Review The Rainbow Hotel - Fitzroy

This is a serious good place for friends. The environment is lively and lovely. The bathroom is clean. The staff are quite friendly and care free. We had beef burgers and beers in the courtyard. FYI, you'll get a discount for burgers on Mondays. The range is not wide but the taste blows your mind. Hopefully you'd enjoy your dining here.

The food was comforting, good portion, great flavour and balance. The staff were really nice as well. Their vegan options were wide in variety and packed a punch.

I’ve extensively pursued the best pubs in Melbourne and I can say with all confidence this one reaches all the requirements. Great food, great beer garden ( dog friendly) good prices and live music. This is in my top ten and it should be in yours too . Highly recommend

The beer garden is the place to be, seafood linguine and popcorn chicken are my absolute favourites🥰

I had my first time visit on Sunday after my wife suggested we try the Sunday vegan roast. It is a popular place but we were quickly seated by the lovely staff. There is table service but ordering is done at the bar. Great range of beers on tap and I enjoyed an IPA by local brewery Fixation. Our meals arrived pretty fast and the roast comes on a large enamel plate with plenty of food! The nut based 'meat loaf' was moist and flavourful and accompanied with vegetables, some sides and even a Yorkshire pudding. I devoured mine quickly and lucky my lady has a smaller appetite because I finished hers as well. The hotel has a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and I look forward to returning for more roasts and IPA soon.

Arrive for my 9pm dinner reservation to be advised the kitchen has closed at 9pm. Stars revised, from 1 star to 5 stars. We now understand the pub was dealing with a new booking system. We understand that there are teething problems sometimes with new systems but upon our last visit everything had been resolved. Thank you, great experience.

Extremely helpful staff aiding wheelchair access in order to assist my 76yo father. Went out of their way to help us for dinner and stay for the late night Hammond Combo gig.

Must love dogs! Service at the bar is friendly and helpful, food is ok - a bit hit and miss depending on which dish you order. Outside in the courtyard every table has at least 2 dogs - if not more, so great if that is your thing and you have a very social dog! Tip, if you like margaritas, try the tinned one on offer - quite unique!

Always exceptional service at the Rainbow. Great food and the selection of craft and imported beer is the greatest. Kat and the staff are fantastic and I would recommend this place any day of the week!

Fabulous pub, with great staff, beers and food. One of my favourites in Fitzroy, Highly recommend ���

Bloody ripper pool table, unreal beers, fresh beer garden. Definitely one of the best pubs in Fitzroy.

Mate you cant go wrong with the Rainbow. Staff are always a good bunch,charitable and wise. Great food will sway me everytime- steaks are top notch. It is like a river to my people.

Great beer, great food, relaxed atmosphere, dogs in the beer garden and all located right in the middle of Fitzroy. Couldn't ask for more in a pub.

I was visiting this place from NZ as I flew over for my best friends birthday. She booked in advance to make sure we could get a table as there was 20 of us. It’s close to Christmas so half of us had some Christmas costumes (Santa hats, tinsle, red clothing etc, nothing too crazy). Anyways I just experienced the WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER! As we entered one of the staff (Kat) looked at us and said we could not come in as we were on a “pub crawl” (it was 6.30pm). We said we had a booking so then she was like okay come on in then (being very very rude) but still had not reserved us a table. We then went to the bar and ordered an Aperol Spritz and she told us she could not serve this because it’s not “that” kind of an establishment and I can only serve you beer or vodka. I have never received such poor customer service and would NEVER return to this place. Merry Christmas Kat.

Love the rainbow an experience of great cuisine craft beer an an open fire in winter and the best live music

Love this bar. Excellent beer selection, super friendly/appalling staff. And great food too! Best locals bar in Fitzroy. The occasional fool comes in but I'm not there all the time so you might be lucky ;)

Great little pub. Unpretentious and authentic. Music and clientele interesting and diverse. We go for Paul Williamson Hammond combo on Monday nights monthly. 26 year residency speaks volumes. Food great-try the southern fried chicken burger. Fantastic ! Just go.

A true local with character and a fantastic selection of beers. It's always warm and friendly every time I visit. With yummy food and great music this place is the bomb!

Great local pub with a great history of supporting live music good value food, wine, beers, ciders etc in Melbourne when many others succumbed to the developers wrecking machines.

Best pub in Melbourne by a country mile. Good food, good drinks, good atmosphere, and the staff are very warm and welcoming.

Great music. Accepting Patrons and wonderful staff especially Benson , Emma ,Z. And everyone we have met there have been amazing . We were refused by two Uber drivers and a cab because of our gender yet we feel part of the rainbow hotel crowd. Fantastic place and staff.we come from the bayside area every Sunday to be there Thanks guys and gals xx Moni and Bree

Great music, beer and atmosphere. Very easy to get to this fantastic pub.

Have always had an excellent time at the Rainbow... I wish it was closer to my house! Cosy, inviting, and dog-friendly (!!!) beer garden, a great selection of local craft beers on tap, and friendly staff.

Great atmosphere. Sweet beer garden. Best beer selection in town. Excellent pub.

A friendly pub in Fitzroy, the Rainbow hotel is a fab place to catch up with friends for a drink or two. I love the rear beer garden as it's roomy and comfortable, and not a bad place to spend a sunny afternoon.<br/><br/>Service is really good, and the staff are friendly. With an eclectic style, this pub has that cool, relaxed Fitzroy vibe making it popular with many of the locals. The bar is well stocked, and with a good food menu the Rainbow is a fun place to spend a few hours.

Cool, non-pretentious pub in the heart of Fitzroy (it’s become hard to find here). Great garden area, fantastic beer selection. Loved the Monday jazz night too, will definitely be back.

I love the Rainbow Hotel. They have beers. They always have vegan/vegetarian options. And it's puppies galore in the outside beer garden. Also roasts if that's your sort of thing.

Very cute little back yard for summer nights. We ordered one of each of the small plates on the menu . They were all good and nice for pub food, the croquettes and the pork sausages were very nice.<br/>

Great semi outdoor beer garden and vibes<br/>Staff very friendly and helpful with navigating the beer list<br/>A gem down an otherwise normal street

Bit of a mixed bag. Place itself it traditional old style pub (with a dining room) that's warm and cosy on winter's day/night. But there's also two outdoor terraces - one mostly covered (warmed by gas heaters) with pool table and one open to the elements (also warmed by gas heaters and the place for smokers). It's big, it's boisterous, it's fun - and lots of live music.<br/><br/>Food? Well - Sunday roast is huge at $22 but whilst plenty of meat and different vegetables, all a bit bland in flavour and hardly the piping hot roast potatoes and warm gravy. All a bit tepid and congealed. Chicken parma on the other hand with fat cut chips better value if not particularly subtle, and fish burger on brioche tasty but why serve with the skinny chips?<br/><br/>Will probably return when fancy a pub meal - apparently steak nights are excellent value.

Always enjoy coming for the steak special on Wednesday evenings. Food is good and the vibe is friendly, especially in the beer garden with talent abound.

Vegan jackfruit burger was a let down unfortunately. Bread was hard and stale, it was filled with mostly slaw, there was barley any jackfruit and cashew cheese. Definitely not worth $18. Staff members were lovely though.

Straight up Great pub food! Nice relaxed friendly environment.<br/>I would highly recommend getting a feed here.<br/>Good size selection of beers on tap

Steak night is always a winner, solid for on $16. Nice venue. Staff can be a little hard to warm to but that doesn't stop coming back for another beer.

Been here a couple of times on a Wednesday night for there $16 Steak meal deal. Have to say, bang for buck is awesome! The steak is a decent size, probably about 300g and you get to choose mash and vege or chips and salad. <br/><br/>The steak has been cooked perfectly every time I've been there and the mash is creamy and delicious. Highly recommend you check this place out if you want a nice steak meal.

Love this place! Great food and a great vibe. The lady behind the bar however is always rude everytime I go there, have no idea why they keep her around. Great beer garden for a warm day

The staff here are so rude it's unbelievable, not even just one of them, basically them all. When we went to the bar, the lady serving in the floral dress basically yelled at someone for not knowing their table number. She was so rude, like we were inconveniencing her by being there. The other staff also just pushed past us in the dining room instead of asking us to move. Also doing shots while your customers are waiting to buy drinks is terrible customer service. I had the rainbow burger with a bean veggie patty. The burger was nice, good flavours but the actual burger patty itself was really dry if you happened to get a piece without any sauce and I ended up pulling most of it out. Everyone enjoyed their food here but the service makes it somewhere we won't be coming back to.

Comfiest bar I've had the pleasure to visit outside of the uk, great beer selection and a very veg friendly menu. Definitely worth the visit

Might trick me twice, you won't trick me thrice. I don't understand why this place is always so busy, the food is overpriced and Terrible. This is not based on only one experience but repeat offences. Ate here a few months ago and after paying nearly $30 for a steak it was served overdone and cold (go figure how you manage that one). Chips were almost stone cold. I sent it back which made my group's experience uncomfortable (why are people so afraid to send terrible food back? when you pay $30 for a steak it should at least be freshly cooked!). Tonight was no different. Paid $22 for a chicken Parma that came out BLACK. I was so hungry I couldn't handle sending it back and waiting again for one of their mediocre offerings, so I scraped off the blackness and made do. Worst Parma I've ever eaten. Not sure if they had the work experience kitchen staff on or what but if you burn something to the point of charcoal, that is not worthy of serving. Disgusting. The staff at the bar need to pull the poles out of their bums, never before have I been served with such disdainful attitude. I will never be back.I suggest you avoid it as well.

Note to the staff - customers are your business so best not to treat them as if they're interrupting your day. Saturday afternoon lunch, only people in the place and one of the girls behind the bar was frankly rude, we almost left because of it. Unfortunate because the food was generally really good.

Superb pub with superb beer. The Dear Luncher rolled back the years with a visit to Fitzroy recently and was suitably impressed by The Rainbow. Mountain Goat IPA was the order of the day.

One of my favorite pubs in Melbourne. Very laid back and good range of drinks. Excellent and very cheap mid-week dinner specials. It even has a pool table which is just awesome.

Great local pub! This place has a fantastic atmosphere - genuine, non-wanky, authentic pub feel. The beer garden is great, the food is awesome, and the beer list is super impressive! Cool crew behind the bar too. hard to fault!

This is my go-to spot for a pub meal, or a cheeky pint and you gotta love a spot where the staff remember all the regulars names. Perfect Fitzroy pub.

As a local, it's very easy to get stuck at the Rainbow Hotel. The staff are very friendly, and atmosphere of the place is very welcoming. It stocks a terrific beer selection, and the food is the best bang for buck in Melbourne. <br/><br/>Highly recommended for cuisine-heads and barflies.

Came here the other night with friends. I had the Salt crusted lamb rump with rosemary roasted potatoes, green beans and red wine jus.  The lamb was cooked to perfection, was super tender and absolutely delicious, the potatoes were golden and crispy yet soft and fluffy on the inside yummo, green beans were cooked just right with a nice snapping texture and the jus....well the jus was just to die for. All this was washed down with a gorgeous pint of Fixation IPA.  Could not recommend this place more highly, atmosphere was great and the staff were super friendly and knowledgeable.  All the people I came with also raved about their meals.  Loved this place and will definitely be back on a regular basis.

Lovely pub that we used to visit frequently but there is one toxic element that means we no longer come here... a deadfully grumpy and unpleasent barmaid. she is so agressive and rude that it has ruined several visits. i've witnessed her be rude to several other customers and staff members. get rid of her for gods sake!!! <br/>

Stay away! Bogan Bartender hates customers and money. He particularly hates birthdays and sit down pub dinners in favour of his precious pool table. I made the mistake of having my birthday dinner there on a Thursday night. Some of us hadn't even finished eating and Bogan Bartender came over to yell at our group for getting in the way of the pool game. Meanwhile, the guys playing pool didn't care and no one had said anything about it before that. Between 16 people we must have spent close to $800 on a quiet sit down dinner and drinks, but what business runs on money anyway? Never again!

Parma was delicious. Waitress behind the bar was very rude and didn't seem to want to be here. Service was redeemed by a lovely waiter who quick on our meals :)

Mate would not stop raving about their parmas. Rang up 5 mins before kitchen closed, manager Dave took order over the phone, absolute legend. Rocked up 10 mins later, no fuss. Big juicy breasts, above avg. not dissapointed

I'm pretty patient when it comes to bar staff and waitresses. Came with my dad and brother for a drink, didn't expected to be treated like we were putting them out asking for a drink. Won't go back, sadly there's no reason apart from their terrible attitude

Wednesday night steak night - cheap and amazing, dog friendly, great beer garden, attentive staff, Carlton on tap, decent cheap house red and a cosy indoor setting. You can't get much better. ✔️

Pretty decent food for a pub. Often there are interesting specials and the menu is quite extensive as it is. Great beer garden for the warmer months.

This week, we embarked on a quest to the rainbow hotel in search for the pot of gold.<br/>The rainbow hotel is our type of pub, located in the back streets of Fitzroy. For on a Monday night, this place was absolutely buzzing. Buzzing to the point we couldn’t catch a seat in the front bar. We were forced to take a seat in the dining room with only a few tables left. The vibe in this place made us felt like we were in for something special.<br/>We placed our orders at the bar and waited. <br/>Not to long later, 4 fat chooks flew out of the kitchen in front us. <br/>The rainbow use real white chicken breast. Boy was it fresh and juicy. These birds were deceivingly big. Thick as a brick.<br/>The crumbing to the bird was absolutely perfect. We couldn’t believe how well it stuck to the bird considering the heavy Napoli. <br/>Speaking bout napoli, it was homemade, chunky and delicious. If you like a saucy bird, this place is for you. For some, it may be too much but for us it hit the spot perfectly. <br/>The ham was quite good. It sometimes got lost amongst the thick napoli but it was there for the most of it. <br/>The cheese was bloody beautiful. The rainbow is the first place we have seen that uses smoked mozzarella. In general mozzarella has quite a subtle flavor but boy did this mozzarella have some good smack to it.<br/>The chips reminded us of fish and chip shop chips. Extra thick, freshly cut potatoes. Almost like wedges. They did lack seasoning but all was good as we were brought out a sauce bottle after we ordered which is what we love to see.<br/>The salad was a bunch of leaves tossed with some onion. Nothing special.<br/>The rainbow hotel is what many may refer to a hidden gem. Fitzroy and surrounding suburbs are bursting with places like the rainbow, it astounds us. The parma came in at $22, and we must say we will happily pay that again, and again, and again. As mentioned before, if you love your Napoli as much as we do, drop what you’re doing and get down here. Its safe to say we proved that there is something special waiting at the end of the rainbow. Perhaps not a pot of gold, but a bloody good Parma.<br/><br/>8/10

This place is consistently good, if a little crowded on steak night (get there well before 7:30). The steaks aren't too bad, though could definitely use a little more sauce. The drinks are reasonably priced and they're very welcoming of your pooch, which which is nice. Great local.

Good solid Pub. Everything you could want. Huge number of Beers, Pool table, Good food, reasonably priced, great live music. The only negative is sometimes the place gets so packed they just can't handle it (every wednesday for steak night), but if that doesn't bother you, The rest is pretty excellent. Easily the best pub in fitzroy

Had one of the best steaks of my life at the Rainbow on Sunday night. Medium rare porterhouse, cooked to perfection. Veggies and thick chips were perfect sides. This place is a ripper pub. Great beer garden, with heaters for the colder nights. Two fireplaces inside. Blues bands on the weekend, and one of the best beer lists in Melbourne. Had a beer from Wagga on tap on Sunday that I'd never tried, a bloody epic milk stout that went down a treat. Staff were friendly and willing to give you a taster and a knowledgeable spiel about the different beers. The Dog-friendly beer garden is also a great touch - there were a couple of friendly pooches on Sunday night. Will definitely be back time and time again. One of the best pubs in Melbourne, and they serve up a cracking feed.

Overprotective and judgemental. Walked in for dinner at 8pm with 6 people for a very tame bucks party. None of us were drunk, rowdy or causing any trouble however were immediately kicked out because we were asked what the occasion was and told "we don't have bucks party's here and you probably won't get into anywhere in Fitzroy". Judgemental and offensive. <br/>We found plenty of places to go in Fitzroy and didn't cause any trouble so it was your loss...

Great venue, friendly staff, brilliant beer<br/>Biggest Parma ever!

On a sunny Saturday afternoon B and I headed to the Rainbow Hotel to catch up with some friends of mine and decided we might as well make the most of it and check out the food offerings as well! So here we are, the next stop on my Pubs for Vegetarians tour! Early on in the arvo a few serves of the fat chips ($8, served with tomato sauce & garlic aioli) were ordered for sharing, and they weren’t kidding when they named them fat chips! These were some serious chips, and they were seriously tasty. Incredibly crunchy on the outside but still fluffy on the inside, these were some of the best chips I’ve eaten in a while! I wasn’t the only one impressed either, everyone around the table was talking about how great they were! When we came to order dinner proper B and I decided to share a few things, starting with a serve of the Sweet Potato, Provolone & Corn Empanadas ($10) served with coriander & chipotle aioli. These had quite a thick pastry exterior, but with a nice creamy interior.  I had been expecting a more chunky filling but nevertheless these were tasty, especially when dipped in the slightly spicy aioli. Luckily double-dipping is allowed when B and I share food, I think I probably triple dipped my empanadas! Next up was the tacos from the daily specials board – Spicy Bean Tacos with Guacamole and Coleslaw ($8). These were jam packed with beans which made them a little messy to eat, but I’m no stranger to that! They were really tasty with a good kick of chilli to them (B kept his beer nearby!) and a healthy dose of guac on top. The soft beans and the crunchy coleslaw worked really well together and I could have happily eaten more of these! Last up we decided to share a burger (not the easiest idea, but ah well!). The Rainbow Hotel has four burgers/sandwiches on their menu, all of which can be altered to be vegetarian which I think is a great way to do it as whilst the patty might stay the same it does expand the option for toppings for us vegos! We decided to go wi

The Rainbow was another on my list which I kept putting off so I decided to round up a few friends and head over. The beer garden is interesting, two areas basically, one covered with booths and a pool table then the second part open to sun with wooden tables lined by a small garden and trees. Finally, there’s the hole-in-the-wall bar where you can grab a drink and place your food order. I do recommend a jug of the 4 Pines pale ale. Now their menu has 3 steaks: a 450gm Gippsland rib eye on the bone ($31), a 300gm 1824 rare breed Angus porterhouse ($24) and a 300gm Full blooded Wagyu rump ($28). All steaks are cooked to your liking, served with either roasted garlic butter, peppercorn sauce, horseradish, chimichurri or red wine jus and your choice of 2 complimentary sides with the option to add Dijon, wholegrain or English mustard as we

Tucked away in the back streets of Fitzroy, the Rainbow Hotel is over 140 years old. The unspectacular exterior makes way for an interior that, while revamped a few years ago, has retained its old pub character. It’s unpretentious and there’s a great selection of craft beers both on taps and in bottles.

“Comfortable” is a great word to describe The Rainbow Hotel. This pub is your quintessential backstreets local, complete with a friendly dog that greeted me with a wagging tail when I walked into the pub. If I lived in the area I could definitely see this place becoming a regular fixture.

Awesome pub! Great vibes, top quality meals! These guys are nailing it. This may well be my favourite pub in fitzroy!

Vibes. Gorgeous staff and lovely vibes. One of my favourite melbourne pubs, time and time again.

Everyone at my table enjoyed their food (I can recommend the rueben sandwich!). Great relaxed atmosphere. Friendly, efficient service, good selection of beer. Will go again.

Good selection of beers and friendly service.<br/>Steak special on a Wednesday is a great deal!<br/>Recommended.

For a good Sunday roast, this is where to go!

Pleasant Parma. Friendly staff. Decent Parma. Casual atmosphere. All are welcome here. Like.

Yes!. Love the rainbow. Best beer garden in fitzroy! Great staff and over 100 beers! Seriously! Plus I just had the Sunday roast and it was on par with the roasts back in the uk... Which is a good thing. Recommended!

Impossible not to like. 5 of us went to the Rainbow on a week night. The food was great value and tasty, with a really good menu and very generous sized servings. The service was friendly and unpretentious... no ironic facial hair! Great beers on tap as well. We loved it and will come back.

Love the Rainbow. A friendly local pub where the service and general standard is consistently impressive! I feel comfortable going in alone, as the staff and regulars are so welcoming, nothing is too much of a bother and they've mastered the art of having time for you even when the bar is 3 deep. When asked how a beer tastes, nobody bullsh*ts you. If the bartender hasn't tried it yet, you sample it together and you have a real conversation. I always leave the Rainbow having learnt something.<br/><br/>How could I have gotten this far without mentioning the food? The specials change weekly and there are always fresh, varied and delicious options for both vegetarians and carnivores alike. Whether you feel like a crisp salad or a hearty burger served with old fashioned thick pub chips, polenta gnocci (yum) or a bowl of hearty house made soup, you won't be disappointed. There truly is something for everyone. Huge compliments to the chef(s)! <br/><br/>Sit yourself down for a chat with mates on the comfy couch, head outside to the heated patio for a game of pool, or just perch at the bar by the open fire and chat to the staff. It's easy to see why this place has so many regulars; one visit and you're hooked!

Awesome service, great vibe!. The Rainbow always makes you feel welcome! The staff are the friendliest in the area and the range of beers is amazing with over 100 varieties. The beer garden is well equipped for the winter with loads of heaters and comfy areas. Great spot to watch the footy or hang with mates! Recently had a function there with any request welcomed with a friendly no fuss style, my guests all felt welcome and comfortable and the food was delish especially the sweet corn croquettes! Has become my local and a place to show off to my interstate guests. Keep up the good work guys!

Amazing crowd, great food and excellent beverage selection. However, I know the difference between a rare and medium-rare steak, the cocky barman does not.

I vote this is one great little pub with maybe one of Melbourne's best beer gardens. They put on live music inside, and the barman reckons there's more than 100 craft beers in the fridge. And the food is tops - I had the Sunday roast the last time I ate there - crackling, stuffing, apple sauce, pork, big selection of veggies - huge! And the cooking was spot on. Highly recommended.

Consistently 9/10 dining. Had such a good and cheap meal last time with a relative, this time the intrepid duo took an out of town guest along. Happy to report that the Rainbow keeps performing admirably. Hanger steak (dont google it, just enjoy it) on smoky bed of beans with a beer included got double thumbs up from the two meatatarians. As for sides, the baked sweet potato with sour cream and jalapeno is always a winner, the market vegetables (beans, brocolli, corn) were perfectly cooked - the paprika butter added a nice zing, and the coleslaw was fresh and tasty (though not as good as last time we visited, but thats a quibble). The vegetarian amongst us had the vegetable minestrone with savoury toasted bread - meatless heaven. And those sides I mentioned. A good bottle of red rounded off the very pleasant 3 hours we spent in the olde world charm dining room. Thanks again Rainbow, my no1 safe guest eating spot (safe = likely to impress / good value / easy to get to).<br/><br/><br/>-----13 May, 2014-----<br/><br/>Highly recommended. The short version: you should go here for great food and very good value and great dining setting and great / friendly service.<br/>The long version: the three of us arrived off the 112 tram and were seated in the charming old world dining area off the bar. The garden bar and bar were already jumping by 730 but this did no impinge on our service. Ended up having a mix of menu and blackboard items. Brocolli soup and (thankfully light) garlic french toast were excellent, had to fight to retain posession of the toast. The calamari (blackboard) was rated sublime/awesome, and the accompanying side of sauteed cabbage with black beans and a capsicum relish was very good. My vegetarian burger and chips were better than expected - usually us vegetarians (vs the animals) suffer when it comes to alternative meal options. The chips were home made and very good (not usually a chip fan), the burger pattie moorish (with an unexpected amount of mint which surprisingly! made it all the better) and the remaining burger ingredients very good. The senior meat eater in the party had a Wagyu steak - now I know steak can be somewhat hit or miss (like movies), but this was a bit of a miss: it was rare not med rare and it was, well, tough. So not very good at all, especially if you put yourself out there as a steakhouse bar. Luckily the 2 (complementary - see what I mean about value) sides the senior of the group got with it turned out to be stars in their own right - the baked sweet potato had jalapeno and sour cream and the slaw was ever so finely sliced and seasoned with oil and vinegar. In fact, you had to eat the slaw on itsa own to really appreciate it, and so first off you might be thinking it needed some mayo. Had a lovely waitress and some wines and beers helped the evening pass very pleasantly. Will keep this location on the visitor menu card system.

Easter Sunday Lunch (#hardtobeat). Hard to fault this place. Lunch in the dining room with the fire going, warm and welcoming. Not a massive menu (a good thing) and it cover many bases. Very generous servings considering the great prices. Had the roast of the day. 5 vegs (more than most places), perfectly cooked, delicious gravy and horse radish (a nice surprise). Service was friendly, helpful and quick. I'll be back on a regular basis.

Had the roast chicken with parsnip purée. - superb! Loved every bit of it. Lovely staff too - super nice and attentive.

The Rainbow consistently delivers great food, the roast, steak night and tonight they have given us the BEST sandwich, their Reuben Sandwich!!! Universal agreement. Thank you.

Awesome service!. Had dinner there last Tuesday. They didn't have what I wanted, but Kat helped resolve the problem and I ended up with an awesome steak instead. Really great service to do that! Great range of beers on tap as well as bottled. Good stuff!

This place is awesome, one of Melbournre's best beer gardens to go with a never ending beer list, and to top it all off the food is outstanding, been here quite a few times now and it seems the food specials and there are plenty of them, change on a weekly basis, so there's always a reason to keep coming back... Highly recommend!!

Love a good beer list.

Great Pub. Cracking Beers on tap, great food, great music, service is refreshing for the area usually get the "Fitzroy Cool" mob, these guys are friendly and look after ya.<br/>Top notch

Food is reliably pretty good but the front of house staff can be on the vague/rude/too interested in their own drinks side. Also, cancelling the evening's advertised specials because the following day is a public holiday (Cup Day) just seems mean spirited

Great Pub. Currently working my way through the top 35 pubs in melbourne.. This is my favourite!!<br/>Have been back twice, great food, good beer garden, great beer! Only thing I wasn't keen on was the lack of tunes, crank it up a little Rainbow, Love your work!

Delicious food & good vibes. The Rainbow Hotel is just far enough from Brunswick Street to avoid unwanted heavy traffic, however, close enough to be easily accessible. The beer garden is cute and cosy and a good place to be when the sun is shining. The staff are very friendly, as are the regular customers. There are plenty of choices when it comes to drinks, especially beer, and the prices are very reasonable. The food far exceeded my expectations and I am looking forward to trying some other things on the menu.

Thanks Rainbow!!. Had been here several times for a quiet beer or three, so was the logical choice for 21st birthday party. From the outset the owner and girls here made our job very easy, and on the day everything went to plan. The food selection was amazing with all food tastes well covered, beer and wine selections great, service fantastic. Thanks for making our daughter's night memorable.

We went to rainbow bar sat for a few drinks to start the night and of we hadn't been in over a year and wasn't sure how it would be, but once again had a great night they always seen to choose great bands to suit the atmosphere and not too overcrowded.and of course the amazing staff Kate and renaye you guys were awsome see you soon.

Came here as part of a group last Thursday. I'd read some positive reviews about the burgers here, and they are cracking burgers. I had the rainbow burger which was cooked perfectly, on a soft bun with great (homemade?) sauces. It came with a free pint as apparently Thursday is food and beer matching night. All for $19, great value. Everybody in the group loved their food, great atmosphere too(the place was packed, crazy for a Thursday). top backstreet pub 8.5/10

I hadn't been here since the change of ownership. We only stayed for a drink but there is a nice atmosphere and a good drink list. The little dining room out the back reminded me of a country bnb dining room and looked cosy.

CRACKING PUB. Just had a sensational arvo at The Rainbow. I had the Sunday Roast which was pork and was amazing and for just $20 you get everything crackling, yorkshire pud great vegies and a delicious jus. Partner had the fish of the day <br/>which was ocean trout with mussels tabouleh and other good stuff which she thoroughly enjoyed.<br/>After our meal we got to enjoy some awesome live blues with the very talented Collard, Greens and Gravy.<br/>Great atmosphere and lovely staff. <br/>Do yourselves a favour...

Enjoy the beer garden. Decent food and a great place to enjoy a meal and a drink when the weather is good. Makes me wish I had more time on Sunday afternoons to sit and do nothing.

Is this the next beer garden in Fitzroy -me thinks so!

Nice food and craft beers. Had Sunday lunch in the beer garden here. Food is good quality and very tasty - some standard pub food items as well as original things like the gumbo and jambalaya we tried. The burger was lovely too. Friendly staff and pleasant surroundings, both inside and outdoors. With a variety of craft beers on tap, we will be back.

Great food and Beer. Came here with my husband, great outdoor space, a cracking parma and some seriously good beers on tap, top notch!

Bland, boring. With a group of six and none of our meals were enjoyed. I order the traditional Parma as the slaw sounded a nice change from salad. The tomato sauce was rich but bland, the slaw seemed days old and not dressed, and the chips looked and tasted like leftovers that had been recooked. Given other reviews was their usual chef on holiday over Xmas?

Cool beer garden. Varied beer selection.<br/>Myself & my partner both had the special prawn linguine with buttered potatoes, which was all perfect.<br/>Will def be back for a days drinking & pool in the sun

Great Food and Atmosphere. Surprising pub on the back streets of Fitzroy, definitely one of the best beer gardens in the area, really great food, service friendly and casual, we'll be back

Amazing... Soul food just when I needed it! Burger was delicious, but service outstanding! Thanks for making us feel welcome! X

The southern burger was absolutely amazing. Very very impressed, will definitely be back!!

My new local!. My neighbour recommended this place. Have been here every week since I moved into the area. Staff are really friendly and meet the classic 'publican' approach. Steaks have come out perfectly cooked, a sneaky bucket of onion rings never goes astray (soo crispy!) and the burgers are banging. I had the crumble last week...better than my Grandma's, which feels wrong to say but there you have it! I wanna get on the 100 list just to get my name there!

I loves me some southern style. Southern burger was bbq brilliance. Great food coupled with a laid back atmosphere. It may look like a regular pub at first glance, but Rainbow definitely has the food side down. Also tried the mussels which were a pretty tasty addition to the very impressive meal selection. Definitely coming back.

Keen for good beers and some tasty honest pub food, we ended up at the rainbow after detouring off Brunswick st. The pub itself has a great authentic feel, redgum stacked outside feeds a hearty fire warming the dining room. Outside, the brick paved patio hosts a pool table and booths, and meets a classic verandah with its own side bar. It really feels like a country pub that's been picked up from the high country dropped in to fitzroy. <br/><br/>Beer selection doesn't disappoint, 10 tap beers range from the stalwarts carlton draught and coopers to 4 pines stout and hargreaves ESB, along with some great ales. They also offer heaps of bottled beers, top of my list is the Belgian 'Delirium' ..pricey but definitely worth trying at least once.<br/><br/> The food is wicked, following classic pub food footsteps, but with its own boots on. We were all pretty hungry, so we opted for a few plates to share and were all keen to check out wednesdays $14 steaks. These guys take their beers seriously, and the menu fits this niche well. The small plates are awesome, perfect finger food for a group of mates. I most definitely rate the buffalo wings, well spiced, flavoursome, damn tasty chicken! Chorizo corn dogs, sticky pork ribs and a killer gumbo were hard to fault too, and well priced for the size of the dish. <br/>Steaks were 300gm porterhouse, well cooked, filling and tasty. <br/>The other main size dishes are classic pub fare, with a twist. For example they serve a beef burger with double smoked bacon, cheese, pickled tomato and a Jack Daniels BBQ sauce. .. definitely on my list to try! <br/><br/>The staff are attentive and switched on, they know their beers and dont mind helping you find your choice brew.<br/><br/>I'm really glad the guys at The Rainbow are doing what they're doing. Melbourne is crying out for venues offering unique, quality craft beers and complementing them with tasty classic pub grub. Keep it up guys, you're on to a winner.

Yum! Great place to drink a good beer and eat a good meal!

Pint of thunder road, solid steak and some bluesy rock in the sun. Love the Rainbow.

Had a great eye fillet steak and very friendly staff. Recommend the beer garden

Great. Had a living Social deal and was extremly good value and the staff, food and atmosphere was fantastic.

The colours of the Rainbow!. My girlfriend and I try to find new pubs each week to have a quick drink, and something to eat, on a Friday night after work. My girlfriend found this pub and said it was worthy of a visit. Thank God she did. <br/><br/>Located in the back streets of Fitzroy this pub was a great little find. It has a great sized court yard (dog friendly) but it was the food that was a serious surprise. We shared some entree's (field mushrooms with anchovy mayonnaise and slow cooked ribs with the most amazing fetta followed by a lamb burger with vintage cheese with chips. Not just any old burger.... the bun was sour dough and the filling was absolutely delicious. <br/><br/>Considering it is a small menu I found it hard to choose because it was all so tempting. The staff were great, friendly and down to earth. Couldn't fault the service. Have already recommended it and will be back.

Great food, garden bar and live music. If you like lamb then make sure you try the slow cooked lamb ribs that come with feta! - this is definitely my favourite dish. I have tried several dishes on the menu now and they were all delicious. Service and live music is great, and as they also have an extensive beer list, I am looking forward to hanging out in the Rainbow garden bar this coming summer

Genuinly Surprised. Food was surprisingly awesome, I ordered the juicy slow lamb roast, scallops and octopus salad, all beautifully presented and great taste. There is live music in the evening, an under cover pool table and people are sociable, not crazy. The only shame is that they don't make cocktails.

Menu changed for the better. Great food guys and love the free bands.