Have a beer with mates and raise money for those affected by the floods

It’s the official home of Liverpool supporters in Melbourne, but you’ll be well treated no matter whom you barrack for in the Melbourne CBD’s best pub for watching the Premier League. The Imperial stays open late for all the matches and keeps it classy, clean and comfortable with a traditional English pub vibe, and you can call ahead to book screenings of any sport you like.

The exterior of this Hawthorn East mainstay has a commanding, fortress-like presence along the skyline as you approach via its namesake road. Inside the Auburn, however, you’re greeted with a pristine warmth akin to an upmarket country pub. 

Craft beer ain’t that easy to come by in the CBD, so if you’ve got a hankering for hops, Beer Deluxe is your jam. Not only do they have the crafty goods in a ’hood where the taps are dominated by commercial breweries, but the sheer volume of beer they serve, and the number of folks they can pack into the multi-level beer garden, is a boon to both producers and drinkers. 

If the primary indoor bar at the College Lawn were empty, chances are its oval shape could make for a serviceable small running track for the modestly athletic. The bar is long enough to house a variety of sports-viewing clusters, spaced out enough so rowdy factions don’t encroach into quieter clusters.

Melbourne is all about the hidden venue. But between the city's hidden bars and secret restaurants punters forget about one of the largest hidden venues of them all. Tucked away on Exhibition Street in the heart of the CBD, the European Bier Café is a place for date-night cocktails or after-work drinks with a distinctly continental flair.

Looking for your next bottomless brunch spot, or maybe a cocktail bar to wind down with friends? With a rotating menu of gourmet snacks, you won't want to leave. They're perfect for a group meal to share, or if you're just feeling a little peckish.

This classic corner pub and has been pouring beers since 1853. Inside you'll find pub specials like $10 steaks, $10 Espresso Martinis, Sunday roasts and Wednesday night trivia. They also make the most of public holidays like the Queen's birthday, Melbourne Cup and Anzac Day going all out with themed parties. 

What was once Richmond's old and crumbling Great Britain Hotel is now Harlow: an old-school pub with new-school sensibilities. Music is still the main focus in the building, with DJs playing Friday and Saturday nights in this renovated bar with a new, spilt-level, 250pax courtyard.

Imagine a riverside terrace house with a microbrewery out the back and you'll get an idea of what Hopscotch is all about. This Southbank promenade brew bar is all about tapping tasty beers, with more than 30 different options on tap. Many come from Hopscotch's own in-house microbrewery, which they've nicknamed Frank.

This South Yarra bar has been lighting up Chapel Street for decades. Walk past the large open front windows on any given weekend and the place will be pumping out great cocktails, fun tunes and plenty of good cheer.

Fitzroy bar and pizzeria Bimbo is as well-known for its range of cheap and delicious pizzas as it is for the giant Kewpie baby doll on the building’s exterior. That’s why this Brunswick Street institution, which has been around for nearly two decades, has been rebranded as Kewpie. 

The dark wood and carpets of the Middle Park Hotel give you the impression of an exclusive gentlemen’s club, or the Long Room at the MCG. That’s primarily because they’ve actually lifted the Long Room’s wooden panels. But the bright, welcoming bar quickly puts paid to any notions of stuffiness.

Away from the hustle and bustle of St Kilda's foreshore, the Newmarket Hotel is serving classic and more contemporary pub grub, wood-fired pizzas, bar snacks and refreshing drinks. 

There’s history aplenty behind these whitewashed 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 chi-chi backstreet where women in frivolous frocks and the men who love them take kerbside seats behind a wall of potted greenery.

With its pub feel and look during the earlier hours of the evening (complete with courtyard, function areas and solid counter meals) and a transformation to a party atmosphere late at night, the Perseverance is a persevering Brunswick Street mainstay.

Established in 1867 the renovated and restored Prince Alfred Hotel balances the comfort and charm of a traditional local pub with the energy of quality live entertainment and a dining experience that reflects Melbourne’s sophisticated modern palate.

This swanky bar and restaurant boasts a super-secret cellar bar that you have to access via a bookcase and three levels of fun from the ground level restaurant to the rooftop bar. 

Row, row, row your boat – but if boating doesn’t tickle your fancy, you can always picnic on the banks, feed the ducks, or retire to the restaurant of Australia’s oldest operating boathouse.

While all Australian leagues get their due airing across the venue’s big screens, the CBD pub has established itself as one of the most attractive destinations for EPL fans. All bases are covered here, catering to passive sports fans and your fervent local fan clubs with equal hospitality.

The Duke of Wellington is clean and modern: a bit of a rarity for inner-city pubs. The minimalist public bar is ringed by comfortable green banquettes, and the ceiling of exposed air-con ducting painted black gives it an industrial chic feel.

The Exchange has long held a reputation and the odd award for its crumbed and cheesed chicken, and while it didn't top Time Out's list as the best in Melbourne, there's no denying this joint ranks highly.

The low-key interior of the Hawthorn Hotel belies the popularity of this pub, a favoured haunt of uni students and locals. The menu is trad-pub, but the wine list offers a well-curated array of Australian and NZ varieties. Live music (flavour: '80s – recent shows include Mark Seymour and Brian Mannix) and comedy round out the appeal.

Say “rooftop bar” these days, and folks will start throwing money at you before you can show them the stairs. Fitzroy’s longstanding Provincial Hotel is doing just that, hoping to capitalise on that sweet, sweet sunshine we pasty Melburnians, and our flocks of summer tourists, crave.

What was once a grotty old pub is shiny and new again – The Smith is a smart and elegant all-day eatery with obligatory open kitchen, bar area up front, restaurant out back and double function rooms upstairs.

In April of 2016, a fire broke out in the kitchen of Station Hotel – a Footscray institution loved for its top-notch pub fare. After months of refurbishment, pub fans of the west returned to enjoy the same friendly, relaxed atmosphere, great craft beer and wine lists, and Station Hotel's famous steaks.

Here at the Victoria Hotel, the old suburban atmosphere has been preserved far better than at the Builders, with paint peeling off bricks, concrete floors and the occasional floral print rug straight out of 1972.

Taking its inspiration from the work of Vincent Van Gogh this upmarket bar and restaurant is all slick boozing and a roast suckling lamb for four people, if that's you kind of thing.

Even by today’s loosened standards, CBD newcomer Trinket – a self-described “secret cocktail bar with a hidden cellar” – is particularly brazen, given their prime Flinders Lane frontage, 250-person capacity, and backing by pub giant Australian Venue Co (the Duke of Wellington, Imperial Hotel, the Crafty Squire). 

Who says Sydney has all the best waterfront views? Pop into the Wharf Hotel to enjoy a bevvy right next to the Yarra River. Weather gone south? The Wharf Hotel is just as inviting inside, where you can park yourself in front of one of the venue's eight big screens and catch all the sporting action. 

The Village Belle was for years a symbol of the seedy side of St Kilda. In the dim front bar, old blokes sank pots of Draught and, bleary eyed, watched dogs run in circles. On weekends, sozzled and sun-scorched backpackers thronged the dance floor. But after a much-needed renovation at the start of this year, the Belle has found a new life as a bright and broadly appealing community hub for locals and tourists alike.

On the Arts Centre-side of Southbank, you'll notice a huge, floating cornucopia of Australian spirits, produce, and good times. This is Yarra Botanica, a pontoon bar tucked situated on the banks of the Yarra River. This grown-up floating venue combines the novelty of aquatic hotspots like Ponyfish Island and Arbory Afloat with a conscious approach to home-grown ingredients.