Review Foresters - Collingwood

Cheap parmas every night ($10) including vegan and vegetarian ones. Beers are a tad expensive ($7-11 for a schooner) but good choices. The woman who served us was very friendly and efficient. Nice moody lighting and decor.

I really like this place. Always a good beer selection and such great cheap food. Average pub food but much cheaper. $10 parmas all the time. Not too loud (Thursday before a public holiday), and you can usually get a seat. The staff are very friendly and attentive as well.

Great venue with a good drink selection. Do yourself a favour and get the $10 Parma special - amazing quality and value!

Such a nice place with great ambiance, friendly staff and awesome craft beers. Amit provided a great service especially when I erroneously ordered the wrong thing and he quickly rectified it without additional charges. The pub looks posh, yet reasonable, clean and smells good. Would definitely go there again. I was there with my colleagues for a farewell and totally recommend it for such events as we had our own area and privacy.

Unparalleled selection of beer on tap! And the food is really good too! If you're in to great beer, you don't want to miss Forester's!

With the closure of Gertrude this is one of the best craft beer venues in town. Also a great selection of Belgian ales as well!

A couple of years ago I regularly drank here, solely because of the great beer selection - I then moved away from the north. I went yesterday, looking forward to trying some new beers, and was greatly disappointed. Whilst not terrible, the beer selection on offer is similar to any other pub in the area, but the venue isn’t as cosy or as vibrant as those other places. Won’t be returning anytime soon.

Just had the chicken parma and chips, best I've had in years. Always rated this place for the number of tap beers and varieties they rotate through but haven't eaten here for a while so I was pleasantly surprised. Happy hour runs from 4 to 6 and beers were only $6.

Looks like a generic pub on the outside but is much cosier and cooler on the inside. The space serves a nice range of local beers and wines and has some interesting interior decor. I love the upstairs loft areas. But the best part is the massive and cheap and veganisable mains including a vegan parma and pizza.

Well that unfortunately was a very disappointing experience! The kitchen "forgot" all our food orders so we waited well over an hour before receiving the food we ordered. Fair enough, people make mistakes but what was really disappointing was that the manager had no interest at all in apologizing or offering a refund / discount on the food (which was also quite sub-par btw). The strange thing was the place wasn't even busy. Oh well! Won't be going back there again!!

Foresters is without a doubt the single worst restaurant I have been to in my life. As someone who cannot have gluten (coeliac) or dairy, reading menus and reviews before dining becomes a way of life. So, a place that lists dietaries such as GF and VG on their menu is a godsend. Not here. They might as well write "If you have allergies, go somewhere else as we don't care!" written in big bold letters on their menu.<br/>Despite having several gluten-free options, "the kitchen is too busy with stuff going everywhere" to make sure gluten doesn't get in gluten-free food. Oh, and what does GFO mean anyway? They'll remove the glutenous parts of the dish with no replacement, and with a $3 GF surcharge. Then good luck trying to make it dairy-free too.<br/>As it's illegal to burn the place to the ground and I'm unable to give negative stars, the best I can do is write this review and give it minimum marks. Despite being in Melbourne, even a country pub in a town of 100 people has more care for the dietaries of their customers than this place!

Friendly service, cheap as parmas which are lovely! Good chips, great beer choice and gorgeous atmosphere. Great for mates or for a date. Will definitely be back!

Tried the eggplant parma made vegan, it was disappointing. It was so thin and we were charged an extra 4 dollars for the vegan cheese, even though the parma itself is so cheap, it is stupid that we have to pay so much extra for vegan cheese, I can tell it's not even an expensive brand. Especially when the eggplant parma is so small, you can get the regular parma for almost half the price and its like 4 times the size. My vegan friends and I were still hungry so we decided to try a pizza... Again 4 dollars extra for vegan cheese RIDICULOUS. So the pizza was nearly 20 dollars and it wasn't big or anything. It had good flavours but too much sauce and the base wasn't the best. Kindof a soggy mess. Will definitely not come back here for food. They need to learn from the Cornish arms, huge amazing vegan parma at NO extra cost. Cornish arms has trivia too. And as for the pizzas they should learn from red sparrow pizza, vegie bar, plain Jane's pizza n Shakes, bubba pizza, Mr naturals pizza, bimbos etc. Etc. Etc. Literally everywhere else has better food than this place.

Ridiculous $5 Parma, really I don't understand what justifies it being this cheap, but it was really good! Really love the high ceilings atmosphere and good tunes. I got the margarita pizza which looked good, but kept falling apart and when I realized I could've ordered 2 more plates of chicken parma for the same price, I felt dejected. Totally coming back!!

$5 Parmas! Have dined here twice for dinner and found the experience on all fronts to beat my expectations. The signature dish, the $5 Parma, tastes great and is able to be upgraded with a number of different add ons for a small cost. Don’t let the outside fool you, this place has a great feel with high ceilings, booth seating and quirky decor!

Went in for their $5 Parma and we had their holumi chips and their salt and pepper calamari and the chicken wings. _ all resonably priced and delicious

Do you like chicken parmas? Do you like beer? Do you like life? If the answers to these questions were ‘yes’, I suggest you get down to Foresters Hall. Plenty of good beer on tap and incredibly friendly and helpful bar staff to help you navigate. $5 parmas. Yep. $5. Don’t go there expecting mumma to debone a chicken to give you the best bits and crumb it herself. Not happening. But these hit the mark with pretty good chips too. Don’t be silly, get there.

I'm all for a bargain and all for a proclamation of safe inclusive spaces. But I've had about all I can stand of eggplant substituting for meat and fake (I hope) animal heads on walls.

Sitting around the table at Foresters last week discussing how this review would go, we tossed out the idea of the entire article consisting of one line -. "It's only five dollars". People come to ParmaDaze for long form reviews, not tweets. So rather than a single line review we're giving the Foresters Five Dollar Parma the full treatment.

"Oh I, I just died in your arms tonight. It must have been something you said"<br/><br/>Foresters Pub and Dining is a superb venue. It’s hard to fathom just how different it is to the establishments that stood there in the past (Bar Called Barry + Barracuda Bar), but the fitout is tremendous. The range of beer is jaw-droppingly good. The hot wings consumed ($14.50) were delightful. Spicy and delicate. The ranch sauce that accompanied these wings was fantastic. Also consumed was the pork crackling pizza. At least that is what The Dear Luncher called it. It was on a specials menu. Foresters make a very nice Negroni and having Feral’s Wart Hog IPA on tap was ever so pleasing. Just a great all-round venue for groups with all manner of seating options, including booths. Excellent service as well.

Waitesses were hungover and swore at my friend when they asked for a jäeger bomb, there was no one here on a Sunday and they closed early. Would not recommend

Melbourne foodies and hospo workers boogied on down to Foresters Bar and Dining this week to celebrate the best of Melbourne’s pub scene. We raised our pints to pubs in 11 categories, including Best Pub which went to Carlton establishment The Lincoln. “The Lincoln looks like an old pub, and feels like an old pub, but inside our pub of the year you’ll find ace beers, seriously delicious wines and counter meals that are a cut above,” said Emily Lloyd-Tait, Time Out Australia’s Food and Drink Editor.

Plenty of great beers on tap and at a really good price! Staff are friendly. One thing about this place is that if you sit out the front, be prepared to be heckled by loads of passerbys asking for change/cigarettes etc. Not the venues fault, just something to keep in mind.

Went here last night w my friend. A random visit and it was a fun place. They were serving $14 jugs of moon dog pale ale, gotta live a craft beer or three haha <br/><br/>They have a couple of lifts upstairs and a table tennis table w bats n balls for free to keep you busy between jugs lol<br/><br/>A great selection of spirits and friendly attentive service. The front section overlooks smith street which is great, as there is always heaps of people watching here! <br/><br/>

Had my 21st here in October and the venue was perfect - so many compliments from guests, great beers and awesome food. Andrew was a breeze to deal with and the staff on the night were super friendly and helpful. Well priced, awesome environment and absolutely loved the jazz band down stairs. Thanks again guys!!

Really cool place, awesome vibe and decor. Tap list was great and extensive, what you would expect for Good Beer Week, however craft beers are the typical overpriced you come to expect in Melbourne these days. Food was decent, although serving sizes a tad small. Chips are great and nachos nice, I just wish there was more food for the price! Loved the upstairs seating area and live music, great place; especially if you're a beer fan :)

Sometimes my wife feels like pizza but I crave for some awesome ramen. We argue. But we have found a mediator. Forester listened and brought us the best of both worlds. But putting the food aside, the beer selection is always exciting with new taps available regularly.

Nice fitout, great atmosphere, lots of beers to choose from, the pizzas were really good. Service friendly, however, the waiters need to be mindful of people still drinking their drinks & not to clear them when you haven't finished, had to pull 2 staff up on that tonight, you shouldn't have to it's just annoying.

A pretty laid back experience with cheap eats & a great tap list on offer for your craft beer delights judging by the crowd here. Staff are friendly.

Good service, nice seating and excellent ramen. It was the best that i had ever eaten and that goes for the friends i was also with. I have a feeling the ramen might come from the restaurant next door. Doesn't matter.

Good selection of tap beer. We ordered from the Asian section. Pork belly roll was good, the spring roll not so and the start was the chicken which was very tender but really crispy.

The selection of beers, pizza and snacks are great. We tried the Ramen tonight, "Tonkotsu miso" and the recommended "tan tan men", it was way too salty and not much flavor going on, oily and the noodles were really average.

Surprisingly good pizzas for a beer hall! It's all they really serve food-wise, so we weren't expecting much, but we were blown away by just how good they were (and so cheap!!. I had the mushroom and my husband had one of the carnivorous options. Pizza is served until 2am and is available take-away, so do yourself a favor and get some next time you stop in for a drink.

This place is for beer lovers, pizzas are nice but its all about the beer. Both happy hour & the free tastings are well worth it. Staff are relaxed & knowledgeable but I've never come here on a friday or saturday. Dunno if it would be as good if it was packed to rhe rafters

10/10 for the beer list alone, very extensive range on tap, including a wide range of draught sours! Cool building and decorated appropriately. Service is quick and courteous, just wish I came here earlier!

Amazing 32 taps of craft beer constantly changing.<br/>Some of them are world class. Like mindblowingly amazing. <br/>Delicious pizza served till 2am.<br/>Live footy on the telly.<br/>Tasting and beer related event every now and then.<br/>Can get noisy when it's full but what do you expect from a beer hall?<br/>Best thing is nothing here burns a hole in your wallet.<br/><br/>I'm already here at least once a week.

10/10. What can I say, great drinks and great food. Probably one of the best craft beer place in smith at.. (or even Melbourne)

Foresters Hall is a great place to expand your beer knowledge/palate. However, it is also a great place to lose any sense of hearing. I'm sorry, but if I wanted to shout at everyone to get their attention I would have stayed at home. Also, if I can pour a beer without any hospitality experience, don't give me an "oh that Renaissance craftsman is not pouring well today, have you tried Pacific ale?" Yes I have tried Pacific ale, and no I don't consider it a comparable replacement.

The front of this place is one of the best places to people watch in Melbourne!

The Perfect Place for a Party. We brought about 50 people through this place for a 30th birthday and it was the best night ever. Every single member of staff was friendly, helpful, and accommodating. They even helped us store and then cut up two massive ice creams cakes completely free of charge, none of this "$2 per person to eat cake in our establishment" business (I should point out that we brought our own plates, forks, serviettes, and garbage bags, which they appreciated, but still they made it so easy). We got countless messages the next day talking about how great the venue was and how perfect the mezzanine space was for a celebration. The pizza was unreal, and the choice of beer is unparalleled. If you're looking at booking an event in the area, this is the place - they will make it SO easy for you. They're quite hard to get on the phone, so drop in and they'll sort you out!

Incredible evening. Came to foresters hall with my boyfriend for a cocktail and couldn't have had a better evening. The cocktail on tap was lovely and the sevice even better! Have the salami pizza, trust me, you will love it. Thank you for the incredible night we will see you sooner than later!!!

Great beer, bad soundtrack. Has Melbourne earned a venue on this scale dedicated to craft beer? Almost. Possibly yes. Does it deserve a better soundtrack than bad 90's rock? Probably. Service was friendly, enthusiastic and informed. I drank too much Kaijubeer red ale.

Beer heaven. So glad smith street has a home to house so many brilliant beers! the pizza is out of this world the salami was unreal will be back to try not only the whole pizza menu but make my way through the tap list. on another note staff are excellent! super friendly and helpful! get down!

Melbourne best beer venue. Diverse tap range, informed and lovely staff great atmosphere and layout . Highly recommended ! Exactly what the Northside of melbourne needed! Great job guys

WONDERFUL. Sitting in Foresters right now. They seem to have had an unexpected walk- in of 100+, flat out at the bar, place is wall to wall. I still received exceptional service. I work in hospitality myself and I aspire to the standards the staff adhere to here. Top marks, well done Foresters. You all deserve a beer or three after tonight.

Pizza me up. I'm not sure what it is but there's something about the Forester's Hall pizza bases that keep me coming back for takeaway again and again...<br/><br/>Best thing of all is that I get to sit around and drink craft beer while I wait!<br/><br/>Recommend the prosciutto

Awesome Pizza and cocktails. All the Pizzas are fabulous. Quality ingredients and one of the best bases in Melbourne. Yummy

Exceptional Service!. Service on Smith Street, and in the rest of Collingwood and Fitzroy, for that matter is usually like playing bartender roulette. I am often scared to stray from the usual drink or ask for a sample of a beer I have never tried out of fear of a snarly or sassy look. After leaving Foresters I have found my saviour. I was welcomed with a smile, ASKED if I wanted a sample and was provided a suggestion for a cocktail for my next drink. Watching a happy bar team bop around behind the bar seeming very much to enjoy what they do reminded me why I loved my first hospitality job. We ordered pizza, delicious and thin crust, and the empty tray was cleared by the venue manager (I think) who seemed intently interested on my large groups experience... Nice to see the manager clearing tables btw, Smith Street take notice. Thank you for a great night Foresters Hall we will sure to be back!!!