Brunswick East burger, bands and booze institution The Beast is shutting up shop on Lygon Street
The team broke the news via Instagram, pointing to the lasting financial damage of the pandemic lockdown years as the central reason behind the decision.
The B.East — a name that doubles as a nod to its Brunswick East postcode — shared the news via Instagram on 17 February after 18 years in the neighbourhood.
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Owned by Melbourne hospitality figure Maz Salt, who also established CBD venues Section 8 and Ferdydurke, The Beast has been a fixture at 80 Lygon Street for nearly two decades. Across its run, the venue carved out a reputation as a destination for burgers, live music, comedy and its annual chilli eating championship — Australia’s largest.
Its grungy, paste-up-covered walls, Deep South-inspired menu and eclectic gig calendar helped define the strip’s identity as one of the inner north’s most vibrant nightlife precincts.
In the farewell post, the team pointed to the lingering fallout from Melbourne’s pandemic-era lockdowns as the driving force behind the decision. “We fought hard, but the long aftershock of the lockdown years was something we couldn’t outrun,” the post read. Salt had previously flagged the toll of COVID on his hospitality group, announcing the permanent closure of several venues in late 2021. The Beast’s Fitzroy sibling had also already shuttered.
The post thanked everyone who had contributed to the venue over the years, promising to carry those memories forward. In a nod to the Chinese zodiac, the team referenced the Year of the Fire Horse as a symbol of renewal, expressing excitement about what the Brunswick East community might create in the space going forward.
In true Beast fashion, the team signed off with characteristic humour, adding that “we’re currently exploring the potential demand for a new career in OnlyFans.”
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