If footy is a religion, The Great Northern Hotel is its mega-church. Nestled away in the Inner North, this sprawling sports pub has a well-earned reputation as the premier destination for locals and visitors alike to watch the game. The main dining area can feel like mission control during the crossover between dinnertime and the match, thanks to a massive, wall-spanning screen. Bodies spring up to roar success, while groans of despair rumble under the celebrations.
If the main event isn’t to your liking, a bit of table real estate can be claimed in the pup-friendly beer garden. Ask for the telly to be changed to whatever match you’re after and chances are staff will be happy to accommodate. The Great Northen might be within walking distance of Carlton Football Club’s Princes Park heartland, but a variety of teams are represented via paraphernalia on the rare wall space not occupied by a telly. A framed poster of Freo gun Nat Fyfe stretches out in one corner; a Doggies scarf hangs on the bar as a relic of last year’s hectic Grand Final scene.
They also treat their tap list like a coach treats their starting line-up a rotating selection of new and seasonal ales and pilsners, including full ranges of Stone & Wood, 2 Brothers and Moo Brew. If the range of craft beers is too intimidating, there’s always the trusty pot of Carlton waiting for a call-up.