Springrock

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With only its small neon sign and staircase viewable from Bourke Street, Springrock Public Bar – an upstairs boozer run by the crew behind Fancy Hank’s and Good Heavens – is the kind of place if you know, you know. 

The team claim their parma will ruin every other parma you’ve ever had. And any day of the week from noon until late, you can reliably expect a cosy, unpretentious vibe, an approachable drinks list, attentive service staff and a no-nonsense food menu that doesn’t play around.

If a proper old-fashioned meal doesn’t entice, other lures might: classic cocktails slashed to $15 after 8pm until close, live jazz on Friday and Saturday nights or a very good-looking, retro-style coffee bourbon sundae, just to name a few.

The vibe

There are arguably three major kinds of pubs in Melbourne: the old heritage haunts with countless stories reverberating under graffiti-scrawled walls; sleek and modern ones that straddle the line between gastropub and restaurant; and then those perpetually open sports bars with cigarette-scented floors, pokie machines and a lone security guard out front.  

Springrock isn’t quite any of these, but rather more like an old relative’s country drinking parlour. A mishmash of art on the walls (think vintage Johnson’s sun tan oil ads alongside photographs of waterfalls) lend character, while ‘70s-style green and gold patterned carpets and an old horseshoe bar make the space feel warm and lived-in. 

My favourite table is by the large corner window, where you can look out onto the hubbub of Bourke and Exhibition Streets. 

You can order via QR code, but the service ethos at Springrock still leans mannerly and proactive. All are welcomed here, from tired suits to pre-theatre dining groups.

The food

At first glance, you might underestimate this spot. Portions are sensible, plating is a little slap-dash and the pricing for regular à la carte items is on the steeper side for a pub (think $39 for a grilled fish dish or $37 for the wood-smoked brisket – both served with veg, of course). 

But this is a pub experience that doesn’t treat food as a boozy afterthought. Grilled mirror dory is melt-in-your-mouth good with a lip-smacking, herb-flecked butter sauce; brisket in pepper jus is all smoky comfort on a plate; chilled potato salad comes alive with grated parmesan; and a vinegary, charred half-head of lettuce confidently shares the limelight with rolled roast pork belly and a chilli-lime vinaigrette. 

Make no mistake: these counter meals are certainly more special than your standard pub grub.

The Springrock crew are proud of their handiwork, too, describing their Riverina black Angus porterhouse as “cooked the way it should be”, and their cheeseburger – house-ground from fresh brisket trim, sourced direct from Fancy Hank’s next door – as “punching well above its weight.”

The drinks

Here’s a place where you can comfortably ask for ice in your wine without judgement or pre-game before a night out at Melbourne’s largest rooftop bar upstairs. 

An approachable line-up of old local familiars grace the taps (Bodriggy, Mountain Goat and Stomping Ground, for starters), or you can grab a can from the fridge if you want to walk on the wild side with a wildberry sour or creamy stout.

Spotlighting local gin heroes like Four Pillars and Brunswick Botanicals, Springrock’s cocktail list has you covered for a post-work Martini – but for something fruitier and more fun, I loved their lemon myrtle and yuzu spin on a Tom Collins. 

Wines by the glass are on the young side, mostly from local Victorian producers, while the list of bottles spans traditional European bubbles to skinsy drops and rarer labels from Spain and Portugal. If you’re a fan of new-school, minimal intervention styles, there’ll be something here for you.

A zippy lo-fi Pemberton chardonnay from Mon Tout stands up very nicely to the rich pork belly. 

Time Out tip:

Where Springrock shines brightest is its excellent rotation of specials. Head in on Monday for $20 pasta and wine; Tuesday for a $25 scotch fillet with jus and chips; Wednesday for a $20 parma and chips; Thursday for a $20 (very good) cheeseburger and chips; or the weekend for a $25 roast. For the quality you get, they’re arguably some of the best dinner deals in the city.

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