The best pubs with fireplaces in Melbourne

New owner Phil Gijsbers and his team took over Bobbie Peels in mid-2022 and renovated the space to bring out the beauty of the 114-year-old building. Now featuring antique lighting, cosy booths and dark, intimate spaces to complement the open fireplace, here's a pub that's sure to warm up your winter-wearied bones. If the toasty environment isn't tempting enough, consider that the former head chef of Grossi Grill, Dave Watson, has just joined the kitchen team. Expect an epic wine list and elevated pub fare that out-classes many a restaurant. Head to the website now to make a booking.

When that winter chill bites, Orrong is oh so right! The hotel has been pouring pints since 1875 so it's no surprise the team here know what they're doing. They've cranked up their open fireplaces and set the scene for a perfect pub day in. Pop in on a Sunday and you'll be treated to a $25 roast. Go to the website to make a reservation.

One of the only pubs in Melbourne to be awarded five stars by our critics and the crowned winner of our Casual Drinking Venue of the Year award in 2023, the Marquis ticks every box. Stained glass windows, an excellent craft beer offering and soul-soothing atmosphere all make this the reigning pub in Fitzroy. Take a seat in the toasty dining room and enjoy the warmth of a roaring log fire. 

Melbourne’s bitter wind tunnels is rough on our spirits, but the merry warmth of the Courthouse proves a powerful escape. It’s buzzing with energy, stirring a sense of nostalgia for the old great pubs of Britain. The Art Deco building retains much of its original charm and wood panelling, with the added sparkle of fresh renovations across both storeys. It’s all curves and round edges, from the mirrors to the walls, the plants and the paintings – an exceptionally comfy space in which to dine and drink. 

The Royal Oak Hotel's website proudly proclaims that it has been serving Fitzroy since 1871, and we can see why it's stuck around. With great service who know their stuff and are happy make a recommendation or two, plus tip-top pub fare that's definitely not playing second fiddle to the brews, this boozer may be a little off the beaten track but it's well worth the stroll from nearby Fitzroy North village. While you can find crowd favourites such as chicken schnitzel and battered rockling with chips, the Royal Oak takes things up a notch too with barbeced lamb leg and babaganoush, grilled octopus and pork rilette with cornichons. Bring a friend and make a night of it (the cosy fireplace makes it easy to stick around.) Find out more at the website.

Next time you pop into the Auburn, you might barely even recognise the place. The local Hawthorn community has recently been gifted with a multi-million-dollar expansion to their favourite watering hole. Once home to horse stables and then a motorworks garage, the neighbouring site has transformed into a contemporary atrium-style dining and drinking area, featuring a retractable roof and cosy fireplace – perfect for the colder months. Go here to book a table.

This odd little pub (which first opened in 1873) may just be the cosiest, too. The Tramway has not one, but two fireplaces so you can keep it toasty - plus a shelf stacked high with nostalgic games like Scrabble and cards. This spot is famous for its burgers, but its the poutine on the menu that's stolen our hearts. Many say it's the best you can get in Melbourne right now, and honestly, we can't disagree. It's a party you want a Saturday afternoon ticket to.

Our 2016 Pub of the Year ticks every box in the chillier months. With craft beer, excellent food, a warming fireplace and plenty of big screens for watching the footy, there's nowhere else we'd rather be in South Melbourne when the weather takes a turn.

On any given night at this Collingwood bluestone stalwart, punters of all types are sinking pints by the roaring fireplace, smashing brilliant pub grub, and standing shoulder-to-shoulder at the bandroom. It's a warm, welcoming environment designed to reflect Melbourne’s incredibly diverse music scene and the people who make up that ecosystem, and you feel that philosophy the moment the doors to this grand old corner pub swing open. Fun fact: the Gaso claims to be Collingwood's only 100% gluten-free kitchen. 

This winter favourite has amazing food, but it’s not a pub that makes you feel like you're in a gastropub, per se. No, the Napier is a pub pub, and nothing is going to change that (mind you, you can get a pretty fancy-schmancy pepper kanga steak with bearnaise sauce, and the burgers here are elite). It’s festooned with memorabilia, gifted with a garden, and dishes up parmas, burgers and pies all built for winter – and built for two. Bring a merry flock of friends and sink a round of pints by the cosy fire. They don't take bookings online, so if you're after a guaranteed table for a sitdown meal you'll need to ring them on (03) 9419 4240.

Here's one of Melbourne's true greats, undoubtedly. It takes a deft touch to update a pub without ruining it, but at the Lincoln, they slipped in the excellent wine list, an exciting collection of craft brews and a bistro menu that wouldn’t look out of place on white linen with candlelight and surgically precise service. Nothing that people loved about this historic Carlton pub, which was established in 1854, has been disturbed, but the best bits have only improved over time. Hats off to the Lincoln.

Famous long before its appearance on TV series Offspring, the venerable Union Club nails the atmosphere of a warm, low-key local. Sink into a leather couch by the hearth with some bangers, mash, beer and a bass guitar backing track. Check here for how and where – there's a beer deck, private dining room and more – in the pub you can make a booking.

There’s history aplenty behind these walls. South Melbourne, the Melbourne suburb seemingly blessed with a higher pub-to-population ratio than any other, has tucked one of its jewels on a backstreet where women in frivolous frocks and the men who love them take kerbside seats behind a wall of potted greenery. It’s a smart place that doesn’t ditch the pub brief in delivering aesthetics a cut above the average corner boozer. Go here to get a taste of what's on offer.

This Flemington institution is an Irish pub where legitimately Irish bar staff will pull you a Guinness with a cheeky glint in their eye. The authentic menu - and the roaring log fire - will keep you warm through the coldest of Melbourne nights. Replete with live jaunty music that will make you want to get up and do a jig if you've had enough to drink, The Quiet Man could easily be crowned the most authentic Irish pub experience in Melbourne.

You feel like things could turn a bit gothic (or Scottish) as you sit before the flames and beneath the vaulted ceilings in this converted church. Generally though, things tick over in a convivial candlelit fashion while jazz bands play and the craft beers flow. You can book a table here to save a seat.

Pubgoers of the west flock to this fireplace-equipped pub for its friendly, relaxed atmosphere, great craft beer and wine lists, and famous steaks. Locals and meat aficionados can select from a menu that offers premium grain- and grass-fed steaks – from 500g O'Connor rib eye to 200g full blood wagyu eye fillet. This place can get busy so make sure you make a reservation at the website.

While it's not strictly a pub, we couldn't resist a mention of this plush CBD cocktail lounge and its romantic open fireplace. Though you do need to enter through the back of a secret wardrobe, you won't find icy Narnia in here but rather a snug lounge replete with velvet pews, moody cocktails, and rustic pizzas. It's not easy to leave this place once you nab a seat.

Alright, so again, this Brunswick East spot fits 'bar' more than 'pub' but it's certainly just as cosy as all the pubbiest pubs you know. Styled with the '70s in mind, Old Palm Liquor is all wood panelling and warm lighting, with a carefully-curated vinyl soundtrack to top it all off. The menu is inspired by head chef Almay’s South-African heritage, where coal-fired barbecuing is a the order of the day. Enjoy your fire-licked dishes in the ‘Garden Room’, where a warm crackling fireplace and pair of armchairs make all your toastiest date dreams come true.

If you start to feel a chill while wading through the late night chaos of Chapel Street, make a beeline for this cosy bar. While the comforting fireplace is enough of a drawcard, it also gets brownie points for smart cocktails, upbeat tunes and a perennially optimistic atmosphere. What else could we possibly want for in miserable weather?

The dark wood and carpets of the Middle Park Hotel give you the impression of an exclusive gentlemen’s club. But the bright, welcoming bar quickly puts paid to any notions of stuffiness. On the food front, you'll find daily special pub classics every night, but the highlight of the week is the slow-cooked Sunday special, where you can nab a tasty plate of the weekly-rotating roast offering, served with crispy roast potatoes, seasonal veggies, Yorkshire pudding, lashings of gravy and homemade sauces. See what's on this week at the website.