This is one of those pubs that I really like. Actually, for a while I was confused with another pub in the local area, until over of the staff at the other pub reminded me that this one existed. Anyway, it doesn't seem to get as crowded as some of the other places, and has a pretty cool beer garden down the side and an awesome rooftop deck (though you don't get the views that you do in some of the other places). In fact there are a number of rooms in this pub, including a small dining room, a room where there is a pool table, and a lounge area next to the beer garden and under the deck. Okay, I probably haven't been to this place as much as I would have wanted to, but now that I know where it is (and the fact that it is on my way home from work), I'll probably end up stopping off here a little more often.
The pub which is featured on Channel 10's show 'The Offspring', I recently went there to celebrate a mate's birthday. The ambiance of this pub was great and lively, and the meal there was fantastic. For $20 I was served a big dish of kangaroo fillet, topped with macadamia nuts, gravy, and boiled broccolini. Their apple cider on tap was of honourable mention also.
The Union Club Hotel in Fitzroy is one of those nouveau retro pubs that seem to be popping up throughout the hipster inner suburbs. Its like The God of Pubs decreed that to have a pub looked lived in, give it lots of op shop purchased furniture & a grungy-esque feel will create success. And it looks like its worked. A pub crawl in Collingwood, Fitzroy & North Fitzroy could see you come up on a half dozen similar pubs, all with that retro charm & an un-manufactured sense of cool. They have a quick & tasty kitchen, with pub grub that fits the dcor, non mainstream but cool & good value. They have a big beer garden, downstairs stays in with the retro nonchalant theme but the rooftop courtyard looks a little cleaner & fresher. Perhaps theyre trying to get a gig for functions for the ever expanding local SMBs. One area of disappointment is the range of beers on tap. For a pub of its ilk there is a clear absence of boutique brews on tap. No fat yak, no mountain goat or ...read more
