Andrew McConnell's gastrofied pub hasn't missed a beat since taking out the Best Pub Food award in 2014. Pub classics like the fish pie are as good as ever, while the minute steak is cheap, tender, full of beefy flavour and comes, like all the steaks, with excellent house-made mustard and steak sauce ("gentleman's relish").
Melbourne pubs aren't what they used to be. Sure, we've still got the classics where you'd go to get a pint of Melbourne Bitter or Carlton Draught and a standard parma. But at the other end of the spectrum, gastropubs are shaking things up with gourmet versions of pub grub. You can still get a steak and chips, but the steak will likely be Wagyu and may come with oysters as a starter.
If you'd rather Bordeaux than an ale, take a gander at Melbourne's best wine bars. Alternatively, a great swap to the pub hang is a weekend yum cha session, and we've got the low-down on five of the best yum cha spots in town.