Wait, where did Pugg Mahones go?! Obviously I haven't been paying attention on my recent trips…read morearound Lygon St, as seems the oddly named The Shaw Davey Slum has been open for business for over three months now. (A rant for a different time; but are there any Irish pubs left in melbs?) We showed great trepidation about venturing into the Slum. The outside looked unappealing, garishly bright paint covered with posters advertising the different nights and specials looking like a tacky Gold Coast nightclub. Completing that picture: they had a few bouncers outside too...at 6pm on a Thurs. (Having been out of the nightclubing age bracket for some time I can't remember the last time I've even seen a door-bouncer!). The guy even clicked his counter when we entered even though we were about the only ones in there (guess it gets busy later?). Inside the decor is all over the shop. Can't figure out what they're going for. Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe inspired wallpaper, ergonomically-challenging bar-stools, a few nice light fixtures, and then more bright pink & orange posters smothered over the bar. Some cool touches here, some tacky ones there. (Weirdly their best design feature is the rustic-themed toilets, with - sorry to be uncouth - urinals made from what I think were discarded kegs.) You see the prices though and suddenly it makes sense: it's a uni-bar. Prices are wild. In fact I probably should have started my review there. Let me put this next point in all-caps: FOR SEPTEMBER 2014, ALL-DAY EVERY-DAY YOU CAN GET A JUG OF JAMES SQUIRE FOR $10 That's $10 for a jug of any of their tap beers actually - James Squire Lashes is just my fave. After Sept they are still only $15 I believe and since I reckon I paid $13 for a *Pint* of the same at the Portland Hotel a few days ago, that's pretty decent!...There's also cheap cocktail jugs (can't vouch for those) and $5 bottles of some beer, so if you want to save some $ and don't mind a uni crowd, definitely worth popping in to 'pre-load' up before heading somewhere ...nicer. (Note: drink responsibly) And heading somewhere nicer was what we were going to do after a drink but the cheap jugs did their trick and kept coming and kept us there until we were too starving to go anywhere else! Their food menu is similarly cheap, with a nice selection of $10 meals (and most others around $15, with two steak options $20-$25 or so). I was torn between a few of the cheap feeds, so we got a taster plate on top of our meals (also $10). This let us try a few dishes to see they were worth coming back for. It had hits (arancini balls / vegemite calamari - yes you read that right) and misses (chicken wings / pork belly....but I've never understood the allure of pure pig fat myself) but the best part was that each sample came with a paired sauce, which came in very handy for the chips that came with out other meals. The beer burger the ladies ordered was ok - wouldn't stand up to any cool new Burger place around but for $10 did the job - and my mate's steak sanga was from all reports decent but a man doesn't ask another man to sample his steak so I have to take his word on that. Have to say my parma was the real disappointment - when it came out it looked huge but was an optical illusion as it was actually as thin as a pancake, which meant it tasted more like the crumbs than the chicken. Next time I'll get a full serve of the calamari. I don't really understand the place, but then again it's not really for me. Staff were lovely though, and if I'm anywhere in the vicinity in the next few weeks will be back for the cheap beer for sure.

I remember coming here ages ago with some friends, back when it was a Pug Moloneys. Actually, come…read moreto think of it, that must have been ages back since Pug Maloney's hasn't been around since I was in University (or shortly after). Anyway, this place has certainly had a refit and is now one of those trendier pubs that you tend to find scattered around the innercity. Actually, trendy is probably not the best word to describe this place, but I wouldn't go as far as calling it classy either. They do have a rooftop bar, but everytime I've come here - once for a drink and once for dinner with friends, it's been closed. The menu options aren't huge, and the servings were that fantastic either (I believe I got a steak and chips and that was about it). It's a nice place, but not one that I would be hurrying back to any time soon.

As I was visiting a number of pubs in the inner North of Melbourne one night (or at least the pubs…read morethat I hadn't visited) I noted that there was a little scribble next to this pub on my map that said 'pretty cool', though when I was standing outside I could not for the life of me ever remember actually going in here (and no, it was probably not because I was drunk the night I did go here). Anyway the pub itself was pretty cool, and while it was a little quiet it had a decent beer garden out the back. What I really liked about this pub though was what I call the little hidey hole. There are a number of small alcoves around the place that you can hide away in with a beer and a friend and not be disturbed (with the exception of others sticking their nose in to see if the hidey hole is available).

This venue is literally across the road from me (please don't stalk me) and a close friend had her…read morelast birthday celebration at the Commercial Club Hotel. We arrived at five in the evening and were greeted by friendly bartenders, the venue has that 'warm local' feel, a mix of young and old, both for drinks and for playing some pool. There's a large courtyard that could be thoroughly enjoyed on a day filled with sunshine (when i went it was raining pretty heavily), there's some sofas sprawled around the place, pool table and bar stools out front that provides a lovely place to make your local drinking hole.

This is definitely one of the better South Melbourne pubs, though unfortunately it does tend to…read moreclose down around the Christmas break, which is a bit of a shame, especially when I make the effort to travel out here. It isn't one of the easiest pubs to get to, namely because it happens to be located a bit out of the way of the major strip in South Melbourne, but it is still pretty cool. I has an awesome beer garden down the side, and some great craft beers on tap as well. Also, it doesn't seem to get anywhere near as packed as some pubs do.

I'm so angry! Not so…read morelong ago I lived just three minutes walk from the Wayside. As soon as I moved away, they opened - almost as if they knew that my living nearby might pose a huge risk for their daily Oyster Happy Hour (3.30-5.30). $14 for half a dozen seasonal oysters and a glass of wine (or beer)? If I were still a local, you can guarantee that I would have been in there every second day. My first visit this week saw me absolutely fuming as I read through the menu - a daily rotisserie (venison with red fruits, or a half Glenloth chicken perhaps?); an entire section devoted to oysters and another to offal... not to mention the steaks (divided in to grain and grass fed). I could feel rage and disappointment inside that I'd moved away too soon. I was only there for a meeting over drinks (a couple of glasses from their great wine list, and a cheeky G&T because they use the West Winds Gin's Sabre - my favourite Aussie gin). After this and a dozen oysters later, I was scheming up a way to move back to the South side and make this my local. Hell hath no fury like a woman denied easy access to such great food.

Yarra Lounge has the primo location. Go there in the afternoon and sit on the footpath and have a…read morebeer and some freshly prepared snacks, or as they are more commonly known 'Tapas'. This place it's just all kinds of awesome. Don't expect white table cloth service, it's really quite laid back, but that's also part of the charm.

Good if you want to grab a quick drink and a couple of tapas before or after something, like…read moreheading over to watch a movie. Staff are friendly.

Well, I'll give this pub points for having Star Trek playing in the background of the beer garden,…read morebut honestly, that is about it. Okay, the service was pretty good as well, and as I mentioned, that did have a rather nice beer garden as well, but honestly, it really isn't one of those pubs that I would make an effort to visit all that often. Okay, the other good thing about it is that it is also pretty close to the railway station as well. As for the beer selection, well, nah, it isn't that great.

They have a great selection on the menu and the staff are really friendly with table service…read more I couldn't go past the Mexican Parma. They didn't hold back on the sauce and had the right amount of jalapeños. The fillet could've been thicker but, very minor feedback. We also had the steak which was slightly over cooked for medium rare, but still tender and enjoyable

A small but well fitting and stylish cafe to this area of Carlton. Amazing and delicious food which…read moredeserves a solid 4/5. The only down side is the wait. Waiting 20-30 minutes for eggs and bacon doesn't seem reasonable, even when the amount of customers is small. Aside from that, Henry Sugar is a fantastic cafe for anyone who is in for brunch. Plus the house made almond milk is a real bonus here. A great taste, decent sized menu and friendly staff, makes this cafe really worth the wait. Love to come here again!

Dropped by on a whim as I'm rarely in the area, and I'm glad I did. I'm sure an old church being…read moreconverted into a bar is not a new concept, but can't think of any others in Melbourne so the novelty of it piqued my curiosity. I had a glass of vino and sat around chatting for ages. Nobody cared that we weren't ordering more drinks. There was no band playing, so not sure how different the atmosphere would be if there was. But for an easy-going night in a cool venue, it's worth checking this place out. Just don't forget to say your prayers!

This is one of the reasons that I love Northcote, though I have to admit that I don't get down this…read moreway anywhere near as much as I used to (despite the fact that it is pretty close to the railway line). I've been here before, but a group of friends wanted to come to the quiz night one Wednesday, so we all piled into the place, and ordered our meal, and promptly lost (namely because we weren't up to speed on our Canadian artists). They have a pretty awesome beer garden out the back, and some decent selection of beers on tap. However the menu wasn't as huge as it could have been. Still it's a pretty decent place to come for a night out.

Nice seating outside allows you to enjoy the sun. Croquettas and chorizo sausage tapas to start…read moreand Razor clams, eggplant, and cos salad for mains. The croquettas were delicious crispy 3 bite morsels of goodness. Chorizo sausage was 5 tasty pieces perfect for sharing. Salad was decent fresh greens with toasted pine nuts and a creamy dressing. Razor clams were literally served in a tin and came with 2 slices of crispy chewy toasted bread and some pickles. The eggplant was amazingly good charred generous portion with a creamy cheese crumble on top but I think too much olive oil. The prices reflect the area. $31 gets you a porterhouse steak that doesn't come with any sides. Steak was a good cut of meat but you have to pay $8 or more for mushrooms or beans to go with it. Service was friendly so no complaints there!

Sit outside in the winter sun! It's lovely catching some rays in the breeze…read more We chose this place to have lunch as we were heading to the DFO and it was the highest rated place amongst all the eateries in the area. It was a good choice, they had a lunch menu which came with a complimentary drink as well (including wine!) so that was a huge plus. The atmosphere was great and the guys were nice. We got the polenta chips for entree which was divine, it set a high bar for the place. Until the mains came... Or didn't come. It took 50mins rather than the promised 15-20. It was very disappointing actually, it could've been a perfect meal, but the wait was too much. We weren't even being updated on any progress which wasn't great as well. When the food finally came (the beef with mash and the gnocchi, both which were average - at least maybe the wait ruined the food) we wolfed it down in five minutes and left. Would I return? Probably not, I'll give the others in the area a go.