The first question everyone asks when visiting the GB is, "why is there a really bad picture of Mao…read moreTse Tung over a hotel called the Great Britain?" When you explain that it's actually an Indian but that you can't really tell them anything more about him, it doesn't really help clarify the situation. Seriously, I love the GB. It's like a uni bar, only without the pesky undergraduate uni students. It's cheap beer and trivia nights and a dodgy nightclub next door. It's bartender's playing whatever they want on the stereo. They're happy ordering you a pizza from across the road. Nice backyard, too.

Richmond's a weird place. I put it down mostly to the fact that people that live there can't make…read moreup their minds which side of the fucking river they want to be. It's a place for ditherers and I feel the Great Britain Hotel is a bit of a fence sitter of a pub. Sure, it's got heaps of charm and a nice dark griminess to it that I can appreciate, they serve beer and pizza and stuff, but what's so great about it, I'm not really sure. Actually I'm pretty sure it's just not that great. They sometimes show music here and must have had a semi decent booker at some stage because they showed some good bands for a while (Ooga Boogas a special treat). Nowadays, they show the odd bit of live music but the calibre is invariably poor and I can't help thinking they'd be better to either make a real commitment to the stuff, or can it altogether.

I'm not really sure what to make of this place. First of all despite it being in the middle of…read moreChinatown it is your standard, typical Australian pub - nothing Chinese (or Asian) about it. Mind you, it is a bit grungy, but not in a hugely bad way. As a pub I don't mind it, though like a lot of the pubs in the city it can, and does, get pretty crowded during Friday evenings. Also, on the second level they have a venue where live shows are performed (as well as a back yard balcony, which is really only for the smokers, but since it does look over the adjoining alley it does add a bit of character to the place). Okay, I don't come here all that often, but I don't actually mid the place - it's pretty relaxed, and doesn't get anywhere near as crowded as some of the other pubs I've visited.

So here are the reasons to like the Exford:…read more Right down in Chinatown, by some of the cheapest, best food in Melbourne Right on a street with Tram service Not far from Federation Square Kitchen, TV, lounge Bar on the ground floor + daily brekkie Liquor store on the ground floor Quibbles: Internet blows and is expensive. No elevator (not awesome when you are carrying your luggage to the third floor) Check-in isn't the most obvious. I would stay again in Melbourne, if none of my friends were in town :-)

This was actually one of those really nice country pubs. I basically discovered it while I was…read moresitting on the train heading to my Uncle's house, and noticed that it was right next to the Donnybrook railway station. However, since at the time it was the only thing that seemed to be here (other than the railway station) I wasn't going to get off the train simply to visit this pub. However, when I had my hands on a car I made an effort to visit it, and it is certainly well worth the trip. Sure, Donnybrook is suddenly becoming a new housing estate, however this pub still seems to have a lot of old country charm. It has a lovely beer garden, as well as a really nice front bar. Mind you, the country atmosphere also tends to apply to the locals, so don't expect a trendy inner-city crowd.

12 months ago i would have raved about this place. The steaks were huge and delicious, which was a…read morecommon theme throughout their menu. Unfortunately they've failed to maintain the quality i saw when i first ate here. I ate here last night and my medium rare steak was as well done as it could have been. I sent it back as it was as tough as work boots too. When the replacement came out medium well, i just conceded to eating the chips and giving up. Their schnitzel is also a pre made freezer type situation, the kind of thing you'd expect from a dingy service station. Everything was dry and clearly not fresh. I hope ill be able to edit this in the future to say they've turned it around but right now i couldn't recommend the place to anyone. A real shame.

First off, i need to say im giving 3 stars because yelp doesnt offer halves (would have been 2.5)…read morebut, the staff were lovely. Met some friends for drinks and dinner before heading to the comedy lounge on a tuesday night. So, no happy hour was a downer but we had heard Tuesday was steak night....so...trade off... Now...the steak, $17 =win...and it was tasty....BUT...it was fatty and chewy =lose. So, like i said, middle of the road score but not too bad.

Well, here is a secret pub hidden away in the backstreets of North Melbourne. In fact I was under…read morethe impression that I have visited all of the pubs in North Melbourne. Turned out that I was wrong - I hadn't. Anyway this is a pretty nice, and quiet, place to grab a drink after work, though it is a bit of a hike to get to (though the tram stop is near by). Being out of the way of most of the main throughfares means that it isn't going to be all that packed. While it isn't one of my favourite pubs (especially since I don't head down this way all that often) it is still a nice place to go and grab a beer. Oh, they also have a player piano (or they did the last time I was here).

Food: The Elsternwick is a pokies pub, with a separate bistro. I felt the food was actually fairly…read moregood quality for what you would expect from a pub. We've ordered lamb and chicken parma. We also ate here on Christmas Day and again the food was nice. The meat is good for the price, and while some of the sides, chips, wedges, etc aren't the best, they are ok. There's a fairly wide range of meals and they offer a few different things from your typical pub fare. Atmosphere/service: The bistro is quite big, so can feel a little deserted and quiet if only a few tables are filled, but it's much better when busy. It has the traditional look of a pub inside, dark wood, slightly old fashioned etc. We have always received great service here. Staff have been incredibly welcoming and taken time over us, chatting about our meals and our day. Would I recommend it: It wouldn't be my first choice as there as so many great places in nearby Elsternwick and Elwood but it's definitely worth popping in if you are passing.

Y'know, for a joint which partly supports itself by pokies, the Wick ain't half bad. They do a…read morepretty good parma, and they have pretty good comfy booths. Sure, you're not going to travel across town to go there, but it's a damn solid local. Admittedly, it does have pokies, but even there they've got a little class. There's two bars, and then there's the pokies room, and unless you're going from the dining room and bar to the serious drinking bar, you wouldn't even know they were there.

Hmm... This is a place I really just don't get. This is a fabulous old pub on a highly visible…read morecorner in Fitzroy, yet the focus of the joint has always been kind of skewed towards the sleazy. Used to be that they'd encourage a rugby crowd (they actually still do in a weird way) and that in turn changes the vibe of the place completely. The difference between the Derby and, say, the East however, is that they don't really seem to embrace anything much else. Every time I walk past the Derby I glance inside to see what seem to be the same two old blokes occupying the bar space. The main room is filled with really shitty decor and a half-baked recent renovation did little to raise the aesthetic of the place. Truth be told, this place is a shit hole, has always been a bit of a shit hole and probably will be a bit of a shit hole. If that's your bag, then great, it'll keep you and your friends from all the decent places in the neighbourhood.

I actually love the Royal Derby Hotel. Living about 100 meters away, this place is kind-of my…read morelocal. I had dinner here tonight and it was great. They have $5 Pizza's and $2.50 Pots on a Thursday. The venue is really spacious, has a good sized dance floor, and decent outdoor area. They also run a gay and lesbian event here called 'Danceteria' and it's a lot of fun. It's a $10 cover fee, they play funky electro-indie-pop and have amazing drinks specials ($2.50 Shots). I can usually leave here pretty tipsy and not spend more than $40!

I'm not really all that sure about this pub. The first time I wandered past it there didn't seem to…read morebe all that much about this place. In fact I think it was closed. However, one Friday night after work, when I was a little bored, I decided to go and check it out again. Well, they had certainly done it up a bit more, namely turning it into a horror themed restaurant and bar. Then again I haven't really been a big fan of those horror themed restaurants and bars. It was nice, and there were some good beers available, but it isn't really a place I'd be hurrying back to any time soon.

This pub has probably the best value meal special in Melbourne - a double cheeseburger with chip…read moreand a PINT of beer, for the low low price of $10. Hands down the best value in Melbourne. It's a great place too - lots of skulls decorating the front bar, a decent tequila selection, and live music most nights of the week.

This was one of the first pubs I visited when I wandered down to Williamstown a few years back…read more Mind you, since it used to be the major harbour section of the city, there were quite a number of pubs squeezed into the area. These days the number has dropped significantly. However, there are still a few around, and this pub still has a nice old style charm about it. When I've been here, it was rather quiet, but that probably has more to do with the time we visited. However, the publican was quite friendly, even if the beers available were quite limited.