorkshire puddings. Pooches are warmly welcomed, inside and out.
146 Evans Street, Port Melbourne, northporthotel.com.au Post Office Club Hotel After a short stint as an upmarket bistro, this longstanding boozer has returned to its roots with steak specials, Guinness on tap and fall-apart lamb shanks.
The open fireplaces, exposed brick, and houndstooth banquettes remain, while the dog-friendly courtyard is a dreamy pocket of hanging plants and festoon lights. 306 St Kilda Road, St Kilda, postoffceclubhotel.com.
au Punters Club The music plays on at this Fitzroy icon, recently revived after a 22-year pause. It’s striking a chord with patrons of all stripes – including those with hazy memories of its heyday – who pile in for free gigs and $12 wines. There’s also peppery roo schnitzel, tuna tartare served in a bag of salt and vinegar chips, and South Melbourne Market dimmies with Lao Gan Ma chilli oil.
376 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, puntersclubfitzroy.com Royal Oak Hotel This sibling to the well-loved Marquis of Lorne bears the same savvy charm without the extreme sport of hustling for a seat. Sink a pint at the U-shaped jarrah bar, sip a skinsy wine, tackle grainfed sirloin or beer-battered rockling, or come late for rambunctious nights fuelled by surprisingly good cocktails.
442 Nicholson Street, Fitzroy North, royaloakhotel.co The Royston In a quiet backstreet, the retro Royston appears like an apparition (an effect that suits its Twin Peaks-esque stone facade). Push through the swinging doors and stake your claim at the pool table, or settle for footy on the telly.
There’s craft beer on tap and the burgers are some of the most generous around, but Korean fried cauliflower and spicy Sichuan wings are more snackable. The pub’s oft-cited as the first to exclusively serve craft beer on tap. 12 River Street, Richmond, roystonhotel.
com.au Springrock Public Bar From the minds that brought you Fancy Hank’s comes Springrock, the pub Melbourne’s CBD has been waiting for. Monitor footy scores over marlin crudo with fermented chilli or tip back a pint of Stomping Ground dark lager, a rip-roaring pairing for wagyu salami.
Office workers blow off steam around the checkerboard-tiled bar, and the late-night menu stars a more-is-more chilli dog. 87 Bourke Street, Melbourne, springrock.com.
au The Standard Could this be the benchmark for pubs everywhere? Rusted-on barflies dodging gentrification hang out in front while culture buffs book out Tuesday trivia, ordering roo steaks and doublecheese parmas. Seemingly unchanged over its long life, this retreat still reps kitsch cricket memorabilia, old music posters and sticky carpets and has one of the best beergardens around. 293 Fitzroy Street, Fitzroy, thestandardhotel.
com.au Steam Packet Hotel A pint at the Packet has been a Williamstown rite of passage for generations. That’s thanks to a sharp tap list, multiple fireplaces and history-soaked bluestone walls.
Chilli mussels, beef and Guinness pie, and hefty sticky date pudding are excellent value for money, and free ice-cream with every kids’ meal keeps everyone happy. 13 Cole Street, Williamstown, steampackethotel.com Union House For the AFL fan who wants more than a pie with sauce for sustenance, this corner pub offers a multitude of options.
The front bar can feel more packed on game day than the MCG in September, while upstairs a mix of table service, steak with pitch-perfect pepper sauce and lesser-seen wines such as sagrantino will make you feel like a winner, no matter the final score. 270 Swan Street, Richmond, unionhouse.com.
au The winners of The Age Good Food Guide 2025 Awards will be announced on November 18, presented by Vittoria Coffee and Oceania Cruises. The Age Good Food Guide 2025 will be on sale from November 19. The brunch bunch: Melbourne’s top 30 cafes right now Ramen to rice: 20 casual restaurants the Good Food Guide critics love.
