I would say that this is an atypical Brunswick bar, but it is probably better to describe it as an atypical inner Melbourne bar. It is located in an old warehouse, and it has the charm that you would expect from such a bar. The service was pretty good and the atmosphere was pretty awesome as well. In fact, this place had pretty much everything that I would expect from a bar, including a great selection of beers. Oh, and being located near the railway station really helped as well. read more

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Don't exactly trust the address... it's in a weird location, at the back of a dark car park. Look for the painted Zebra lit up with a street light. Next to it is the doorway, flanked by friendly bouncers ready to welcome you to this interesting new space! Is it a warehouse party? An art installation? A beer garden? A cocktail bar? A "asian-ish" tapas house? A music venue? Is it a mash up of all of these things? Yes. Is it good? Hells yes! I ventured in on a rainy cold night, so the first outdoor/indoor space was a bit wasted on my group. Instead we were in the true indoor space and spent time either mingling at the bar, sitting around the booth-like tables or (later in the night) showing off our moves as we enjoyed the DJ. The food was terrific - hot, flavoursome and beautifully presented in square steamer boxes that worked really well in conjunction with the cutlery holders, plates and sauce jars. It was obvious that a lot of thought has gone in to how the food is to be presented and consumed and it's this kind of attention to detail that always wins brownie points with me. Notable snacks: - The jars of pickled "things". I have no idea what it was (capsicum?) but it was delicious. - Crocodile spring rolls. No, I couldn't really taste crocodile but I felt badass eating them. - The bao, particularly the Kingfish. Fun to eat, though I think most of them came with mayo inside and I would have liked to have seen some variations on sauce. Wish a massive selection of beer, wine, impressive gin selection (though no Australian representation which I would have liked) and some inventive cocktails on the list there's pretty much something for everyone. I stuck to simple spirits and beer (Hitachino Nest White Ale on tap!) but I'd like to venture back to put the bartenders through their paces on the cocktails and see if they can cut it. The services was exceptional - super friendly and very attentive. read more

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This is the building on the FAR side of the parking lot opposite the Brunswick Baths, people. So no nee to stand on the sidewalk, Google Maps on your phone, looking confused. I've already done that so you don't have to. What looks like a medium-sized bar from the outside opens up into a huuuuuuge space. Enormous glass ceilings are fitted out in the front part of the beer garden area. Whoever designed it did a great job to keep the warehouse feel. Plus, having a ceiling means the beer garden party can go in inclement weather. I love, love, loved the fact they have real trees growing -- it's a wonderful way to green up the space. The DJ booth in the middle of the bar, between the beer garden and the seated interior, gets the atmosphere pumping. This is a high-octane place for a Sunday session (when I visited), not a laid-back pub. The only defects I can report are the over-eager staff: my drink was grabbed from the table when it wasn't even empty. Plus, the food seems a bit overpriced. While it was presented in a cute little bento box, accompanied by a great little rack to hold sauces, my friend's dumplings worked out to be $2 apiece. Guess we've been spoiled by Chinatown's prices. Massive bonus points for the enormous wall-mounted bike rack bolted onto the wall. It's the first time I've seen anything like it inside a bar, and I have to give massive kudos to Howler for encouraging cycling! read more

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A really fun little bar in Brunswick! It was perfect for a winter's night as they had all the heaters going and were serving hot mead, which by the way is delicious! I went there to see a comedy show in the back room and it looks like they have some great acts that come through there. Don't be turned off by the fact you have to go through a fairly dodgy looking carpark to get there, just look for the large zebra painted on the side of the building and you'll know you're in the right place! Prices of the drinks and food was pretty reasonable and the food was quite good! The night we went it was only burgers on the menu but they were excellent. They don't do alterations to the food which made it a bit of a struggle when asking for a burger without onion. Apparently even with an onion allergy they were reluctant to make a change to the burger. read more

Howler - Hot spiced mead! Perfect winter drink - Bars Near Me - Brunswick, VIC

Not representative of Brunswick exactly but used to be fav of mine. So I wasn't sure for a second why I've not been here for a while until I got hit by the cigarette smoke. Having 4 walls and part cover makes it not a properly ventilated outdoor are for smoke sadly. The food (Asian Fusion) I eat here mainly consists of the snack sized Bao Pillows and dumplings ($12 for 2 or $8.50 for 7 dumplings) but there are a few other things (see pic). Sadly I was reminded how hit and miss the food can be here. It can and have been amazing in the past but sadly not today. The chicken Bao Pillow consisted of boiled flavourless chicken and not much else to give it flavour, the pork dumpling was much better but again lacks flavour but then the beef Bao Pillow was great. Perhaps it's a different chef on today. They also change the variety of the Bao pillows from time to time. As for why I don't think it's not quite Brunswick is because people get a lot more dressed up here compared to most other places (which are usually very hipster) especially on a hot day when short dresses seem mandatory along with very loud DJ music. It's nice that they have mist to cool you down as it gets very hot otherwise - the heaters sadly don't warm you up the same in winter. But it's very Melbourne in being "hidden" at the end of a car park opposite the baths. Oh another thing - it gets very dark once the sun goes down. You can barely see your food. Finally it's also a reasonably priced music venue. read more

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Awesomely intimate music venue. Caught Jinja Safari there recently and it was one big party - very squishy as a sold-out gig, but with a nicely elevated stage even my heightly-challenged other-half could see just fine. There's also a cool room next door to the bandroom which you can access once past the ticket-scanner staff that has seats, a glass wall to watch the band as if you're side of stage, and most importantly the live music pumped in. Great place to watch a support from if you don't have the legs to stand for the whole night. The bar itself is still well worth a visit even if not there to catch some music. Very cool vibe. Food was okay. Not quite the Asian influenced fare other reviews have said, so assume they've changed it up. The current focus seems to be burgers. The two I was dining with really liked their chicken and fish burgers. I tried the vegan/veggie burger as the description sounded amazing, but unfortunately it was true to the stereotype of vegan options and was far from a taste explosion. The gluten-free roll was super dense too, making it a challenge to finish. Still, it did the job, but sounds like I might have missed the food when it was at its best. read more

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We've been here a few times since howler has opened its doors and love it. It's just off Sydney road in an old warehouse set back off the street. There is an awesome zebra painted out the front if you can't find it. The space inside is just amazing really funky and lots of things to look at. Nice architecture and planters and lighting. The bar is sorta split into 2, one area at the front is a massive beer garden with open roof and the other is inside under cover. They have an awesome selection of bottled beers and some great ones on tap too. We have only eaten here once but the food was amazing. It's Asian inspired and really fresh and flavoursome. It's more share type food than big meals but it's so yum. There is a bandroom out the back too, which I haven't been to yet but they've had some big acts - James Blake, loon lake. They have also just started up Brunswick flea market out the front every month which is worth checking out. read more

Awesomely designed converted warehouse, with AMAZING Asian fusion style street food (leaning towards Vietnamese / Korean). The bao pillows, spring rolls & dumplings are perfect share food, whereas the pho is full of vegetables & noodles (tasty although it was a little on the like warm side for me). I've only been on Tuesday nights, but even then it gets quite busy later on, looking forward to hanging out for drinks and food on a weekend when I move back to Melbourne! Fun fact: free serve of dumplings for every drink purchase between 5&6pm M-F (duck or vegetarian) read more

Go here for the $12 deal on Thursdays. One word VALUE - If the staff are wondering where their penalty rates are going its that right there. Most places I think the owners just pocket what they steal from the staff, this places gives back to the customer! Music is abit too loud though - people DJing vinyl that's how you know its of a high calibre. read more

There's a lot to like about Howler. First of all, it looks amazing. From the great zebra painted on the wall outside, to the large garden, through to the inner bar, it just looks like somewhere you want to spend a lazy hour or four. The garden area features plenty of room to sit or mingle and a handy rack on the wall to hang your bike up on. The roof is open for most of this area, so you can soak up some sun if the weather is being nice enough to allow it. Inside, there is a large bar and a few bench seats that we usually tend to head towards, mainly because it always seems to be so packed outside. Be warned though, just because you're sitting inside it doesn't mean that you're safe from cigarette smoke. The large windows separating the outer and inner areas are usually open, which means you can be inside sitting right next to someone smoking at a table outside with absolutely nothing between you. There is a great beer selection here, both on tap and in bottle. I haven't ventured beyond the beers here (as is usually the case with me) but it looks like there is a nice selection of other beverages too. The food is just as great, with lots of asian tasty treats to fill your belly-hole with. The staff here are friendly and seem to know their stuff about what they have on offer. They've always been happy to talk us through their beer selections and what is new on offer. The music here always seems to be up too loud. Maybe it's that way for the large garden area, but it can be pretty annoying if you're inside and can barely hear the person sitting opposite you talking. It seems like Howler is quickly becoming a great live music venue too, which helps make it somewhere that is bound to have something on offer for everyone. read more

I dont know how to summarize howler. The staff there are as quirky and fun as the venue itself. Check their website before going as you dont want to miss out on bands touring Australia or doing sideshows from events such as falls, laneway and splendour in the grass. Some evenings there are beer specials and ping pong, other evenings they hold mini golf events. They have a wide variety of beer, ciders and alcoholic ginger beer, so there is something for everyone. The food menu is good when you are with a group of friends as majority of the options can be shared. During those hot summer days they have the misters cranking and the heaters for the winter chills. read more

$32 for a double shot of Glenlivet founders reserve?!?! Add another shot and I've got a full bottle. I can understand bars need to make money for overheads. But seriously. The bar tender said to me it's "15yo". (Its not), then she said she'll go speak to someone and comes back with nothing. Great service. Later on my friend gets me an Old fashion. Not on did it take 45 mins to make. It tasted like crap. They must have used the 15yo whiskey they didn't have. Nice venue. But mate if they think they can charge those prices they're kidding themselves. Rather go to Collins quater or anywhere in the cbd and get better value, better service and a nicer venue. read more

Great vibe and atmosphere, outdoor dining /lounge area is relaxed and social super busy though....

The vibe of this place is really cutting edge cool, but mainly because they host THE MOTH Story Slam once a month on the first Monday. I'm a huge Moth fan and attended regularly at the one in Detroit. This venue did not disappoint. Front was all open and ethereal, back bar was dark and mysterious, and then stage setting was perfect for viewing the speakers. That said, they could have a larger dinner menu (especially for their Monday night crowd, because who goes to just a bar on a Monday?) and it would be nice to set up table seating auditorium area. Its more fun to sit with your friends at a table then in a row. But the beer selection was great, and the quinoa balls good. Can't really complain. read more

Really good vibes, DJ in the garden and actually playing good relaxing tunes. Drinks are a bit expensive but food is tasty. Best to come here during the week for good specials! 8/10 read more

Fab venue, friendly staff AWESOME dumplings and thier Pho is delicious with different options. Outdoor area is really cool with the renovated warehouse. We went there to check out a gig and the stage and set worked really well with two small bars inside the stage area. Will be back! Funky, relaxed and fun read more

Great place to meet friends try get in early to get yourself a table in the undercover section so you don't feel so cold n there will be no chance of being rained on ! Stick to the beer and wine as the cocktails aren't the best but that's ok you can somewhere else for that, it can be quiet hipster and the music is pretty chilled so dress casual and enjoy! Oh and the food is yum! read more

Cool place, lunch with a beer. Dj in the background playing casual tunes, great fit out in an old warehouse...

If you're craving a solid burger then howlers is the place to be. They have this awesome special where you get a juicy burger on a bed of fries with a pint if beer to wash it all down. For 14 dollars you can't beat it. The atmosphere was very chill but it can be a bit noisy especially with the music (but that's one of the reasons why it's chill). Awesome spot... Period. read more

Inattentive bar staff, egomaniac bouncers. Not a good vibe! Lost what it means to be good service as a venue. Would not recommend going!

Good drinks, great crowd and music. Loved the decor and vibe, definitely coming back for more.