Union Hotel

A couple range me (as a Civil Celebrant) wanting to talk about my possibly marrying them. They chose the venue for a meeting and the time, noon as they had been here many times. Not wanting to look bad, when they ordered their main meal lunches I ordered an entre sized item. I wanted to save money. But I made a mistake because, honestly, that entre was tasty and I wish that I had ordered larger. Service was fair enough, being a pub. Atmosphere, well, it was VERY busy - showing even more how popular a place it is in this area

One of the things that I have noticed about Melbourne (and Sydney, and Adelaide) is that there are a number of good pubs hidden off the main roads (though, especially in Fitzroy, they still become quite crowded on Friday nights). Normally we don't venture too far off of the main roads so we tend to miss many of these gems. I knew about this place because friends of mine from church come here for dinner every of often, and I have noticed that they recently have had some renovations, having added some booths in the front bar. It also has a really nice beer garden out the back, though my friends tend to end up having their meals inside.

a friendly neighborhood gem, perched amidst some new apartments, old brunswick houses & the odd small neighborhood store. A sense of casual cool is immediately evident when entering. As well as your standard old corner single entry pub door, they have a large open area that spills out into the street. It almost says "welcome, pop on in if you want to". This casual charm extends to the bar, with its chilled but helpful staff & then the beer garden, with its casual greenery. The menu seemed like standard pub fare, we only got the fries, which for $7 were large & tasty. This seems like a place where chilled good times just happen, so worth popping in through the big double door entry for a peek & some drinks & maybe a meal.

It's always a nice surprise when you stumble upon a hidden gem such as the Union. Kitschy interior, comfort food, smiling bar staff and the token old mate at the end of the bar that dishes out life advice to his youthful prey... it has everything you could ask for, including home made ice cream and free sourdough bread with every meal. If they put a packman machine out the back I would never leave!