Amazing food, wonderful service and a terrific cosy atmosphere. They have great bands over the…read moreweekend to, which is a real bonus. Can't wait to go back again and again.

Located in a renovated cottage in the heart of The Basin, The Acorn on Forest is a prime example of…read moreThe Basin's growing popularity as a little hill's hideaway. With the suburb reporting recent booms in property value, and the freeway only 10 minutes away, The Basin has grown from a small village on the way to the more touristy area of the hills to a trendy little town of its own . The Acorn of Forest has more of a 'Wine Bar" feel to it than it's neighbouring 'Good old-fashioned pub' the Oak Tree. With a focus on quality dining and weekend breakfasts, you could say it's the 'bouquet' to the Oak Trees 'bucket'. The menu features dishes such as Quail, Veal and Kangaroo and while you can expect to pay a little more for your meal than at other nearby pubs, the Acorn is all about Quality over affordability. Popular with functions and parties, The Acorn also hosts live music on weekends, usually from a rotating roster of local favourites.

Food servings are large. Be prepared to eat when ordering…read moreup your favorites. I had the parmigiana which was not deep fried, vegetables and mashed potato. Sometimes a simple hearty meal hits the spot!

Yeah, this pub really didn't impress me all that much. Then again, it is a railway pub, sort on,…read moreprobably more like a bar that happens to be located in a shopping strip. It isn't particularly big, and the beer selection isn't particularly great either. Mind you, when I was here it was actually pretty crowded, though I did find a seat. However, yeah, I wasn't really impressed with it.

Excellent coffee and service! The atmosphere around the…read morecafe is one of fun and tranquility. Getting to sip a cup of coffee or eat a meal while looking out at the landscaped golf course is fantastic. I love it and go regularly to get a cup of coffee before my classes at CBC.

Spent a lengthy time there with some friends today- I thought it was terrific food with excellent…read moreservice. Appeared very popular with lots of visitors which created a lovely atmosphere.

Gin Lane is a cosy little bar in Belgrave with a great atmosphere. It's hidden down a little…read morepassage way on the Main Street. Inside has a great retro feeling, a projector which shows great movies and a little beer garden out back. Great place to watch indie bands play too. When you are in Belgrave, it is a must see!

This is my local. Nestled in the heart of The Basin, The Oak Tree Tavern is a good old 'English…read moreStyle" pub with an Aussie twist. Wine barrels serve as tables, darts are the game of choice, and on tap you'll notice the staples are Guinness, Kilkenny, and Bulmer's Cider. Nicknamed "Merlotte's" by friends after noticing the resemblance to the bar in the series "True Blood", the vibe here is that of a local community drinking and more often than not, dancing together. With live music 3 nights a week, including Karaoke nights on Fridays, you can expect your share of local talent to come out and shine, more often than not incorporating the whole pub into a sing-along as they wail away. The live music tends to be of the blues persuasion, the area known for its talented Blues musicians hiding in the nearby hills. The menu is standard pub fare, with hearty meals of chicken, steak or vegie options, plus desserts and pub favourites that wont break the bank and keeps plenty of coin in your pocket for drinks. With local laws enforcing last drinks served at 11pm sharp, it has become a local custom to order a table full of drinks at five minutes to eleven, and then happily sip away until the owner has seen enough of you.

The Oak Tree is a cosy little place with an 'up it's own backside' vibe. I think a pub like this…read moreought to be warm and inviting and perhaps to locals who go there all the time it is. It's just that in three visits here I've never felt a level of value as a customer more than at mediocre level. It's a shame because this is precisely the kind of venue I like. I've eaten there two out of three times and it's decent pub grub, it even has an option to cook your own steak. This is what I wish I had done considering my medium rare steak, which took half an hour to come out and was medium well. I was watching a show and didn't want to get up throughout the performance. Plus I'm pregnant and I was so, so hungry, hence I didn't say anything until afterwards. Maybe I should have. There are other things I could complain about but can't be bothered. Go. It's a nice place but don't expect too much.

For the price and quality of food I left the Pig and Whistle Tavern a very happy customer…read more After a walk to Sherbrooke Falls, we were all starving and hadn't booked dinner anywhere but thought we would try our luck at the Tavern as recommended by a colleague. The service was consistent and average HOWEVER the decoration and the food was what made the night great! We ordered the Piggy Platter to share the it was a great mix of bread, olives, pork, cheese...all the goodies (there was 5 of us). For our mains we tried: Vegetarian Pizza - super tasty with thin base. Meat Lovers Pizza Eye fillet steak - medium to perfection, tender and juicy (expect for my sister not liking rocket leaves) Pork Belly - falls apart and juicy. Steak and Guinness Pie - I would have liked the chips to have had more flavour and more guinness in the pie. Everyone enjoyed their meals and we actually had half of each pizza left over so perhaps next time I would look at sharing more dishes instead of ordering a main each.

This is actually a rather charming tavern, located up in the Mount Dandenong Ranges. In a way it's…read morelocation makes it rather charming, but more than that, the building also is quite lovely as well. Basically it is an English style pub, but it has more charm, and more character, than a lot of others that I visit, namely because they don't go out of their way to make themselves appear to be an English tavern. Like, they have some rather nice beers on tap, and the staff are rather friendly as well. Yeah, this is actually a rather lovely place to be honest.

Just off the main street in Croydon, Bazoo Bar is Croydon's indoor/outdoor bar and lounge…read more A good place to catch up for a drink, or to blow off steam on the weekend, Bazoo has a great outdoor deck area looking out onto the greener areas of Croydon. Perfect for a weekend arvo beer in the sun. I've been here a couple of times and was surprised by the prices they charged for a bottle of beer. Without tap beer on offer, you're stuck for choice, and end up having to fork out more than necessary for a stubby. Hosting live music most nights of the week, usually of the acoustic persuasion, Bazoo caters for those in the area who aren't keen on drinking at the many licensed hotel/gaming megaplexes.

Great spot to go for a beer after work or on a nice sunny afternoon…read more Turns into a great little club after dark. They also have a cafe next door which is great for a coffee or meal

This place is deffo worth a stop if in the area…read more The staff were friendly and the place looks great. The beer selection for a country pub was very good, including Old Speckle Hen, White Rabbit Dark Ale, Little Creature Pale Ale, James Squire's 150 lashes Pale Ale as well as the generic beers. The fish and chips was great, as was the Barra with chips. We all liked our dishes.

Pretty nice, a great pub. Tasty food, epic drinks…read more good people and service too

We've been frequenting 'The Irish Pub' for years and have always found it a pleasant location to…read moreenjoy casual dining and a drink (if you're so inclined). We go for lunch on week days, about three times per month. All meals are generous and consistently well prepared, presented and tasty. If you're a senior, the choice and price is great value and, the meals are not smaller portions. The daily 'specials' are also good value, our last meal was the satisfying 'Irish Flat Breads' (pizza) normally cost up to $18 for $10 (Monday special) Coffee is always $1.95 before noon. You have the choice of sitting inside on stools at the barrel tables, in booths, at standard tables or outside 'al fresco' on bar stools and bench tables. It's a destination for us. Our daytime experiences have always been positive. We even take our friends there. I can't comment on evenings/nights.

Seamus McPeake's Irish Pub is the local pub for the residents of Knox and surrounds. Hidden away in…read morea corner of Knox City Shopping Centre's Knox Ozone, it is a small venue which has the energy more commonly found in venues of the inner city. Among locals it is called "The Irish". A traditional irish pub in every sense it sports dark wooden furniture and a few booths at the back - perfect for a catch-up with mates. There are little nooks and crannies in every corner with all kinds of seating from bar stools, to benches to seats that double as small tables. Service is quick, but not quick enough when it comes to keeping the place clean - it is pretty grimy and the chances that someone will spill a drink on you are pretty high so I would caution against wearing your best clothes. Dress code is smart casual - just keep it simple. Entry is only $5 and drinks are relatively cheap too which is always a good thing. The place is busiest on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights and because of its size is packed full pretty quickly. There is an outdoor smokers area, which is tiny but it doesn't seem to deter patrons from crushing against each other in order to secure themselves some room out there. The dance floor is tiny but again, when there is a will there is a way and there are a lot of very willing dancers here. Patrons range in age from the very young to the very old although there tends to be more males than females.

Sooki Lounge is nestled in Belgrave, providing a nice place to go and have some tapas, a drink or…read moretwo and catch some live music. The live room is a good size and is attracting some very good musicians from Melbourne. The food is unpretentious but well done. A good selection of drinks and the cocktails seem to be quite popular. The vibe is kind of faded European glory and it's very well done too. There are lots of places to sit and have a communal yet private feeling as well. If you live in the area you have to make Sooki Lounge a regular hangout.

A great place for dinner, nibbles, drinks while meeting up with friends or if you're having a…read moreparty. I wouldn't say it's the best food I've had, but the BBQ pork sliders and nachos are pretty good. It's a very family friendly place, heaps of young kids around while the music is playing. It's great to see all sorts here from teens to hippies to gothics to seniors all enjoying a drink and getting along. Nice place to hang out if you're away from the CBD and out in the 'mountains'....