Review The Gasometer Hotel Restaurant - Collingwood

A great, versatile venue with a team of really lovely and professional bar and security staff. This is a brilliant live music venue, with a noticeably good PA. Special thanks to the owner, James, who is not just super friendly and welcoming, but a total sweetheart who went completely out of his way to hunt for (and find!) my jacket after I lost sight of it. Looking forward to the next visit 🖤

Saw a great gig here. Nice atmosphere and really nice staff all around. I was the deso driver so I couldn't drink, but the beer selection looked great, and the 0% beer was alright.

Awesome venue and amazing staff since new ownership. As a young woman I can say Stef and Trav are the kindest security guards! Always lookin out for people and keeping the riff raff at bay. Bloody love this place.

The gaso is the new home to live punk rock. 2 stages, smoking area, many nooks and crannies to explore in this origional corner pub. The interior is all old wood, kept in beautiful condition. Nothing fake about this place!

One of the few remaining old school pubs with a band room. Great bar snacks, recommend the buffalo wings - fantastic. Friendly service, great beer selection and the surprise is the cocktail list with the old fav Espresso Martini. Good mix of locals and band followers (groupies).

Great place for live music. Good variety of beers on tap. Has large podium downstairs and a smaller one upstairs.

Bouncer 943 (Peter) was a legend the whole night even with idiots that needed to be removed he was such a professional with it and made them feel like they had a good night even though they were idiots. And I respected that.

Through pure happenstance we were drawn into the bar on a Tuesday night with the promise of free comedy. We were not disappointed. The venue was fantastic and the comedy was great The comedy club element may be in its infancy, but it has great promise and is backed by a bunch of passionate and enthusiastic comedians that are looking to create laughter and bring joy. The host was fantastic and engaged well with the entire audience. He was personable and fun, even going so far as to shout a few rounds. A night well spent!

I LOVE THIS PUB! We came in on a Wednesday night when Living End were playing and despite not actually going to the gig, we soaked up some of the atmosphere and stayed in for the current resident chef/butcher team: Meat me Here. Service was awesome and the team are super friendly and chilled. If you’re able to get in and try some of the Meat me Here fare while they’ve taken over the kitchen I highly recommend it!<br/>Great spot for a midweek special (Wing Wednesdays!) or a weekend session. Get around this joint for sure.

We usually attend the AIM ensemble night. We look forward to coming down from ballarat and enjoying great food and music..on the 23rd april this yr the food was horrid! Also when you have a sign on the counter suggesting customers reconsider the use of straws dont proceed to serve food on paper plates with plastic cutlery. Disappointed and underwhelmed

Had dinner here with my significant other and another couple. I wanted the salmon but was told they'd run out. It was 7pm so a bit too early to start running out of ingredients. Ordered the curry instead. We also ordered two of the Sunday Roasts and the fish and chips. Food took ages to come out and my partner who usually has a small appetite said his roast was much too little in serving size. My curry was so so and the fish and chips too oily. To add insult to injury they also rang out of mulled wine! Good service. Good atmosphere.

The menu is very small and a bit of a mix and match of food. I must say that the pork ribs were actually kinda nice. Simple pub but more than does the job.

I recently found myself at the Gasometer doing Beyoncé dance classes in the room at the back they often have music gigs in (random). There was an hour break between the two classes I had booked in to so I lounged around the dining room and tucked into a parma which was absolutely huge and unbelievably filling (I struggled in that second class let me tell you). Affectionately nicknamed the 'Gaso' there's actually a strong sense of atmosphere inside and interior wise it's all things beautiful brickwork, stained glass windows and chandeliers. An accidental find but a friendly pub with decent food and lots of happy hipsters

The menu has changed from the one posted on here - and not in a good way... there was no theme to the food but a strange mix of cuisines trying to pass as Asian inspired. I wholly support any venue catering for the needs of everyone but the majority of the menu seemed to be gluten free, vegetarian or vegan. Both my partner and I were struggling to find something on the menu that "grabbed us" and were disappointed In the lack of appetisers on offer. What ever happened to good pub fare?

This place changes it's menu more than any other pub I know. Last I heard they were going to have Footy on the big screen with sound and a Footy Menu. I got there yesterday to watch the footy at 3:30pm. There was no big screen, no sound and no footy menu despite it still being advertised on the chalk boards everywhere. In fact, the kitchen wasn't open at all! They wanted us to wait until 5pm for it to reopen and it was Pierogi night so they didn't even have their 'NEW MENU' they keep banging on about. Before that it was a Japanese menu and before that it was pub grub. Seriously, what is going on? I used to go to this pub for food but not anymore, Gaso, I give up. You are the most unreliable pub in Fitzroy and I've found I can't count on you for anything more than a beer and some music. Just do us all a favour and stop advertising the fact you're now a footy pub PLEASE.

A Thursday night at the Gaso and for some reason there's sport on the screen.  I'm considering that for some time now our whole culture has been moving as toward a catastrophe, with a tortured tension that is growing from decade to decade: restlessly, violently, headlong, like a river that wants to reach the end. . . . <br/><br/>With that in mind I thought I best order a drink to numb the pain of the days tortures and find some modicum of hope at the bottom of my glass.  The barkeeps here are always gentlemen and women of the highest order, it's a shame they are chained to a rock that's spinning in an endless vacuum.<br/><br/>They say your soul leaves your body as you die and that alcohol is like chicken soup for the soul.<br/><br/>If I had a soul I would want it to leave my body, full of alcohol and escape through the retractable roof at The Gasometer.<br/><br/>What a glorious place.<br/><br/>facebook dot com /theurbannihilist

Wow. Remind me to avoid this place when a gig is on. Food here is average and expensive, bar service ain't so great either (and the selection is limited). Gig room at the back has terrible layout and horrible acoustics, sounded like I was inside a washing machine.

Want an "Izakaya"? You got one right here, whatever that is. <br/>Want to eat dinner? This is no longer the place. There is NOT ONE single choice that offers protein, vegetables and carbs. It is ALL tapas like choices at $14-18  each, with no option to create a balanced meal. And with no apparent option to get full for under $60 or $80, I would like to meet the genius who designed this menu so I could punch him or her on the nose. I want to type that again, because it made me feel better: I would like to meet the genius who designed this menu so I could punch him or her on the nose. Biff! I feel better now.

Gas-Light Izakaya Collingwood is a collaboration between The Gasometer Hotel and Northern Light. The Gasometer Hotel dates back to the 1800s and has been through a few incarnations in its time. Since current owners Clint Fisher (Retreat Hotel) and Shan Vanderwert (The Post Office Hotel) took over in 2014, they’ve been running it as a pub with a band room featuring independent local bands. It feels like a proper pub, the kind of pub that seems to be disappearing from Melbourne.

What is it? An Izakaya focusing in on Katsu and Yakitori. Also modern Japanese snacks in a casual “rock n roll” setting. Who’s behind it? Gasometer Hotel owners Clint Fisher and Shan Vanderwert teaming up with Northern Light owners Adam Liston and Eamon Bellew. Size? 60 plus bar.

Last night was my first visit back to Gasometer since they reopened.  It was good to see they still had quite a few American inspired options on the menu, but they also now have a lot of other pub-fare to choose from.  <br/><br/>I opted for the Fried Chicken with a side of apple slaw - the fried chicken was sensational!  Incredibly crispy, not too greasy and went down nicely with the slaw.  My partner had the chicken and leek pie special which was also tasty.  My only criticism with the food may have been that the slaw was a little vinegary for my taste, however it did cut through the indulgent fried chicken well.  <br/><br/>To top it off, there are several open fireplaces throughout the pub which is a huge plus in this cold Melbourne July weather, and we also followed dinner with an amazingly obscure southern-psychedelic-horror-rock gig in their bandroom so all in all a great night at the Gaso.

Not sure if we went on a good night, but I must say I had one of the best parmas of the year at the Gaso. A generous breast, served plump, not bashed to roadkill status, with delightful toppings. Crispy crumb and excellent napoli, cheese and ham coverage which set about slapping your face with flavour. I've had too many mind-numbing parmas in this town not to appreciate a good one when it comes along.

"I need to get away from ya, need to walk away from ya get away, walk away, walk away...." - CHRISTINA AGUILERA<br/><br/>I am sad to say that I had a bad experience at the Gaso because I love it as a live music venue so I wanted to check out the food.<br/><br/>I ordered a vege pie and a wagu beef burger with chips instead of onion rings. I was very clear about my order at the bar which is why I was surprised when they tried to deliver 2 pies to my table. I politely told the guy delivering the pies, who was kind of scary and rude, that I had ordered a burger. I thought as he walked away 'this man is probably going to bring back a burger with onion rings.' Something died in me that day. <br/><br/>Surely enough he delivered my burger with a big pile of onion rings. I was too afraid to mention that I'd asked for fries and didn't really have a chance as he dumped the plate on my table and quickly ran. Now, firstly, I hate regular onion rings. But these onion rings, I find it hard to talk about. They weren't onion rings so much as big (very big) flat thin strips of onion that had been loosely tossed and fried in batter (the batter was falling off everywhere). I think the Gaso's problem is that they're trying too hard.<br/><br/>The burger was a mess. The patty mixture was full of all sorts of things and it was just too much. They'd lathered on the dijon mustard till all you could taste was that, and the strange taste emitting from the way they'd charred or grilled the patti. Some of the components on their own were fine. The patti wasn't dry, the ingredients were fresh, the bun was nice, but it was all too much. They need to simplify the food and give it some clarity.<br/><br/>Considering the way it all went down I'm not sure I'll be back for the food. But I will be back for the live music!

Worst parma. It tasted like curry

Southern fried chicken burger and fries – A place you would come to only if your friends band is playing and you wanted to eat unhealthy fried American diner food. The vegan options are great to have on a menu but there should be

  Gasometer Hotel is an awesome gastropub on the corner of Smith Street and Alexander Parade. They have a great live music venue out the back, with a retractable roof for summer! Their food is also amazing – see the cauliflower hot dog above. And I mean, just look at the steak below! This was another of my Time Out Melbourne spots and I highly recommend dropping past this place, especially on a chilly Melbourne day, as I did, because that fireplace is phenomenal.

Other favourites on the menu are the Buffalo Tofu Strips ($12 GFO) which are deliciously smokey and juicy and come with vegan ranch dipping sauce. The Gasometer is well known for their near-perfect hot chips, which makes the Poutine ($12 VGO) another popular choice; and let's face it - who doesn't love chips covered in cheesy sauce and rich brown gravy!? The Spanish Mushrooms ($12 GFO VGO) are also highly recommended - they come in a smoked paprika and garlic cream sauce, finished with sweet Spanish sherry. <br/>

But my favourite part of the meal was the fried pickles. Let's just say I had a dream last night starring those pickles and I will be returning very soon for some more. (I am also wondering where the hell they got Vlasic brand pickles from! If anyone knows where to buy these in Melbourne, please let me know!)

I did find out the following day that the Gasometer was for sale, so that might have explained the lack of alcohol (running the stock low and not wanting to spend money on replenishing). And on 8 November I found out it had closed down.

If it weren’t for that damn seed in the crumbs I would be calling this parma an early favourite for Best New Parma of 2015 – However the liquorice punch absolutely murdered this dish. Saying that, I would still recommend checking it out, if you can overlook the aniseed flavour every other element of this parma was near perfect… definitely one to keep an eye on, and hopefully they come to their senses about that damn seed … just look how thick this thing is –

For somewhere that has a focus on being a bar, the food is pretty good though. The menu channels an American diner.

The love is back and so am I. My curiosity regarding the change of management was well rewarded. <br/>The new menu shares the tone/ quality of other great gastropubs like the Terminus or Post Office Hotel. Staff were down-to-earth, attentive to our medium sized group, and even seemed happy to be there (big plus in my book). The most significant difference between old and new Gaso’s – the atmosphere has improved tenfold now that the place isn’t dominated by one subculture.<br/><br/>Looking forward to catching one of their open-air shows.

Fantastic Pub!!!. Just to clear this up, the majority of reviews below were placed when the venue was under previous management. After reopening earlier this year, I have visited the Gasometer many times, and it was a wonderful experience. The food is tasty and comes quickly, the staff work hard and nothing is too difficult or too much-and the new band room is actually one of the front running music rooms in Melbourne. The PA is incredible, the management are obviously working hard to create an exceptional new space for locals and musicians. There have been all kinds of shows there, and I look forward to seeing many more. There is a huge range of great beers and wines, nibbles, cocktails, you name it. This is a great venue, and one I feel extremely comfortable in, and look forward to many great nights there. From the time I have spent, I have seen the staff go above and beyond to accommodate their patrons. You don't see service like that all that often anymore. Well done Gasometer.

Great food and outstanding service. Having eaten at The Gasometer three times in four weeks I have been really impressed with the Sunday roasts, lamb this week and pork last week and a chicken parma on a Saturday night a couple of weeks earlier. Great food at a great price.<br/>What impresses me the most is how hard the staff work, they don't stop. If I had a pub I'd want these guys. I sat at the bar for four hours one Saturday and they all worked their bits off, they are a credit to themselves and their boss. <br/>In the words of Austria's most famous actor "I'll be back."

Good local for beer and food. A good short menu of upmarket pub grub and decent wine and beer. The fire is great in winter. We've been in a few times and had good meals and service always.

Went here for lunch today. I have been going here for years but haven't been since they changed owners. This used to be my university hang out so had many good memories.<br/>We'll let me just say how disappointed I was. It was completely dead when I went infor lunch and no wonder. We ordered the lunch special, $15 for a vegan burger and a pot of coopers and my mother ordered deep fried pickles with ranch dressing.<br/>Well I have been eating out in Melbourne for years and have NEVER gotten a burger with no chips! As if they couldn't put a few chips on the side, it's what 50 cents. There's no way the burger was worth that much. My mums deep fried pickles were a waste of money, she got like 6 for that price.<br/>This is unacceptable for a place that used to be awesome. Well you've lost two long term customers now Gasometer and from reading other reviews looks like we aren't the only ones. Lift your game.

Tops , for a pub. A nice pub. Nice service, nice chairs and tables, some d j and live music at times, great interior and open fire.<br/>I had the butchers cut, a 300gram porterhouse.<br/>The steak quality was probably at 23 dollars but they charge 28,. What made up for it, was lovely sauce, lovely mushrooms and broccoli I.<br/>Nice cold beers on tap and an open fire.<br/>So, tops and tidy.

Services?. Good food, good deco but unfriendly not welcoming staff and music is way too loud and as a result, you cannot hear yourself talking.<br/>Staff should be reminded that the music is there for the patrons, not for them. After people have finished dining, maybe pump up the volume but at the end of the day, people still want to hear each other talking, especially when dining.<br/>Was also served a beer where the glass was not full...que?<br/>Also, staff very cold and unfriendly (don't know if something happened on the day I went there but...). In short, I went once to see, not likely to repeat the experience, much prefer The Gem where the food is fantastic and the service welcoming. And they know how to pour a beer.

Awesome pulled pork sandwich. Generous serve & reasonable price. The Parma also rocks!

Terrible! Ordered a couple of entrees which took well over an hour. Dumpling soup was cold and completely tasteless!! Eggplant fritters were distictinctly average. Will not be back

The dumplings are terrible and the eggplant croquettes are tolerable. A bit too cramped in the front bar

This place used to be the bomb for food veg non veg. Now the food is rubbish. New decor looks good but without a good chef you ain't got s*%t

I've been wanting to go to try Gasometer in Collingwood for a few weeks now after hearing a new veg friendly place had opened. I had thought we were going there a few weeks back, but my boyfriend had other ideas - on the way there he drove me to the place

Gasometer – worth checking out if you’re into American diner food, though I suggest that you share with a friend as the portion sizes are quite large. Other bloggers have noted issues with food coming out very slowly, but we didn’t have any problems when we visited.

When I saw this my taste buds lept. When a burger comes out in basket you know someone that knows a thing or two about diner culture has had some input with this.

All in all, a great meal. Gasometer is still a very new venue but all signs suggest it will be overrun before we know it. I’ll be heading back sooner rather than later to check out the courtyard and get my hands on some more of those fries… mmmm.