Best Food And Beer In Melbourne Cbd?

[deebee]

I will be two nights in Melbourne next weekend. My time is already planned around a tight schedule but I may get a chance to suggest the restaurant we go to one night. I want good beer (preferably English ales but anything good really) and my wife wants good food.

Can anyone suggest somewhere in the CBD (within a walk of Oaks Hotel) that will keep us both happy?

While we're on it, can anyone recommend a good dim sum in the same area?

 

[scotsdalebrewery]

You can always go to the James Squire Brewhouse at the docklands and on Little Collins St. Or the is the Charles Dickens tavern on Collins for Boddingtons or DD or other Pommie beer. There is also the belgian bier cafe in South bank (Eureka Tower) or the European Bier Cafe on Exhibition and Little Lonsdale.

 

[johnno]

Go to Cammys in tattersals lane for the best dumplings you will have anywhere.

I think they are closed now for "renovations" but they may be open by next week.

cheers
johnno

 

[Wardhog]

Brux on Little Collins St down the Spencer St end is good, they serve the St. Arnou branded beer on tap along with some Erdinger Weissbier, and their tucker is pretty good.

 

[deebee]

Sounds good.

Thanks for the tips fellas.

DB

 

[Thirsty Boy]

I will be two nights in Melbourne next weekend. My time is already planned around a tight schedule but I may get a chance to suggest the restaurant we go to one night. I want good beer (preferably English ales but anything good really) and my wife wants good food.

Can anyone suggest somewhere in the CBD (within a walk of Oaks Hotel) that will keep us both happy?

While we're on it, can anyone recommend a good dim sum in the same area?

I suggest Cookie on Swanston st (#252 in a building called Curtin House) in the CBD. A relatively upmarket Thai restaraunt and a great beer bar with an absolutely dynamite range of beers (100s) Actually, its probably more of a beer bar with a restaraunt in it than visa versa.

The food I had there was good and I've heard some pretty good reports from other people I know who have eaten there. I dunno, but i suspect you would need to book a couple of days early for a table unless you like to eat after 9:00, in which case you could probably just lob up, or maybe give them a call on the day. Thats what I did, but we also ended up at a table shoved in a corner down the back. Still pretty nice though. Book it now, then the day before go up for a drink, and if you dont like it. Cancel My current favorite beer venue in Melb!

Or you could try Transport Hotel in Federation Square. Pub Grub (ish) menu, but a big beer selection. Younger and Groovier sort of crowd though. Its a pub, not a restaraunt, no booking required, so you could just drop in for a drink and stay if you like the place. Fancy A-list restaraunt called Taxi located upstairs in the sane building as the pub. Haven't eaten there myself, but have eaten the Chef's food before... fantastic.

As for DimSum... Little Burke st is China Town. I reccomend KumDen in a little st just of Lt Burke, but there are dozens of good places along the st.

Have Fun.

Thirsty

 

[voota]

The Sherlock Holmes at 415 Collins St would be another good choice... I have not been there for a while, but what I remember was good food and a solid range of beers (including a handfull of victorian micros).

 

[beersom]

"Cookie" on Swanston street has great Thai style food and a very impressive beer menu, not to mention a good selection of wine & spirits for those not yet versed in beer.

 

[bugwan]

Transport (or is it Taxi?) in Fed Square claim to have Melbourne's biggest range of bottled beer. It's not exactly a cosy, welcoming pub (more of a cavernous, concrete, new-age bar), but there's beers in there.

Food is quite good - but the place is better on weekends or when the after-work crowd has left. There's plenty of cool bars hidden in laneways in Melbourne, but none go to the trouble of serving micros or anything more exciting than Coopers Pale.

As Johnno mentioned, the dumplings in Tattershall Lane are brilliant!

 

[therook]

Sherlock Homes in Collins street
P.J O'Briens on South Bank

and for chinese, nothing beats...

Num fong - 271 Swanston street, it isn't flashy but you cant beat the food

rook

 

[Malnourished]

If you want good food and good beer in the same spot, Cookie is the only place to bother with in my opinion (provided you like Thai.) I'd give it a miss on Friday nights though, it's bedlam. And like Thirsty Boy said, book well in advance.

 

[stew]

If you want good food and good beer in the same spot, Cookie is the only place to bother with in my opinion (provided you like Thai.) I'd give it a miss on Friday nights though, it's bedlam. And like Thirsty Boy said, book well in advance.

Forget the Sherlock food still good shit range of beer now
sorry paul pull your finger

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Or... a $10-15 taxi ride out of the CBD. (or 15 mins on the #42 tram and a 10min walk)

The Royston Hotel in richmond. Good food and a range of Victorian and a couple of interstate Micros on tap. Decent range of Aussie Micros in the bottle AND its just accross the road from the Mountain Goat Brewery which is open for drinkies etc on Friday nights from somewhere around 5 (check their web site)

Thirsty

 

[Wortgames]

As a more casual alternative, you could consider a trip to the Lambsgo Bar, 135 Grieves St Fitzroy (5min cab ride or trammable from CBD).

It's a quirky little converted terrace house, (very 'Melbourne') with a comfy atmosphere and a huge range of bottled beers. Rumour has it they also have hand-pumps now.

They do some nice nibbles too (pizza etc) but you're only a stone's throw from Brunswick St, which is kind of the funky hippy strip, with more walk-in, high-quality, low-cost food options than you can shake a stick at. Just keep wandering until you smell something that grabs you.

It might make for a slightly more interesting night than spending it in one venue, and your wife will probably love checking out some of the groovy little Brunswick St boutiques.

 

[Murray]

Yes, the Lambsgo Bar is one of the best places for variety of beer in Melbourne. Bell's brewery in South Melbourne is a good destination for microbrewed beer and good food, though a little brassy and shiny for me. James Squire Brewhouse on the corner of Little Collins and Russell Street (as mentioned) is always a safe bet.

 

[deebee]

Excellent stuff.

Thanks to everyone for their tips.

DB