Fair dinkum, I put my card and license at the bar for a tab for work colleagues, however, I had to leave to deal with a work matter before my guests had finished, so I asked one of my colleagues to close my tab when they had finished and get my card and license to give to me later. But here's the problem, the bar person let my colleague close the tab, and then charged my card, but wouldn't hand over the card, even after my colleague offered to get me on the phone. So, understand this, they understood enough to charge my card, but not enough to hand said card over to the person who they obviously understood was drinking with me. I now need to travel 45 minutes tomorrow to get my card and license. Really? read more

I come here every so often and always enjoy the range of craft beers available. There's around 12 taps in total. Came here this evening for some dinner. I've had a snack here previously and it was good so was time to try the mains. I had the pan fried crispy skin barramundi with kipfler potatoes, green beans in a buttery sauce. Absolutely sensational. The fish was cooked so well I was a little sad when my plate was empty. It was $26 and well worth it in my opinion. The venue itself is pretty big with a large main bar area, a separate dinning room, a pool room, and a rather ramshackle garden (which can sometimes reek from the kitchen extraction fans). They have food specials during the week (think today's, Monday, was Roo and wine night - sounds interesting). All in all a good neighbourhood pub with above average food. read more

Edinburgh Castle Hotel - Perfectly cooked crispy skin Barra. Amazing. - Hotels Near Me - Brunswick, VIC

The Edinburgh Castle is a solid option for a serious drinking session, an afternoon in the sun, or a really decent pub meal. I went for Saturday lunch and was pleasantly surprised by the size and quality of the menu - lots of pub-grub favourites like pork sausages and mash, and a chicken pie, but also some nice versions of classics, like burgers. I had the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich (read: burger), and my companion had the roo burger. Both were so nicely done; the chicken was super juicy and tasty, and the home-made bun was delicious - similar to a brioche, but without the sweetness. My companion said the roo sandwich was the best burger he's had in Melbourne, which is obviously a pretty big call. I don't love kangaroo, but the bite I had was perfectly cooked, and very tender. There is a really big beer garden that sprawls around corners and has lots of nice spots in the sun and shade. There are also pool table(s) and a couple of rooms with kind of old-timey decor, if beer gardens aren't your thing. read more

Edinburgh Castle Hotel - Buttermilk fried chicken sandwich with cheese, iceberg lettuce, jalapeños, gherkins and chipotle mayo. - Hotels Near Me - Brunswick, VIC

The Ed Castle is one of these pubs that just gets what people want. The place has a great restaurant and bar grazing area; a couple of staged areas for live performances, which occur at least a few nights of the week; a fantastic garden/courtyard bar, complete with table tennis, for smokers and sunny afternoon beers; and the feel is relaxed, the staff friendly and the music always good. Why more places don't adhere to this formula is beyond me. They offer everything but don't rely too heavily on any one of the elements that make the place a pleasant place to hang out. Plus they have roo and hamburger specials on week nights for the thrifty. And they have the common decency to exist on a tram line. Simply check it out. read more

Edinburgh Castle Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Brunswick, VIC

'The Castle' is an appropriate moniker for the building that stands on the corner of Albion St and Sydney Rd in Brunswick. Don't get the wrong impression here, it's certainly nothing like those that you imagine to be inhabited by long haired princesses and framed by turrets. Think more along the lines of the grand yet dank bunkers that littered the British Isles during the Middle Ages and you'll get the right impression. That said, it's still presented nicely, with a fresh lick of paint having been applied sometime in the last twelve months and its doors held ajar in welcome during the summer months. The Edinburgh Castle is a pub that's comfortable in its own concrete, from the unfussy yet classic style furnishings, to the tapestry of band fliers in its windows. It's even got a window display that changes from month to month (highlights in the last two years have included marionettes and what can only be described as an arts and crafts tribute to sheep innards). The band space is similarly laid back, with performers covering almost any genres, instruments and levels of local notoriety you can think of inhabiting the oh-so-slightly raised floor in the corner of the front room. The beer garden is somewhat stark, with its concrete ground and outdoor furniture, but features both covered and uncovered areas and a few intimate nooks in which to conduct more private conversations. The dining room again nods to the pub traditions of yesteryear without really adhering to them and features another band space. The food itself can be variable and is priced within the range of what has unfortunately become standard pub pricing, but the daily specials are on track to help lure the financially needy. The beer list is in good enough shape for your typical inner northern suburbanite's alcoholic needs, with a decent nod to the wine department. Yet it's the promise of $10 jugs of Coopers and Gypsy Pear Cider before 6pm everyday that'll really please your average punter, and provide a great start to a lazy Sunday afternoon or long weekend (or any night in which students have time on their hands). The lack of any real natural light and proliferation of candles makes The Castle the perfect venue for a quiet winter's evening out, while providing relief from the more oppressive summer days. However, if you want to bask in the sun, it's probably not your ideal candidate. The Edinburgh Castle is a solid pub providing for the Brunswick everyman/woman, and refreshingly free of pretence. read more

Edinburgh Castle Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Brunswick, VIC

Good beer & good food. I've had plenty of drinks here and they are always of top quality. The selection of beer is excellent. I don't however like the main bar for a couple. There's hardly anywhere to sit as most the tables that surround the enormous bar are for large groups. There's also a dining room, pool room and large garden. We tried the food for the first time today. He liked his half size $18 chicken Parma. I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the chicken and sweet potato salad. Will deffo eat here again. read more

Edinburgh Castle Hotel - Parma and a chicken salad. - Hotels Near Me - Brunswick, VIC

Every night of the week is an above average winner, only downside would be the choice of ciders on tap. Beer is a winner, hooray for pubs. Music on the odd occasion, with residency bands every now and again and the back room hired out my all manner of musical madness, including the Melbourne Ukulele Kollective. And ping pong! There's a ping pong table out the back! Let the night begin! read more

Edinburgh Castle Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Brunswick, VIC

I like this place for so many reasons. a) it has a fantastic beer garden, good size, nicely laid out. b) there's table tennis. Everywhere should have a table tennis, like in Berlin, table tennis tables on street corners and parks - brilliant. c) good beers on tap, and also some rather nice wines if you're in the mood for that sort of thing. d) the pub food is pretty good and reasonably priced. e) there's good live music on in the front room many nights of the week. And that's not even counting the ukulele group. f) it's easy to reach by public transport - it's got a train line behind it and tram tracks in front. 'Nuff said. read more

Edinburgh Castle Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Brunswick, VIC

There are a few things that come with having A Local. The best of these is the security in knowing that a nice cold beer or cider is just a short stroll around the corner - EC does this especially well with their $12 jug of Boags or Gypsy Pear cider before 6.00pm. Another is having a place to get a great pub meal when you don't feel like cooking. I heartily recommend the $12 kangaroo and red wine special on Monday nights, along with the Wednesday night burger special. Aside from the specials, they also have a menu that caters to the usual dietary requirements. Another dish to note is the pub-favourite chicken parma that sees the standard ham switched with prosciutto. The food is also quick, even when the place is packed. Unfortunately, the down side to having a local is that you tend to forgive things a little easier than elsewhere. The staff can occasionally be a little surly, however I have noticed this improving in recent months (and really, most other inner-city pubs can be guilty of this too). The atmosphere inside the pub is fairly average, but it's the kind of place that you don't need a sexy fit-out to enjoy. However, the pros certainly outweigh the cons at the EC. It definitely sits above a number of other Sydney Road pubs as that place to meet your mates for a parma and beer on any night of the week. The beer garden is lovely in summer and has plenty of undercover seating for those rainy days. EC appears to be very family friendly, so no one will bat an eyelid if you bring the kids or your grandma too. All in all, I am stoked to have a pub like EC as a local - it seems like a lot of the other locals think so too. read more

The EC has all the elements of a local; done well. - A comprehensive menu with all the pub favourites and a few 'gastro pub' dishes thrown in. They do a half serve on parmas, fish and chips and burgers which means you're not laden with a serving bigger than your head to get through. They have some pretty excellent meal deals on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. - There's a pretty roomy outdoor area which catches the sunshine and has a ping pong table. Warning... Pong can get quite theatrical and competitive when there's beer involved! - They have live music at the weekend and some week nights. Can't seem to find where they publish their 'what's on' though. - They serve booze. Of course. Worth a visit for a decent eat and great local atmosphere. read more

We went here two days in a row. Why? Well, the wagyu burger. I got it on a Friday night. My partner took a bit of it and immediately regretted choosing the fish and chips (which were also quite excellent). Say what you will about wagyu beef being wasted on burgers, the marbling being the wrong kind for burgers and whatnot, but this was a damned fine burger. So fine, we were thinking about the burger all day the next day and had to get another one. We are a couple of Americans who found love over burgers and have had intense arguments over the quality of burgers. Props to us for perpetuating the stereotype. Their wagyu burger is the best burger we have had. We will be going back on Thursday for their burger special. read more

Great place for a first date! Their parmas are the best going round. Excellent beers available on tap, nice relaxing pub on the north side of the city. Go here often as I can. read more

Edinburgh Castle Hotel - I got the large Parma, one of the best around! That's a Kangaroo, lentil & bacon pie in view which is also top notch - Hotels Near Me - Brunswick, VIC

When we first moved to Brunswick I originally wrote off the Edinburgh Castle as being just another pub without actually going inside. I'm glad to say that it didn't take long to prove me wrong and that I now really enjoy coming here. The Castle is in a great location, on the corner of Sydney Rd and Albion, where the choice of drinking venues is nowhere near a good as down the road closer to the city. When you first step inside you walk into a huge front bar area with a large bar with space for a lot of people to order from or sit at. There are some decent beers and ciders in tap as well as plenty more in the fridge. There's a stage for bands (which usually tend to be free to see) and lots of tables and benches. Wednesday is trivia night in here and it gets pretty packed! Beyond the front bar is a maze of rooms and hallways, leading off to a dining room where you order your meals from, then back further into a large beer garden. The beer garden is bigger than you first think, with tables hidden around everywhere, not to mention table tennis and pool tables. There's a shipping container sitting here too that took me a long time to find out why it was actually there...there's a DJ booth inside! Hopefully they let the DJ out from time to time for some fresh air. The meals here are great. Different nights have different meal deals on offer and there are some tasty takes in classic pub plates. I'm a fan of the buttermilk chicken burger and find it hard to stray beyond that sometimes. They also offer half servings so you don't have to feel bad about not eating half of your plate-sized Parma. Or worse, actually eating all of a plate sized Parma then having to waddle home. read more

Live music, lovely beer garden, good beers, nice waitress, and the food looks good (haven't tried yet) Go there on a Friday night, they have some really nice bands. What else do you need from a pub ? read more

Beer lovers of brunswick this is the place to be with an astonishing 12 different craft beers on tap. Outback is a large beer garden broken off into multiple areas. One with a pool table and another with ping pong. However dont feel obliged to drink and exercise there are plenty of tables and seats to set up camp for a solid afternoon. read more

Pretty ordinary building, facilities and a bit run down, good range of craft beers and food solid but nothing to write home about. Many other better pubs in the area. Parma and F&C tasted OK but lacked any presentation. Help yourself style of service way behind other eateries. read more

Just the place for a jug of cider (often on special) in the beer garden on hot summer arvo, or a glass of red and a spot of live music indoors when the temps dip. Food ranges from "meh" to very good depending on what you get when you get it. I've had a lackluster burger on a busy weekend night to a very nicely done plate of beer battered fish on a more mellow Wednesday. The fries are of the tiny, pencil variety and not Melbourne's finest. Sigh. I like a pub with a good chip. The beer selection is just dandy, with a range of local micro-brews and ciders. Service is haphazard and distracted but it is a grungy hipster pub in Brunswick so whaddya expect? The scene here is fun and laid back and they've got trivia (Wednesday) and frequent live music on offer. Very Brunswick, very Melbourne, very trad pub meets louche hipster dive. All in all, good stuff. read more

With it's huge welcoming bar in the main room, the Edinburgh Castle is one of the warmest receptions you'll get at a pub in Melbourne, and that's before you've even seen the beer menu. Stocking a fantastic range of small batch and boutique beers, and with the kitchen cooking up some tantalizing meals, it's easy to take a seat and stay a while. With a band room off to the side, the music isn't necessarily the lifeblood of the place. Bands play on a small stage, with a fairly clunky sound system, and punters are seated at tables that fill the room. When we last played here, the PA was horrible, and as the crowd is seated at tables, it's easy to feel as thought you're playing at a restaurant, not a music venue. That said, head out back and in to the meandering beer garden, and you'll see why locals keep on coming back here. read more

I haven't been here a lot, but the few times I have, I've been pretty impressed. Great chicken tenders. Haven't tried the rest of the food, but I'm sure it's good Not really into the steam ales or the Brunswick bitters but they still have a good range of beers to whet to appetite with read more

Nice little old school pub in one of melbournes oldest standing hotels. Dont expecta lot in terms of interiors but ambience is good as the place is busy mostly specially on Thursday evenings coz- its the Parma night. You get pot and parma for 15bucks and i would say one of teh best parmas i have had. We end up going back here again and again. read more

I came into the castle to get out of the cold the other day. Once I saw their before 6pm specials I knew I had to call some friends for dinner. 2 for one mains and $12 cider jugs. I had the roo salad. Tender slices of kangaroo meat on rocket, sweet potato, and beets in a vinegarette covered in toasted quinoa. One of the best meals I've ever enjoyed. So 2 mains, chips, and a jug for $40. Nice. read more

Very good hotel bar. A lot of room inside and outside with plenty of weird, small side rooms with pool tables, ping-pong, fire places, etc. Kind of a maze really. In a good way. A pretty good selection of beer at decent prices and a full bar as well. I haven't tried the food, but it looks really good and everyone seems to be enjoying it. A really eclectic crowd. After work types, people with kids, people with Aphex Twin shirts, hobos (maybe). The Brunswick area is saturated with pretty good bars, but this one is worth a try. If you are like me you will probably stay awhile. read more

Really rude staff bad tempered guy behind the till taking food orders screaming out Fuck!!! No washed cutlery and I asked another staff member to wipe down our table and he replied when he had time I'm a local business person and like to support other local pubs I'll never come back here and more importantly the staff don't seem to care about customer experience read more

When I was growing up, this was one of those dodgy pups in Brunswick. What a fantastic transformation. Great food, good beer love the outdoor beer garden. read more

Edinburgh Castle Hotel - Thursday Pot and Parma night. - Hotels Near Me - Brunswick, VIC

Food was good, service not so great. Went with a group of 8 - 6 of the group were served around the same time and 2 of us got their meals well after the rest of us were finished and had our plates cleared away. Would go again though, food was really good. read more

Came here a couple times on Monday night and tried their bargain $12 Roo & Wine deal. It was very tasty. The roo is seasoned nicely and perfectly cooked so you don't get that gamey taste and paired with a glass of shiraz. Great way to start the week. Their burgers are also delicious. Tried the fried chicken burger and will definitely order it again. Lovely loval pub. read more

They have a really nice of small selection of beers for a reasonable price. I love the back courtyard. It feels like being in someone's backyard. Their burgers are also a standby when I've had a long day... and $10 before 6pm! I'm glad to call this pub my local. read more

Absolutely blown away by the great customer service from these guys tonight. Super considerate of family times out on the town.. drinks given to the kids, soda for the designated driver and (without asking) bar staff came out and turned down the speaker above us when the music started. Thanks so much, I was hesitant to get out for a low key family birthday brew and I am so glad I did. You've got my money from here on in. read more

When I walked in there the other night to meet up with my friends from my Bible study, I noticed that there was a band playing, though the singer was really bad. My first thought was 'gee, they must be struggling to get some good acts', but then my friend (who happens to be a professional musician) told be that it is open mike night. I guess that explained everything. I suggested that maybe he should give it a go, but he politely declined (probably because he didn't want to upstage anybody). We've actually been here before, for a quiz night (which we ended up winning - which is why I like this pub) so this was the second time that I visited the place. They have a pretty big beer garden which is divided into two sections. The one we ended up having out meal in had an outdoor stage, which suggests that they have bands playing here. Mind you, it does get pretty crowded, and if you don't really want the specials, then the food (and the beer) is pretty pricey, but since we went on Chilli Night, I was more than happy to go for the special (despite the serving being a little small, but that doesn't bother me). read more

Great gourmet pub! The food here is a tad over priced but pretty delicious. Plus there is music playing almost every night. Some free, some for a small fee. The pub is fit out in cosy hipster design, and its patrons are of the same calibre- cosy Brunswick hipsters. read more

Great pub vibe. Maze of nooks and beer garden. Wagyu burger looks small but packs a flavour punch