This place is pretty cool. In fact, I didn't realise it exists until I was doing a little internet searching on my computer. Well, upon discovering it I immediately went out to check it out, and sure enough this was one of those pubs I literally fell in love with as soon as I walked in through the door. It is in the heart of the city, but not on one of the major thoroughfares. It has a great beer garden, and a huge selection of beers. In fact it is large enough that you certainly don't have to worry about the crowds. Definitely worth checking out. read more

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The venue is filthy, how long has it been since toilets were cleaned properly, not to mention the state of the tables people are expected to eat from This is also a great place if you enjoy luke warm food. Not one of the 9 meals ordered was hot! That's when they were actually brought to the table over an approximate 20 minute period. We had to follow up twice Avoid this venue at all costs. Save your cash and go elsewhere! read more

Wow does this place go off on a Friday/Saturday night. So off, that it's entirely jam packed and you may even struggle to move from point A to B. Looking for seats? Good luck. You'll probably just end up spending your night bumping elbows with strangers. The music is loud. The crowd is a mix-match of try-hards and casuals. The space itself is very Melbourne. It feels industrious and hipster with cement, high ceilings and indoor plants. The space even has a Fitzroy Social kinda feel to it, but it's in the CBD, it's way more crowded. It's open, but has a few levels, almost like a maze with windows, you see a spot and think- this is good, but how do I get there? I've been a few times already and yet there is still an upstairs area I'm looking forward to exploring. The drinks are good, on busy nights, you make a note to not get fancy with your order. The bar is far too crowded for them to make elaborative cocktails. Stick to your basics, unless if you come during a quiet time, then by all means: go for it. read more

Stand-out fine-dining, at entry-level fine-dining prices. All hidden at the back of Garden Hotel Bar. Head chef here has worked in some top quality restaurants around the city. This is the first establishment he has run himself. Refined service. Some amazing food. A wine list with a monthly opportunity to sample high calibre wines from around the world. Duck main quite delightful, potato side a mini-orgasm in the mouth. read more

Garden State Hotel - Beer Gardens Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

In the 80's, Rosati on Flinders Lane, was a pioneer in the Melbourne Restaurant scene. With its sprawling warehouse look, intricate mosaic tiled floors captured the era's essence so well it served as the backdrop for Kylie Minogue's Got to be Certain video clip. It certainly was the place to be and I've since learnt it set the record for the most Moet served in Australia. The 2000's wasn't kind to Rosati and in the mids 2000's it closed its doors and has laid dormant with rumours doing the rounds of what it's next incarnation will be. Well the wait is over and the Sand Hill Group have breathed life into the the old girl and opened the 5million dollar Garden State Hotel. This is a big venue both in size and offering, with a restaurant complete with a raw bar, a public bar and even a basement cocktail bar, it has something to offer most people. Whilst I'm a big fan of the industrial look, one has to ask when are we going to move on from this over done design and create a new look and feel for the restaurant and bar scene in Australia, but with saying that they have done a bloody good job. We had an opportunity to visit on a cold wet Wednesday night and I was impressed with the amount of people enjoying an after work drink and bite to eat. We attempted to grab a table in the restaurant but was told there was at least an hour wait. So we put our name on the wait list and proceeded to the public bar for a beer. Whilst they had a good range of beers on tap it was disappointing that it was one of the 2 big Australian breweries, which to be honest is a bit of a sellout and I'm not a fan of but understand the business needs when making these types of selections. After a while, and our table still a bit away we ventured down to the cocktail bar. Now this is where you can see a better use of creativity and the ability to offer character into their beverage offering. The cocktail list was impressive and we opted for four different cocktails that the list presented. Whilst they took a tad longer to make the flavours certainly made up for it. By this time the hunger pains started to kick in and with our table not presenting itself in the near future we decided to order a counter meal and it was ribs and burgers all around. The ribs, one word, sensational, full of flavour and the meat just melted in your mouth. The burgers, whilst simple also packed a punch of flavour, with a well seasoned beef patty and fresh bun and salad. I have to say the service is a little disjointed, with some staff shinning and others lacking the level you would expect from a venue of this size, but look it's a early days and it is a new venue and I wouldn't expect all to go smoothly, but first instincts tells me that this will be a place to go with top notch service and product and who knows Kylie might decide to film her next video at Garden State. read more

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Great atmosphere and set up. I was here on holiday and came in on a weekday around 5pm and the place was packed. The crowd seems to be working professionals from corporate offices nearby. The drinks are good, but a little bit on the pricier side. Would go back again when in town. read more

WOW. It's places like this that keep putting Melbourne on the map. Brought to you by the same guys who did Terminus Hotel, Prahran Hotel and The Bridge Hotel (you know they're good). I went to this monstrous hotel for a friends birthday drinks on a Saturday evening. It was very difficult to find a table and seats, as obviously everyone else in Melbourne wanted to see the interior of Garden State Hotel for themselves as well- it was packed! This place lives up to its name- plants and trees everywhere, and not just baby trees- BIG trees in the middle of this hotel, that were apparently lifted in by crane during construction. It's quite lovely to sit indoors, but have a garden/outdoor feel (if you don't mind the odd leaf falling on your head). There are so many different levels and areas to enjoy. I think I counted about 4 bars, but there could be more. Down the very bottom bar, there is a more extensive drinks menu. Unfortunately you cannot order cocktails from the downstairs bar at different bars throughout the establishment. The dance floor is way out of proportion for the number of patrons the venue holds. I think the dance floor was an afterthought (it was teeny tiny) and was not utilised by anyone on a Saturday night. It was on the very lower floor, tucked away in the corner. The food menu doesn't seem overly impressive. Save this place for drinks only before you duck into its neighbours close by (Chin Chin, Meatball Wine Bar, Lucy Liu). An older crowd was here on a Saturday night, and then a few footy fans rolled in after the game. It started to get a lot quieter from 11pm onwards. I recommend coming here early afternoon or late at night if you want to get a table. I've been back on a Sunday and it's still quite busy, but a nice relaxed vibe and the roof can open! read more

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Just dropped in here for a beer to fill in time. The place was packed it was a Saturday night lots of different gardens and places to sit and enjoy a drink. A little noisy but that's to be expected with so many people there. Didn't eat anything but the food on yelp of others that had eaten here looked nice. Only drawback was that it's only a couple of meters away from some amazing restaurants and it's hard to go past them unfortunately. read more

I found the style and casual, fun atmosphere to be quite comfortable. I had a plate of oysters, of which the Tasmsnia selection were by far the freshest and most flavoful. I would definitely order again. The four of us order 6 different items to share. And ithough it was plenty of food, I found it to be most underwhelming. The dishes were plated beautifully, but the flavors left me unimpressed. Definitely did not taste bad, but not worthy of anything more than 3 stars in my book. If I were rating on atmosphere alone, would bump them to 4 stars. read more

Looks the goods but disappoints. Very surly maître d'hôte. Asked to wait 15 minutes at the bar despite the fact that four tables were empty. Roast fish and mushrooms over salted as was the fries. When asked if our meals were ok we advised the shortfalls which elicited no reply or apology! They need to be friendlier and warmer to their customers! read more

It's big and they did a good job not destroying the building. They gain a star for that... This huge new pub on Flinder's lane has become instantly trendy. It was packed, as in no seats i the whole place except outside in the smoking hole and it only grew busier as the arvo wore on. I don't want to think how bad it will be with the after work crowd. People who there we dressed up (including "whoo girls") for Melbourne, there was an absences of hipsters that the South Yarra crowd might find pleasing. Also they haven't done much sound proofing indoors to keep the volume down either. Add to that the music was loud music and growing louder with each hour. The final nail in the coffin was an unimpressive beer selection on tap. No craft beers really to speak of. There are a lot nicer places I will chose over this one. read more

Gotta say this place has wow factor. It's massive. It's multi dimensional. It's at the top end of the city. It's all new and zhoozhy. I went here for a date that wasn't that great so to be fair I did leave prematurely because life is too short for tedious dates. Still we seat hopped (a symptom of needing date distraction?) from the front bar through to the light soaked atrium garden complete with birds pooing from the trees, and downstairs to the lower bar with its booths and sexy time mood lighting (probably in his last ditch attempt to salvage the date). I only had a beer and my companion asked for a mocktail which the barman graciously obliged. I'm sure the drinks are amazing, and they appear to have a full service restaurant. So I strike up convo with the barman to escape the date and he tells me the history of the place. A renowned Italian restaurant turned crappy nightclub was bought out by big guns in Melbourne hospo who spent 3 years and zillions of dollars refurbishing. A capacity of 850-odd drunk, beautiful people fill the place every weekend. So get into it I say....but bring someone you'll want to stay a while with for the full experience. read more

Lovely fit out really impressive space I'll review food later :) ok food was really nice but ultra confusing on how to order what was a main what wasn't a little too complicated .... End product was yummy the Fit out was great service good read more

Garden State Hotel - Beer Gardens Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Maybe it's the country girl in me, but I love me a good pub. Garden State is not your average pub, that's for sure, but it's still pretty bloody great. We were there for dinner with the fam bam on Sunday night, which was lovely. The food, while a little smaller on the serving side, was amazing. The chef kindly offered to make a vegetarian main for me, since there wasn't one on the menu, which I thought was really kind since i'm usually happy to eat a whole mess of sides if there isn't an option. The table service was great, and the staff were very friendly and accomodating. The venue itself is out of this world. It's yuge, its big, it's massive. We only got a chance to see the main level, but I can only imagine that the rest is just as cool. We'll definitely have to come back and make a proper night of it. read more

Incredibly popular pub in the centre of Melboune's hot dining precinct. Spread across a number of levels that provide a variety of drinking and dining experiences. Must admit I haven't eaten here, but have had plenty of beers, wines and cocktails before and after visiting local restaurants. The place gets seriously hectic Friday and Saturday nights, so get in early. read more

Worst staff ever. I'm the VP of an ad agency who hosted clients at Garden State Hotel last night. We were waiting for our foreign guests in the bar but having difficulty locating them outside (they were lost) so I popped my head out twice to see if they had arrived. The bouncer (male/tall-ish) aggressively said to me, "If you come out one more time, you can't come back in." It was only 7pm and I was sober; I am also in my 40s and have never been threatened in my life. Not to mention, our male guest was molested by a female patron upon arrival. There are loads of more respectful establishments in the city where we can happily (and safely) utilise our expense account; this one is a disgrace to Melbourne--0 stars. read more

IN LOVE with this spot. From the interiors to the last sip of my beverage, the whole experience made me feel like not budging. Considering we popped in on a cold Monday evening and the place was still buzzing is really saying something too. I can't wait to be back with a big bunch of friends for a birthday or anniversary. Such a gorgeous space. read more

Unbelievable and I don't know how they're allowed to get away with this - $17 for a glass of house Chardonnay. I definitely won't be back

Ambitious new pub in the heart of Flinders Lane food district. Spread over 5 levels this massive venue can cater up to 850 punters and offers a separate fine dining restaurant, interior and exterior beer gardens along with a basement cocktail bar. In addition, there's two exclusive function rooms with private balconies and well stocked bars. The fit out is exceptionally well designed with an atmosphere which should cater well to the varied CBD crowd. Too early to tell how this place will go and ultimately the type of clientele it will attract, but it definitely offers a well thought out plan to accommodate those looking for a high quality pub experience. read more

I waited an inordinately long time for bar service which I accepted due to the size of the crowd until it became ridiculous. I was holding my credit card in view of the bar staff to indicate that I was waiting for service. A nose-ringed barmaid finally approached me and informed me that she would not serve me because she found my holding of my credit card to be rude. She then spoke into the ear of another barmaid and then neither of them would serve me. Who does this so-and-so think she is? She is employed to give service, not to give vent to her personal moods and reactions and certainly not to refuse service to non-intoxicated patrons who are waiting patiently. Vote with your feet and do not give your business to venues that employ rude staff such as this. There are plenty of other bars employing courteous staff. I will certainly not be back. read more

The hotel is beautiful. So many areas to choose from for a meal or drink. Lovely atmosphere and staff were accommodating. It's very pricey and the venue is really loud. Just get in early if you are with more than 1 other, tables fill up quick. I think the hotel will be nicer in the warmer weather! read more

Horrible! I went for dinner with friends on a Monday evening. What a let down. My 'pasta with brassica' was some cheap linguine swimming in oil with a few leaves. It's cynical to create a dish with such an obviously high profit margin (it was $16). Everybody else's food looked sparse on the plate and was delivered at hugely different times (at least 10 mins apart). My friends ordered parma, the pork belly and the cheeseburger. Nobody very impressed. Feels cheap and nasty. No wonder the owners reportedly raked in $500k on the opening weekend. Great decor but the food is abysmal. Avoid. read more

Great Venue to be at. Apparently I was kick out for no reason this past friday. I was on the dance floor having a good time and a bouncer told me I had to go. I asked him why. He said I was swaying. Really? Swaying on the dance floor ? Everyone on the dance floor was swaying. I found it very funny. Without any hesitation I exited in a respectful manner. I asked another bouncer outside why they kicked me out. I wasn't trying to fight with anybody or bumping into anyone. I was pretty chill. The bouncer outside told me that it was clear that I wasn't drunk but couldn't override the decision. Of course I was a little upset. I felt profiled. The place was packed and people were still waiting in line to go inside. I began to think that this place was picking random people to kick out so the people in line can go in and spend money. I wouldn't come back due to profiling. Not a good place to go to with big crowds. Don't waste your time here, I was on my best behavior and still got kick out.. My first , worst, last time. I truly believe a bad review is lost money from me and others thinking about going here. read more

Headed there with friends on a sunday afternoon, awesome fitout and great cocktails. Food was great but just had to wait a bit.