One word comes to mind thinking of The Rainbow Hotel. Authentic. This pub has some history going on with it. It's been around since the late 1800's and has only ever had one other name. It gives you a sense that it can be a warm place for regulars and has just enough character going on to stand out. It's cozy, with plenty of craft beer options for the beer drinking snob in all of us. They have a 101 Club, with a board that has everyone's names who've reached 101 beers. It's kinda the perfect place to try out a new brew, (raise eyebrows) I feel like it's even encouraged. Depending on the night, they have different specials and live bands performing. The owner is very welcoming, and I can't wait to go back. read more

The Rainbow's bar fridge holds a tasty variety of craft beers - both Australian & imported. (Think Moo Brew and big bottles of Belgium goodness). You'll also find a range of beers on tap that go beyond the standard Carlton range. My most recent on-tap beverages included an easy drinking summer ale as well as a highly hopped beer packing a bigger flavour punch. I've been pretty happy with their food too. The tradition burgers can be replaced with a vegetarian patty. My veggie option was filling, topped with jalapeños and came with a big side of chips - win! You can also ask the staff for beer pairing suggestions to go with your food. Yum! The Rainbow seems to focus on their regulars, with things like the 101 and 201 clubs (join the club, drink a lot of beer, get a chalice, beer discounts, and a lotto drawing for cash & a bar tab on Thursday nights.) So grab a seat in their beer garden and try drinking something new. read more

Rainbow Hotel - Vegetarian burger and cod & ricotta fritters. - Hotels Near Me - Fitzroy, VIC

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Ok I'll come clean with you. The Rainbow Hotel may not always be the place to be, with its often introverted musicians playing gigs best suited for their mum's living room rather than a funky inner city pub. But then again I have had some of the best spontaneous evenings here on many an occasion. For me the Rainbow Hotel is my go to back-up option. If I have nothing to do on any given weekend night I tend to head here. I have always found it worthwhile popping my head in the door to see what band is playing. Sometimes I have a bit of a chuckle and a pint and am on my merry way. But other times I will end up shamelessly dancing late into the night. I find it one of the easier places to meet new people be that through one of said shameless dances or over a grubby game of pool out the back. Don't get me wrong - this is not where I go to pick-up, merely to meet interesting people. So next time you are at a loss as to what to do. Check out the Rainbow and you may just find your pot of gold. read more

Rainbow Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Fitzroy, VIC

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I've been coming here regularly since daddy's little boy chucked them out of "The Lamb's go bar" (at least 4 years I think) which was an awesome place. The revamp of this pub is possibly the best I've seen turning a dud into a success. My only slight negative is that I don't really love the inside for a couple. Mostly shared tables. It has always been and still is a sensational beer venue and the food is always top notch. Everything from the snacks we had today to the BEST Sunday roast - all is sensational! Oh and of course there is my fav beer garden in Fitzroy. read more

Rainbow Hotel - Snacks!!! - Hotels Near Me - Fitzroy, VIC

Another pretty decent pub hidden down the side streets in Fitzroy. I've been here a few times, but these days since I spend my time either exploring, or going home reasonably early, I tend not to get down to this place as much as I would like. However, as a pub it is pretty cool despite it's rather small size. It seems to have had a bit of a make over since I was first here, but it has always had a pretty decent beer garden as well as being pretty colourful on the outside. Actually, it's the beer garden that really gives it its character, namely because they have a pool table out there, which means you can smoke and play pool at the same time (though the good old smokey pool halls are basically long gone). read more

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One of my favourite pubs in Fitzroy. Great craft beers on tap, huge selection in the fridge, great food and an awesome beer garden. The Sunday roasts here are the best I've had. They also do a mean cheap steak night on Wednesdays for $15. read more

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Sunday roast specialists with a very large beer collection and a big beer garden with a pool table. It's pretty much got all the ingredients for a successful Sunday session. They do a good steak night on Wednesday too which gets pretty busy and Monday nights is limited menu night with heaps of burgers to choose from. I like the fact that the menu offers smaller items that aren't deep fried (such as their tacos which are awesome). They make one of my favorite pub roasts on that comes with all the possible trimmings you can think of. The pork one so far has been my favorite. They make a pretty decent risotto and their soup (yes sometime I feel like a soup don't judge) is always really delicious and they actually offer more than just pumpkin on their soup specials list. They also make good bloody Mary's the other quintessential Sunday item. And they have lots and lots of craft beer. read more

Rainbow Hotel - Antipasto! - Hotels Near Me - Fitzroy, VIC

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Great beer garden. Amazing new menu. About 100 beers available, and all served by the friendliest staff in Fitzroy. Why aren't you here already? read more

If you like good beer and food, go to The Rainbow Hotel. If you really really like beer, join the 101 Club. You will get a list of The Rainbow's many delicious beers and if you work your way through the list, the 101st beer will be a 3 litre chalice of the tap beer of your choice! And if you really really really like beer you can join the 202 Club and do it all again but this time you'll get a discount on all their bottled beer. Complete the 202 and you get your own engraved stein which lives at the bar and provides you with yummy discounted tap beer. But wait, there's more! The food is amazing and on Thursday nights The Rainbow Hotel will match a choice of two of their specials with a complimentary beer. Plus, if you are in the 101 Club you go into a special draw to win cash and bar credit! All this before I have even mentioned The Great Steak Night. The Rainbow Hotel Steak Night is the BEST steak night in Melbourne! Every Wednesday night you can get a juicy steak and sides for just $14. Unlike some other places, the steak night steak is exactly the same as the steak that is on the menu the rest of the week but it's only $14. The Pub Grub on offer is also extremely delicious and the servings are massive. My personal favourite is the Southern Burger with double smoked bacon, cheese, pickled green tomato & lettuce topped with a Jack Daniels bbq sauce. Goes well with a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (I learnt this from the extremely knowledgable bar staff). The specials change every week and are mouth watering. Major compliments to the chef. When you go make sure you check out my name on the board. I'm the 64th 101 Club member to complete the list. 202 here I come! read more

I recently paid a visit to the Rainbow Hotel for maybe the third or fourth time yesterday with my friends for a post-Cup Day munch and sip session. Most of us were really disappointed with the food. I know it's a pub, but if you're going to charge $20.00 for a food item, you better make it worth it. Especially considering it's in such close proximity to the lovely Napier, and the even pricier, but amazing Little Creatures Dining Hall. So let's go with the bad stuff, first. We ordered a Morton Bay Bug Mac'n'Cheese and it was one of the most horrible things I've ever tasted. Bland and floury, I can make better stuff from scratch, or just buy a packet of Kraft Easy Mac, jeez. Apparently, it also came with a watermelon and mint salad. We wouldn't know, because all that arrived on top was three little chunks of watermelon and two sprigs of mint. Next up was the Southern Burger. Flavourless and dry meat pattie, fatty bacon and a light drizzle of Jack Daniel's BBQ sauce. Not that it made much difference, the bun served with the burger, was actually stale. Not toasted. Stale. Unacceptable. The Parma looked alright, but the cheese and sauce were lacking in flavour. Notice a trend happening here? At least the serves were adequate. The one good thing that was served were some fish tails and salad. This wasn't bad, but they overdid the mustard dressing. All in all a very disappointing meal. But now an upside, if you don't want to eat here, it's actually a lovely place to drink in. There's some awesome beers on tap as well as stout, and beers from all over the world to try from bottles. They also have live bands, and that should be commended. The outdoor area is also nice with a red felt pool table that is constantly occupied. However, due to a liquor licensing glitch, or something or other, the amount of patrons allowed in the outdoor area is limited. Which is a shame, because you can order from outside as the bar has two frontings. Anyway, I'm sick of thinking about this place. It's currently on my "do not go" list for a couple of months. If I feel up to re-visiting, I'll update this review if my mind has been changed. I really want it to change for the better, I really do. But there's just so many other awesome places that are closer to where I live for my next Sunday/public holiday jaunt. read more

The Rainbow Hotel is tucked away on St David Street, off Brunswick Street in Fitzroy. They have a great selection of beers and, from what I saw on our visit, the food is not too bad either. The dishes that were being served, looked really good. If you're a fan of live music, then you are gonna love the Rainbow Hotel. They generally host live bands on premises and, for free as well so you don't pay to get in. They are open 7 days and have a pretty cool garden set up outside. You'll also find pool tables in their beer gardens as well so it is a pretty cool and relaxed place to hang out with your mates over a few beers or ciders. read more

I've been here a few times, but sadly not as often as id like. Just picture great beer, great atmosphere and great venue. It's like your local pub but With awesome beer. Awesome beer. Awesome pub. Can't go wrong! read more

I totally loved it here. A friend had their Bday out back on the outdoor tables. Weather was great, so we just had an awesome few hours of ordering drinks, food, and hanging out and laughing. Really nice vibe here and I'll definitely return. ---- My only issue: When I first got there, I ordered a bloody mary at the bar. The tender replies "Yeaahhh.. ummm.. can't at the moment, way too busy." I looked around and chuckled as the bar was completely empty, just me and my GF. I said "Not too spicy though please". And then he was like "No I'm serious." To which I said: "Ummm.. there's no one here right now." To which he replied "Yeah but there will be in a bit" After some extreme confusion, I was just like, "Okay.. could I have a beer then?" and then he was all No Worries! First time in my life I have ever been told that, on a sunny day, 3pm, at a place not even 50% capacity full. I used to work a bar for years, and could've made half a dozen bloody marys in that time, or I'd probably get fired for turning down one of the most standard, basic drinks. Piece of advice: Don't lie to customers about being busy or make excuses, it just looks silly, and also, if you're gonna pass on an order, either lie well by saying you don't have the ingredients, or be upfront and say "I cant be bothered", but spare the phony excuses, it just makes the whole thing kind of suss. But otherwise, we had a great great time with our friends and beers and food. read more

The new renovation are excellent and have created an excellent outdoor pub environment that (for now) is nowhere near as crowded as the nearby Standard. Beer offerings on tap are about the best in the neighbourhood (pretty sure this palce is run by the folks who ran the much missed Lambsgobar). Good solid bar food too. read more

Ladies and gentlemen, we have found the best steak night in town! 300g of juicy meat with your choice of mash/vege or chips/salad and homemade sauce for $16. The quality of the food here is excellent and is hard to beat. Aside from a good place to grab a bite, the Rainbow has a great beer garden with a wide selection of beer. It has a great neighborhood vibe and is definitely one of my favorite pubs in Fitzroy. (Just be aware that they do not welcome bar crawls, bucks or hens parties.) read more

For those of you familiar with New Zealand's premier theme park, The Rainbow Hotel is kind of like Rainbow's End for grown-ups. Sure, there's a lot to do - think pool, gigs, food, drinks and a variety of seating rather than Log Flumes and Kiwi shaped mascots - but it doesn't really live up to the hype and there's just something a bit, well, stale about it. Dodgily obscure New Zealand references aside, The Rainbow Hotel is a popular pub smack bang in the middle of Fitzroy doing a lot of things quite well but no one thing in particular excellently. I've been to The Rainbow Hotel for the occasional gig - this is surely The Rainbow's biggest draw card - and the vibe verged on atmospheric but didn't quite manage to convert me to this pub's charms. Ok not excellent, The Rainbow Hotel is as good a place as any for a drink. But in Fitzroy where beating the - all round excellent - pub competition can seem like chasing rainbows, The Rainbow Hotel is left a little wanting. read more

I've really wanted to come try this pub out for awhile now & I'm most impressed with the layout of the pub it has a great atmosphere. They had a great selection of local beers on tap & some nice cocktails I can't remember which 1 I had but it was very nice. read more

One of the few pubs in fitzroy not suffering from "too cool" syndrome. Awesome staff, awesome buffilo ribs AND awesome beer. Great work guys

The Rainbow was one of the first bars we went to when we moved to Fitzroy and we are there at least once a week, but after our last few experiences we have had to stop. The venue is great and the outside area is fantastic in the summer, with plenty of space if you're part of a big group. The food is excellent and as well as having a string standard menu, the specials are always varied and interesting too. However, the service leaves a lot to be desired. On our last 3 visits, our meals have not been served at the same time-not ideal if there are only 2 diners. On the last occasion, a burger was brought out already cold and was sent back straight away. The second plate arrived shortly after but the replacement for the cold burger did not arrive for a considerable length of time-even though we saw 2 other tables served burgers right in front of us. On both occasions we were offered a free drink but it's not really enough when all you want is 2 meals served at the same time. And that's not saying we expected a refund or anything. It's really disappointing that we've had such bad service because this place is fantastic and the food is really tasty. We haven't been back since our last experience because after 3 times in a row, we weren't going to take the chance again, but if you're looking for somewhere for drinks only, it's still a pretty good choice. read more

Favourite pub in Fitzroy - down to earth, great beer garden and the food is brilliant! Bring back the croquettes - to die for!

Just had a meal there um where do I start. Steak was over cooked and when I mentioned it to the bar staff she told me that it was fine even though I ordered med-rare it was well done. Was rude and made us fell I was wrong. Poor service. read more