A Good Pub ?

[Hollypig]

Lobbing into Melbourne on Monday for the Stones concert.
Staying at the Kingstate, & would like to know of a good pub in the area, on or around King St.
Usually go to Melbourne once a year & always have a geek down King St while we`re there, but have always stayed in the other side of the city.
Anyhow, what`s a good pub there not a wine/oyster/pickup/theme/gay/retro/strip bar, but a decent pub,pub. The sort that has a good front bar with cold beer & a TAB, good food out the back, pool tables, whatever.
I`ve been directed to the Great Western & it sounds like it`s worth a look. Any others ?
Love your transport system but get a bit confused as to how to pay for the fare. Is it worth just buying a day (3 day) ticket at a milk bar or trying to buy a ticket on the machine. Felt a little foolish buying a ticket on the tram last year & being the only one.

Thanks in advance
Holly

 

[Mcchawk]

Good pub try Richmond

 

[Dogwatcher]

A good pub these days is hard to find,
A pubwithout pokies that will rob you blind,
A good pub these days is hard to find.

Sorry, just saw the question A Good Pub, and dunno why but good ol' Feargal Sharkey just popped into my head.

 

[Royal Blue And White]

Good pubs on King are limited......

Friday night at the Xchange is very good....Lots of nice looking people around. (I work opposite there in the Stock X-change Building and have a few drinks on Fridays usually)

Colonial Hotel up the top end of King is decent but not great....

St Arnau, just off King on Little Collins is a great pub with awesome home brew on tap. Not cheap though.....

Opposite St Arnau is the new Mean Fiddler Pub which has great potential but is currently a complete dive....

Hope this helps....

 

[Royal Blue And White]

pS....I forgot The Royal Melbourne Hotel, just off King on Bourke St (Telstra Dome side) This is a really good pub to chill....Nice beer, good atmosphere...........and the thing that you seem to want, a pool table.........

 

[FIGJAM]

YOU CANNOT GO PAST HERE:

Corner of Flinders and King Street is the Waterfront.

It has wonderful outlooks under the King Street overpass and has the railway chugging along closeby.

It is a great pub if you want to hang out with bottom of the barrel alcoholics and criminals.

It is also advantageously situated directly accross from Bar20 and whatever the "fancy" new strip-joint is called (has vallet parking).

The Waterfront's main selling feature IMHO, is that it adjoins Top of the Town. Lord knows you want to be in staggering distance of a brothel when you've had a skinfull!

 

[Hollypig]

Re: YOU CANNOT GO PAST HERE:

Originally posted by FIGJAM
Corner of Flinders and King Street is the Waterfront.

It has wonderful outlooks under the King Street overpass and has the railway chugging along closeby.

It is a great pub if you want to hang out with bottom of the barrel alcoholics and criminals.

It is also advantageously situated directly accross from Bar20 and whatever the "fancy" new strip-joint is called (has vallet parking).

The Waterfront's main selling feature IMHO, is that it adjoins Top of the Town. Lord knows you want to be in staggering distance of a brothel when you've had a skinfull!

Now we`re getting down to the nitty gritty, some great info in all of the above (not just figjams).
Have been going to Melbourne every year for the last 7 years with a mate, no wife, no kids, just my mate. Love the place, would`nt drive in the city for quids, but the public transport is sensach.
Quoted Figjams thread because it bought back some memories of my first trip there 7 years back after not being there since the Skyhooks reunion concert, about 83 I think.
A mate of mine had bought me the first Chopper book for my birthday, read it the day before we took off. Coming back from the old casino at about 8 on a Saturday morning, we decided to hang a left at King St, straight past the Waterfront, the scene in there early in the morning was exactly as I imagined it in Choppers book of scrungy pubs where murders, beatings & the like occour.
Scared the crap outer me, the patrons were some of the biggest, ugliest blokes I`d seen since my early days of early morning sessions at the Globe in Port Adelaide, at least there I knew a few backups if you got in strife.
Got past there ok, but 20 yards up the road a mob of goths were walking down the middle of the road, these were`nt your Adelaide heroin chic goths, but some goeyed up boys & girls looking for some fun. So, do the right thing, eyes down, walk straight past, but not my mate (a very unworldly lawyer) he has to stare at them, so, the ugliest shiela blasts out "what are you starin at", this went on for a little while but they (thank christ) lost interest.
Also remember the bouncer at the Santa fe on Russel St, about 6 foot 8, with a long purple woolen coat, if anyone played up or challenged him, I`d wish them luck.(they closed it, sacrilidge)
The pub on St Kilda Rd opposite the MCG, Carlton had just beaten Collingwood in a day game, around 86 I reckon. They had strippers on, during one act, a bloke grabbed the girl on the minge, a bouncer rushed from the stage, picked the guy up BY THE FACE & slung him onto the middle of the road. Awesome.
The terraces at Princes Park, Carlton lost to the Dees as an unbackable favourite, the members went bunta, ripping up memberships, screaming abuse at their players, fighting each other, great stuff.
You guys don`t know how good you`ve got it.
So I`ll try out all the pubs mentioned, yeah even the Waterfront, on my best behavior of course. Thanks for the advice, roll on the Stones (front & centre, two rows back, mind you $350).

 

[Passmore]

Have you been to the Duke of Wellington? On the corner of Filnders and Russell. Got all that you require, minus the pool tables, plus a decent collection of footy memorabilia. Think there is even a Roosters jumper hanging one wall from memory. Its owned by the Whale Roberts you'll often find an old timer like Dessy Tuddenham in there on the gas. Very entertaining.

 

[Hollypig]

Originally posted by Passmore
Have you been to the Duke of Wellington? On the corner of Filnders and Russell. Got all that you require, minus the pool tables, plus a decent collection of footy memorabilia. Think there is even a Roosters jumper hanging one wall from memory. Its owned by the Whale Roberts you'll often find an old timer like Dessy Tuddenham in there on the gas. Very entertaining.

Yep, drank there many a time, & don`t play 8 ball interstate, to many rule changes means bumpy head after arguing, not to mention having to pay publican for new cue that you broke with your skull.

 

[Slax]

If you are looking for something after the concert then there is a heap of little bars off Flinders Lane. Most of them have gone for this retro lounge look but are actually pretty good places.

Also at the Duke is the old honour board from the southern Cross with all the Melbourne Cup place getters. Still don't know how he got his hands on it though.

 

[GoEagles]

I liked Young & Jacksons but it's not really a 'pub pub' - more classy than a smaller suburban pub.