Review Retreat Hotel - Brunswick

Love the gigs they had there. Astrovillain was the best this Wednesday night. I hope we get to see more of them at the Retreat. Didn't have dinner there, but the menu looked really exciting to me. Will try some sometime.

Good place to go for a drink and catch up with friends < 33

The food is good and the outdoor area is extremely spacious. I was there for a friend's birthday and our table directly under a speaker, which made it difficult to have a conversation. If the volume was reduced, it may have made it less annoying as I don't appreciate having to shout at people to speak to them. Very cool and hop. I may have outgrown these types of places but in my younger years would make this my local. Highly recommend.

Great place, top notch beer garden but you have to know your time slots. Quiet beers and a catch up: during the day. At night it turns into a social club in the best way.

All in the name of the place - every time I come to the retreat I wonder how I got here. The lovely beer garden out back and booths near the bars give life to this place, which is good because I die inside whenever I come here. I love to hate this place but it will always manage to invite my soul.

We ate a simple meal in the bar, on a perfectly ordinary Thursday, and both the food and the beer (a Belgian IPA) were superb. It’s a rare combination in Brunswick. Great service! Get the chips!

My friend organised her birthday party here at the Amelia Shaw Bar and it was awesome! Great service and Kerry was very helpful. An absolute legend.

Quiz night is great, good prices, decent food. Got drunk left my bag there and they kept it till morning. Would recommend

Charles Jenkins, Davey Lane, Jeff Lang, whatever you are paying these guys double it and more. There was magic in the air, pure magic only special performers can produce. It's a story of bitter sweet, the bitter is that music of this quality is experienced by so few (given it was still an adoring packed crowd in the front bar) and sweet that the people who were lucky enough to be there on the night experienced something so special. We who were there still have the smiles and warmth in our hearts. Thank you Retreat Hotel for recognising and supporting these wonderful musicians.

awesome pub, great staff, great live music and the popcorn chicken is ace!!!

Ahhhh The Retreat. One of the best beer gardens in Melbourne, good food and fine fine bands. Get into it!

Always great food great music cool staff love the place

Always a pleasure, had a great night, good food and live music, love the beer garden atmosphere

Very welcoming with great food and drink. The Retreat sets an example for keeping live music alive.

Great beer garden with a wide selection of beers on tap. Always a good selection of bands. $15 curry and pot night is a yummy great deal!

Food was bloody amazing - my partner said the best beer & guiness pie he's ever had, & he's had a few ... The slow cooked pork burrito was delicious - great prices too. Hidden gem really - we're from Perth staying in central Melbourne & went there coz a friend was playing in the Oz Big Band.

Yummy food with plenty of choice on the menu. Enjoyed a lovely family dinner in the beer garden, with Beth keeping the great music coming

Had a great meal music Wild Turkey were awsome atmosphere is great loved the place will be back

Great music, great food. Great place. Love it!

Been a happy punter there ... also played there a few times. I really like the overall feel of the pub ... the staff, the food, and the fact that people come out Monday/Tuesday nights to support live music.

$12 for a jug of cider. .. Winning. Nice beer garden to drink it in as well.

Good gigs and cheap beer and a nice back courtyard that's great for summer day drinks. It's not super polished or trendy but has a nice, vintage Western aesthetic and a pleasant atmosphere and is definitely one of the best drinking holes on Sydney Road.

Always a fun night at the retreat hotel. If you want to hit the dance floor then these guys have you covered. Also a really good variety of beers on tap. If beer is your thing you’ll be happy here. And if you like a beer garden, the one at the retreat is great.

A classic pub with everything from the usual charm and personalities in the front bar to live music on a regular basis. The food was typical and what you would expect, bar service was good and friendly food service was strained with a good 10 minutes between when dishes at the same table were served, the kitchen was not that busy (we were a small group and there was no one else in sight that ordered food) go for the ambiance and enjoy a typical pub.

A great place for a few froffies. The fried chicken burger is real good, though a bit steep in price for a dive bar. The Parma was good but only the size of the palm of my hand...

You would go to this place for a chilled evening with friends, and probably not for the food. The potato wedges were decent but the chicken popcorn was a tad tasteless. Beer was nice, as were the music acts for the evening.

Food is your average pub grub but the front smells like cigarettes and piss. Not the most appetizing. I kind of end up here when there's nothing else opened.<br/>

if you live in the North, you know this pub. it is warm and friendly and there is always a little nook or large table to be found cause they have enough seats in this awesome space. we usually end up here on a Sunday getting the roast because it is always good and just like grandma used to make it.

Normally I prefer a nice quiet pub / restaurant with a beer garden / smoking area and decent music. But last week I decided to search for anarchy, to no avail. I trawled Google and Zomato to find a place which was overrun by 3 wild screaming young boys, totally ignored by their tipsy fathers and allowed to continue their mayhem by embarrased-looking staff. <br/><br/>Then I stumbled upon this ironically-named "Retreat" and my dreams came true. I called the members of our soon-to-arrive-and-endure-a-migraine party of 6, advising them we would find somewhere a little less wild. Melbourne Zoo, perhaps, or Dandenong remand centre. <br/><br/>Anyway. Upon exit, it was nice of the two chatting bar staff to acknowledge our custom and convey their hopes to see us again. <br/><br/>NOT!

Nice chilled place for a drink and catch up with friends the $1 soda on offer certainly was a win for the sober part of the group. Why can't more places do this?! Chips were crunchy, golden and delicious but the Chicken wings/pieces are average at best. Well be back but maybe not for food

The ambience of this place is nice. The outdoor seating is good if you want to have some fresh air and refreshing drinks. We had a bowl of chips with aioli dip. The chips were fried to perfection and the aioli was on point and plenty.

Just okay, definitely not as good as it used to be!! Menu seems to have shrunk unfortunately but we got a table in Father's Day which was good

Wow it has been a minute. Apologies for our absence. Parmas are still being had on a weekly basis. Laziness has to got to us but we promise no more excuses. Regular uploads from now on.<br/>Anyway, winter has pretty much come so we stuck to somewhere local. We thought we would give The Retreat Hotel in Brunswick a shot<br/>Walking in, this pub is a cool one. A real hipster/brunswick vibe is the best way to describe it. It was different but just what we need on a cold Melbourne night.<br/>We placed our orders at the bar and waited about 25 minutes or so. Parma comes in at $24.<br/>The parma looked great on the plate. <br/>First off the chicken was a solid base. Thick, plump and juicy. Ace quality chicken here. <br/>The sugo as listed on the menu was some of the best we have had. There was an abundance of flavour. <br/>The ham didn’t do much for this parma, but not that it needed to. Everything on this parma was so tasty the ham didn’t even need to be there. <br/>The cheddar cheese was a really nice addition. Perfect amount.<br/>The chips were beer battered beauties as we like to call them<br/>The salad was also was a mixed leaf salad with tomato and cucumber. Hit the spot.<br/>Overall this parma was a pretty dam tasty one. We are not gonna lie, we didn’t expect much from this place but this place left us blown away. These guys know how to do a stand out parma. Good stuff @retreat_hotel_brunswick <br/>9/10

Great place for a drink! And open til late! :) :) <br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>Have come here many times and recommend it to anyone who wants some craft beer and/ or bartenders who are friendly and knowledgeable!

Gastrology recently attended BANJO BBQ at the Retreat Hotel in Brunswick. The BANJO BBQ is an event that brings bluegrass together with smokey Texan BBQ and the band does the cooking! We loved seeing ARIA nominated band Mustered Courage do their thing while chowing down on some Texan BBQ smoked by an actual Texan.

Great for gigs, not for food<br/>"Szichuan" calamari was bland on a flood of mayo, lacking any spice<br/>"Rosemary" lamb sliders were greasy and plain<br/>Nachos bowl was big but lacked any chilli and quickly turned to glug in the middle<br/>In total, zero for 3

Sat in the beer garden which was really nice and had a good atmosphere, however the food is quite overpriced and underwhelming. I had the chicken Parma which was actually quite tender and well cooked, although my girlfriend had the fish of the day which was chewy and quite shit. I also asked for aioli on the side which came in a tiny ramekin and they charged me $2 for it! They also charge customers 50c surcharge for using eftpos, do they think we're stupid? Such a dodgey way to skim extra dollars off people, if they put more effort into making their meals better and less times into trying to rip people off for petty cents then this place would be alright, however it falls short of all expectations.

It's a toss up between The Retreat and Penny Black for my favourite Beer Garden in Brunswick, it's one or the other.<br/>Both have an amazingly, chilled vibe and thus attracts similar minded peeps.<br/>The d-floor side is cute and there's so many seating options, this place is actually deceptively spacious.<br/>Have only tried the Chups and Wedges here, I'll eventually try their food items, but I'm mainly here for the beer.

Lovely relaxed vibe here. A place where you can step into and feel at home without worrying about maintaining any airs or graces. Basics are very cheap but enjoyable.

Great beer garden. Disappointing kitchen and staff. Had the special fried chicken burger there last night. For $18 I got a small over cooked lump of protein I assume was chicken, in a burger, with a side of chips. Very ordinary.<br/>Such a shame as I love the venue itself.<br/>Recommendation - eat somewhere else on Sydney road, and return for the beer.<br/>(one bar staff member I encountered was unnecessarily rude - I'd like to think its atypical behavior for staff at this venue)

Everything you'd expect from a Brunswick pub. A decent range of pub food at typical pub prices - nothing flash but good quality and a reasonable range of vego options. There’s a big South American/Mexican influence throughout the menu, which seems to be all the rage these days. Can’t complain though as they do it well and helps satisfy my chronic chilli cravings. <br/><br/>Affordable drinks and plenty of beers on tap to keep you occupied for a few hours, be it in the lively beer garden or cozy front bar. <br/><br/>Lovely staff (hi Gus!) and great live music from local bands. Can’t wait to come back.

I recommend this place for its beer garden. The food is ok, your typical bar food but the drinks are cheap and the atmosphere is cool. The crowd is usually a diverse and rowdy bunch which makes for fun times.

Let me start by saying that the Retreat is an awesome pub, and one of my faves in Melbourne. Whenever friends come from interstate, I take them to the Retreat, as it's Melbourne pub culture at it's finest if you ask me. Great live music, good food, awesome outdoor beer garden, and usually friendly staff. If it wasn't for this experience, it would be getting a 10 rating! This review is more so aimed at the terrible, offensive and unprofessional service I experienced from the female bar manager on a Saturday night around 6 weeks ago. My girlfriend and I recommended the Retreat to a friend who was having a Birthday, as he was looking for a venue to celebrate. We went there to meet him for what was supposed to be a great night as usual, and ordered a Bloody Mary each on arrival. It was delicious. We went back to the bar and ordered another one, and something tasted off. It clearly didn't have tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce or pepper. It was basically tomato juice with vodka, bloody shocking. We went back to the bar, and asked the girl who made it, if she had missed an ingredient. She assured us it was made correctly, but it was clearly different to the first. It's not my first Bloody Mary, and my girlfriend worked in a bar for years, so we are fairly qualified on how a Bloody Mary should taste. We asked to speak to the manager, to see if we could resolve it. The female bar manager came over in a huff, instantly had attitude and sided with the bar worker, saying that it was made correctly, and there was nothing she could do. We made the complaint in friendly manner, that we were not happy with how it tasted, and she said refused to change it for another one. Now if this was any other hospitality venue, if you are not happy with the food/drink you've just payed money for, they always take your complaint on board, and offer to make you another one/apologise for any inconvenience. She did the exact opposite, and said that we were wrong, and that she "didn't have time for this, take the drink or leave" What!? Our friendly attitude was quickly replaced with a shocked disbelief. We have both worked in retail for many many years, so know more than well how important good customer service is, it's a no brainer really. Her blatantly disgraceful attitude was amazing to watch! Granted it was a busy night, the band was cookin', but if paying customers are not happy with what they just bought, then she should have enough class and customer service to address the issue professionally. I mean, that's kind of her job. We told her we were there for our friends B'day, & didn't want to leave, so we ordered another Bloody Mary each, payed for them both - just so we could stay! She happily took our money for the new 2, and when they landed on the bar, we tasted them against the last ones, and it was totally different. The new ones were great, the last ones, still not good. They were glaringly different, so we asked the manager to taste the two, so she could taste the difference for herself. She refused, telling us that if we keep making a scene, she would have us kicked out! Some way to treat loyal patrons right!? By this stage, we were shocked with the horrible service, especially after we PAYED for two more drinks. We asked for her name and an email address so we could make a complaint tomorrow, she refused us these details as well, and then rushed off to the front door to grab two large security guards, came back in and pointed us out, and had us kicked out! All this from making a complaint about a drink not tasting right! So from a small complaint, this clearly sour bar manager has escalated it into a scene, where she has kicked out loyal customers from their friends B'day, resulting in us pleading our case to the bouncers on the street (which in hindsight should have known is about as useful as headbutting a brick wall), and turned what was supposed to be another great night at my favourite pub, into a terrible night out. Love the venue, but seriously SHIT "service" from this female bar manager.

This place is a Brunswick staple. I've been drinking here since I was 16. The beer garden is awesome on a summer day. It had been getting a little too busy over the last few years so I've been avoiding it a little. The pub food has always been pretty good and standard. They do local bands for free and will serve you chips with as much tartar sauce as you can handle. Beers cold and the garden is great. Check it out.

Nice cozy front bar larger rear bar and big beer garden, live music and great staff make this place a really good pub. Typical pub menu very reasonably priced for the portion size. Parma is great and also the southern fried popcorn chicken.

Walked into here by mere chance and out of hunger. Best decision ever. This place offers a simple selection of pub food which hits the spot. Ambience was of a typical Brunswick bar; quiet music in the background and plenty of seat selections available. Vegetarian burger was well textured and the chips were crunchy and not excessively oily. Vegetarian Guinness pie tasted like vegetarian dumpling mixture encased with perfectly puffed unsoggy puff pastry, served with peas and mash with gravy, which worked well with everything (including the chips!). Peas were cooked to perfection; with a slight bite and well seasoned. Mash was creamy and not an overly large serve. Overall, slightly expensive pub food which is compensated by generous servings and great home style cooked meals. Definitely would go again for lunch.

Very disappointed!!!! What's the point in being open from midday if you don't serve lunch???!!?!?!?

This place stinks (literally.). The beer garden is alright, but the service sucks. I had driven to a friends bday so I ordered a coke and was ridiculed and bullied by the bar staff for wanting a soft drink. The barman then got annoyed that I didn't tip him. Never wasting my time lining up for this place again.

I'm a very proud Collingwood/Fitzroy boy but the Retreat is probably the only pub in Vic that I would move suburbs for, just so I could call it my local. The thing I love about the place is the

Having been suggested to us many times I figured it was time to bite the bullet and give it a try, we arrived at seven to a fairly quiet pub and took our seats in the fantastic beer garden out the back (with separate bar, always a winner).

Don’t be discouraged by your first impressions of The Retreat.

The faithful old Retreat on Sydney Road - home to plenty of sticky carpet, great pub grub, great live music, dodgy couches, and some equally dodgy clientèle. After working just around the corner for a while years ago, and religiously having a parma every

Charged 50c for using efpos card, despite my meal being $34 when I asked why they said "we just do it". Service from the bar staff was very poor. My friend waited 30 minutes for his food after everyone else had got theirs. Go here for drinks, but not food. Bring cash. Chicken parma was terrible.

New menu!. Ended up at the retreat on a thursday night for the music and beers. didnt know the menu had changed! looks like the kitchen got an overhaul recently. everything looks amazing. saw some sliders coming out so had to try them out. great flavors. where is the bread from??? will be back again!

Great food great beer great beer garden

Avoid the chicken Parma! Small and over cooked.

I just wish I had read the reviews in here before ordering my food.as we received our meals we all looked at each other<br/>My Parma was the worst dish of the night but the others weren't to far behind. After trying to eat my meal I just wondered why the kitchen was soo busy,consedering the meal I got that I could not even eat<br/>Great place for a beer and live music but avoid kitchen at all times

Wow that was like being in a Monty Python sketch.... Had to wait for ages at food counter before being acknowledged. After ordering we were told to get our own cutlery but there were no forks. I pointed this out and was told to come back later to get forks. Then our food came out which was pretty ordinary and alas they still had no forks! So we waited a few minutes with our food in front of us whilst the waiter went looking for forks. Upon being presented with forks my friend asked if he could have some tomato sauce for his burger. He was told that he would have to "order it" at the food counter and that it would cost two dollars! WOW!! Great place fr late night drink but the kitchen is a disaster.

Nice place but the Parma was the worst I've ever had. Too small, overcooked and just not good enough for a pub staple.

Enjoy this place, bands are always pretty good. Not heaps psyched on the food - typical pub prices but not the greatest food. I've eaten here a dew times with large groups and no one was too impressed with the food. But a great place to drink. Attracts friendly punters. Nice beer garden.

El Condor Parma bloody awesome! This place has the greatest beer garden ever. The food, atmosphere and style is just perfect for a local. <br/>The Tacos mix is great for a snack with a bunch of mates... Cheers

Very decent pub food. I didn't read the other reviews on Urbanspoon until after I had visited, so I was a little surprised by the negative reviews. This is a somewhat grungy pub and therefore I was expecting solid and standard pub fare (nothing too fancy or gastro-pub-y) - which is what the Retreat serves up, with a bit of a southern twist. There seemed to be a lot of American/Mexican options. I had the Pollo Locco which according to the menu is: "southern style battered fried chicken breast 2 cheeses, bacon, lettuce, guacamole, jalapenos, salsa & sou’western sauce in bun". It was great! It was like a really good version of a KFC zinger burger - without the grease or soggy bun. My dining companions all commented favourably on their meals (chicken parma, and roast duck breast special). I think for the price point the meals here are very solid. Recommended!

Absolutely disgusting, inedible. Only recommend to someone you truly despise.. Ordered the 'Gumbo' which basically turned out to be a bowl full of Gravox with scraps of poor quality meat from god knows what beast with a few bits of vegetables and this quarter cup of rice plopped in the middle. I have never returned a meal in my life, and felt embarrassed to do so as we were with others. Took the offending meal to the servery where you order and pay and said that I could not eat it and was happy to pay extra for something else. I thn had the 'cook' come over and start yelling at me 'Do you know what Gumbo is? Do you know what Gumbo is?' To which I replied 'Yeah, I do know what Gumbo is, and this damn well aint it!' He said he had 'cooked everywhere' (Is that even possible?) and if I didn't like it I should speak to the manager. Well I did speak to the manager who insisted the cook was an amiable sort of fellow and as they had sold a whopping 15 of these things to people (that's enough to make up a class action I'd say) there was no problem and they would not give me a refund. My friends 'parma' was a lump of crumbed chicken breast that had not even been beaten flat and it would have been a mercy to the poor chicken if it had. They couldn't even get the chips right. Never, ever, again.

WE ARE BACK!. After numerous disappointments we deserted the Retreat last year. We decided to return on hearing of new chef and improved food. OMG! what a transformation. Dined on whole rainbow trout fillet with a lime margarita sauce. Sensational! Scotch fillet with cajun prawns! Previous visit there was a delectable spicy jambalaya and a "vegetable soiree" of eggplant, chickpeas, rice cake ans of all things candied celery! it was a taste teaser.<br/>We also had friends who tried the parma and burger and both gavet the thumbs up with distinction. A definite cajun and texmex feel to the food which worked well on all counts. Loved it all. We are back !

The previous person i spot on the place does have an odour to it, the service isnt the best we had a few beers that didnt taste right dirty lines possibly?? And the lady behind the bar was very rude to us saying there is nothing wring with it.. Also i cant believe that anyone who would line up to this place let alone anywhere on sydney rd its brunswick not the cbd!! And there are loads of place within a 5 min walk that are heaps better like the brunswick hotel but seriously to line up to get into a pub.... What a joke!

Worst Parma ever. One of my favourite beer gardens and an all round good pub but I wont be eating here again. I'm sure it used to be better but on Sunday I was served up the most revolting, miserable parma I've had in Melbourne. Overcooked, greasy, stringy, tough and more breadcrumb than chicken. I'd be disappointed to get served this in a service station. The kitchen couldn't even get the optional serve of veg together. The other half had the black bean quesadilla which was also disappointing. <br/><br/>Look elsewhere on Sydney Rd for your counter meal.

Like the food, love the Parma. A little on the expensive side. They always seem to have loud live bands on all the time, sometimes I just wanna chill with a beer & Parma and have a chat with my mates however.......... I like the food and the beer is awesome.

Cool pub. Didn't eat, but the beer's good and the courtyard was awesome on the scorcher day that we went. If you give a sh*t about sticky floors, then keep walking. Otherwise, you'll like it.

Quite expensive for pub grub my boyfriend loves the Parma, I have had an excellent beef and guineaa pie in there - the only annoying thing is they insist on having LOUD live music in the dining room

Drinks a go, meals a no. Great for drinks, however avoid the food menu like the plaque. Onion rings were unnecessary and crap addition to every meal. great atmosphere for a few drinks with mates though.

$6 bar burger is amazing, probably because I was smashed, pass a cracking too!

Stinky and dirty. I ordered the Parma with coleslaw just to be on the safe side......disgusting! The place stinks and is very dirty. Never again.

Steak or Parma thats it!!

Average

Relaxed alternative quirky atmosphere. Lived the Kangaroo Loin - lovely!

Not bad food but not amazing either. The relaxed atmosphere is what really makes this place for me.

The Retreat. Simple basic pub food, no frills , good atmospher, nice beer garden. good pub

The Retreat Burger is delectable! A real American style burger with american mustard, and gherkin - seeing the size I never thought I'd finish it - but it was so delish I had to! Served with hand cut chips. My partner had steak - which they actually cooked medium rare like he asked!<br/>They also have a good 7 dollar baked potato special at the moment - yum also!

Friday night winner.... A cold drink, a vegetarian burger, and a courtyard table full of mates. Yep - perfect spot to start off your night. The food is moderately priced and tasty, and there's always an interesting mix of people to keep you amused. It's also really easy to book a table, so rally the troops!

Thumbs up!. The food is good basic pub style meals, the venue is a typical Brunswick alternative style setting with a great atmosphere and beer garden, whether you go for food or just drinks. Really enjoy the live music they have inside too.

Went on a Sunday night for their advertised Sunday Roast special. They'd run out of roast! How does that happen? At least pull the specials board in! Menu bit too wanky - expensive for a pub (who wants to pay $20 for a Parma?) and half menu isn't proper pub grub... Duck salad? In a pub? Great place for a beer or two, but eat elsewhere; there's tonnes of options nearby.

A friendly atmosphere, join the locals for a laugh on Monday nights with a game or 2 of Bogan Bingo. The beer is good, especially the Guinness!

Good pub grub in a very laid back Brunswick location. Beer here is good too!