Here’s our list of the best bars and pubs in South Melbourne, for fine wine, cold beer, or pub food around Clarendon Street and beyond.
Just to south of the Yarra and just to the north of recently covered suburb, Port Melbourne, is the bustling and happening bars and pubs in South Melbourne and its main thoroughfare Clarendon Street. Boutique shops and highly regarded cafes are scattered all around the beautiful suburb, and barely a stones throw away you’ll find the eye candy of Port Phillip Bay and the Botanical Gardens.
Not to be outdone though are the numerous pubs and bars, that are the perfect spot to whet the whistle on any given weekend, for a post work wind down or to celebrate a special occasion. Clarendon St is central to this, but it’s certainly not the only place to gather in this lively suburb. So, read on to find the best pubs and bars in South Melbourne to grab yourself a drink when you find yourself in the area and feeling like a bev.
You can also check out Melbourne’s most comprehensive guides to the best bars and pubs in each suburb and street here.
The best bars and pubs on Clarendon Street
The Golden Gate Hotel
Address: 238 Clarendon St
Vibe: Relaxed Traditional Pub
Dedicated Menu: Beautiful Pub Fare
The Golden Gate Hotel has been up and about for over 150 years now, so it’s got pretty good at its craft. This place has lovely and relaxed charm to it, whilst throwing out some amazing meals and crispy cold beers. The meals are big too, so if you are hungry this joint is a pretty good stop. Did I mention they run $20 lunch specials as well. That’s a big win.
Outside of good booze and great food, Golden Gate will also keep you occupied on a weeknight too, it has a nightly happy hour for the thrifty drinkers, and Wednesday and Thursday nights are host to Drag Queen Trivia and a Jazz night respectively. Go have a look.
The Clarendon Restaurant and Sky Bar
Address: 209/215 Clarendon St
Vibe: Exotic and Breathtaking
Dedicated Menu: Asian Style Restaurant
The Clarendon Restaurant and Sky Bar is located in the heart of South Melbourne and is one of the more popular haunts you will find on this list, and for good reason. This place is pretty cool. It has it all, downstairs you’ll find a bar and restaurant that serves some of the best Asian chow you’ll find in Melbourne.
Upstairs on the roof you’ll find the ever-popular Skybar with its 270º view, that takes in all the skyrises in the city, which makes for an amazing sunset view. They serve delectable cocktails and have an ever-changing specials menu when it comes to food and nibbles to keep your appetite in check. You can even book the Skybar as a function area, which is pretty cool for impressing your friends.
Mr Brownie Rooftop Hotel
Address: 343 Clarendon St
Vibe: Funky and Fun
Dedicated Menu: Indian at the Curry Pub
Mr Brownie Rooftop bar feels like three different places rolled into one, and they are all pretty sweet. We’ll start with the Curry Pub, which is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a bar where you can order a curry for a feed, and it’s funky as heck with a red and golden floor and red lighting (this becomes a theme) to really set the mood.
Secondly, we have the Boom Boom Room, the super sexy bar and lounge that is soaked in red light, where you can grab a beverage and lounge about on one of their uber comfortable plus side couches.
Finally, you have the Rooftop Bar, which is the perfect place to catch up with mates on a sunny afternoon or balmy evening and grab a cocktail looking out at the spectacular view, whilst bathed in red light lounging on… you guessed it, red furniture.
Limerick Arms Hotel
Address: 364 Clarendon St
Vibe: Sports and Steak
Dedicated Menu: Top Notch Pub Fare
The Limerick Arms has been servicing the Clarendon St crowd for 160 odd years now and is still going strong. If you are chasing a feed, steak is their forte or their “heart” as they claim, so it has to be good. This place is also perfect for the beer aficionado, with 16 different craft brews on tap for you to match with your steak if you’re not the red wine type.
The other thing Limerick does well is live sport, if your team is on the TV but you feel like getting off the couch, this place is perfect with big screens and plenty of seats to settle in and cheer on your team.
Emerald Hotel
Address: 415 Clarendon St
Vibe: Country Pub in the City
Dedicated Menu: Spot on Pub Fare
The Emerald Hotel is a pub that is after my own heart as a small-town country lad who has moved to the big smoke. It prides itself on bringing you that country pub feel, right here in the heart of South Melbourne. That means cold beer, a TAB, big screens beaming sport all over the place and a menu full of delectable pub classics.
The Emerald, which has had the same owners for the past 30 years, has a loyal crowd of locals and is known as a bit of a punters pub if you like a dabble on the ponies. The place is also decked out with a courtyard, bar and bistro so you’ll find what you are after at the Emerald.
The best pubs and bars on Moray, Cecil and beyond
The George Hotel
Address: 139 Cecil St
Vibe: Traditional and Warm
Dedicated Menu: Fresh Pub Fare
Located directly across from the South Melbourne market you’ll find the George Hotel, a beautiful old pub known for its warm atmosphere and killer meals. With the market across the street, you can be sure you are going to get the freshest produce for your meals and even the garnishes in your drinks will be A-Grade fare.
The George also has unpasteurised Carlton Draught beer tanks in the house, ensuring the crispest and freshest pots and pints going around for those who love their traditional drops. For those who love a craft brew, there is no need to stress with a number of craft beers on tap, as well as cocktails and an extensive wine list.
Check out the website before you head around too. Daily specials are on offer from market day oysters and bubbles to happy hour cocktails.
Bells Hotel
Address: 157 Moray St
Vibe: Bright and Sporty
Dedicated Menu: Top Notch Pub Food
Another rooftop bar people. Bells Hotel says it best themselves, they are “a lifestyle, entertainment, event, food and sports experience all in one precinct” which is quite something and they aren’t lying. This place has a dinning area, a couple of bars, a rooftop area and a garden lounge so more than enough room to provide all that they are boasting and more.
Sports is the bread and butter of Bells, with a large TAB and big screens in nearly every room. If you are looking for somewhere to go for any sporting special occasion Bells, has you covered. AFL Grand Final, Bledisloe Cup or the Super Bowl (I have attended one of these myself at Bells and it was a ripper day) they will have something going down, from drinks specials and specialised meals to actual cheerleaders running around.
The Albion Rooftop
Address: 172 York St
Vibe: Club and Music
Dedicated Menu: Pub and Modern Japanese
This is rooftop bar number 4 to appear on this list, so South Melbourne obviously has the killer views. The Albion has three levels of fun on offer for punters with a massive function area for those wanting to host, a decadent club for those looking for a booze and a boogie, and the aforementioned rooftop bar.
The rooftop bar is the perfect place to catch up with some mates for a drink and a feed with an extensive drinks list and beautifully curated modern Japanese menu, with the odd pub classic for good measure, to choose from. They also have DJs on the spot every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
If you are looking to turn one on, Sunday is the day to hit The Albion, not only will there be a DJ dropping the tunes, but there is also the option to partake in a bottomless lunch followed by three hours of happy hour. So, you could really do some damage and make sure Monday at work will be a battle.
Lamaro’s Hotel
Address: 273-279 Cecil St
Vibe: Fine Dining Pub
Dedicated Menu: Fine Dining (without the price)
This place is pretty rad, and don’t let the fine dining chic fool you, at Lamaro’s they are more than happy for you to just drop in for a drink, they are still a pub after all. So, you can just drop in for a cold one after work or book in for a luncheon to celebrate a special occasion.
The food is the bread and butter of Lamaro’s, however. From jazzed up pub classics like a veal schnitzel to more extravagant dishes like grilled scallops with roasted pork belly you can’t go wrong getting a feed here. Seriously, just check out their Instagram to see some of the dishes they are serving up. They look amazing!
O’Connells Hotel
Address: 407 Coventry St
Vibe: Pub dining
Dedicated Menu: Pub Fare with Flair
O’Connells is another establishment that puts its dining experience first. The food here is unbelievable with an ever-changing seasonal menu and your pub classics done as well as they can possibly be done. Confit duck terrine and braised shallot tarte tatin are on offer as well as a number of different size and cut steaks and pub classics like schnitzels and fish and chips.
Like Lamaro’s, O’Connells is still a pub so feel free to just wander on in for a cold beer if you happen to be in the area. Once you get a look at what is coming out of the kitchen though, don’t be surprised if your start eyeing off the menu.
Railway Hotel
Address: 280 Ferrars St
Vibe: Live Music Classic
Dedicated Menu: Pub Classics and More
Last cab off the rank, we have South Melbourne icon, The Railway Hotel. The Railway has been a stalwart of the suburb for well over 100 years now and there is good reason for it holding a place in people’s hearts. It’s got style, with a beautiful wooden bar, warm fire (3 fireplaces actually) and sun-soaked beer garden.
It’s a great place to visit every day of the week, with Trivia Mondays, Parma Tuesdays, Sunday roasts and live music most weekends, but the highlight for me is a $20 Steak Night every Wednesday. Nothing better than a hump day dine out and the Railway’s steaks are no joke.
There you have it, a list of the best pubs, bars and feeds in and around Clarendon St, South Melbourne. The perfect place for a boozy weekend catch up, a delicious pub meal or some fine dining action. If you’re a local, also check out the best bars and pubs in Prahran here, Windsor here, and Richmond here.
If you’re keen to journey somewhere a little bit secret and ‘underground’ instead, check out our list of the best hidden bars.
