Review The Rochester Hotel - Fitzroy

Came here for a Sunday session and enjoyed great non-alcoholic cocktails by Lyre’s, and a Sunday roast. I had a vegetarian option, which instead of beef was tempura mushrooms - too oily and too much batter, not a fan. The roasted vegetables and gravy was good. The vegetarian option didn’t come with a Yorkshire pudding like the beef roast does - the Yorkshire pudding not being strictly vegan. Both are $25. As this is my favourite part of a roast I also asked for a pudding which was charged at $3. We also had gnocchi which was good. Over all nice atmosphere and nice staff.

The waiter who served us at 6.58pm and didn’t pass on happy hour, but told the girls next to us that ‘yeah it goes for another five minutes for you’ was a sour start. Then the $25 steak that was grey was a coffin in the nail. Don’t bother — plenty of other great pubs in Fitzroy!

The Rochy is very popular with a young crowd. I prefer it on weeknights, or early evenings on weekends before it turns more into a nightclub vibe. The music is very loud and the beer gardens is always very busy with smokers. While it is not my kind of atmosphere it is very popular with other people and those wanting a lively pumping atmosphere. Definitely worth a visit if that is what you are after

Fabulous local pub that gets its regulars because of good food, atmosphere and service. Highly recommend the 'Shut up and Feed Me' option on the menu - it's surprising and very tasty. They will cater to any dietary needs if required. I was drinking tap beer and my friend house wine. Both very good. Has a great pub atmosphere. There are bands and live music which is good and keeps the place hopping. Seating outside is nice as well on warmer nights. Parking is available on the side streets. The toilets are clean and everything is wheelchair friendly. Car parking around Fitzroy and Collingwood can come with challenges so please check you have enough time to find one. Most importantly, the staff are just lovely. Helpful, smiling, chatty, enthusiastic. This is also what makes the experience that much better than other establishments. Well done everyone. I look forward to coming again and again in the future.

What an awesome Fitzroy pub! Cosy vibes, local feel. I really enjoyed my time here! The staff were all really friendly and special thanks to the Brazilian bartender who made one of the best caipirinhas I’ve had outside of Brazil! Thanks

The best roast I’ve had in Melbourne, very hospitable and a very warm pub. Most enjoyed on a cold winters day. 👏

Great food and service. Love the vibe with the fire places. So cosy and and comfortable. You'll definitely be seeing more of me.

An iconic inner burbs pub with an excellent beer selection and wine list. A cosy casual atmosphere for a few drinks, a bite to eat or a first date. Seated tables for dinner and a medium size beer garden out the back give you lots of options for an extended is it that includes food. Not wheelchair friendly. A fun place for a few drinks.

We visited to experience the idea of kerala food in an Aussie pub. The taste was the closest you can get with the authentic kerala meal. I give it to the chef for his research on how Melbourne so needed places beyond north indian and south Indian food stereo types. The brown rice, pappadum, egg bonda, chicken and fish curry was lip smacking. Addition was the Tuesday trivia night, the rochy's lager and the beautiful ambiance.<br/>

Highly overrated place. The menu is very limited and the food lacked authenticity. The wait-staff seemed to be in a hurry and took away our curry fries without even asking us- we clearly hadn't finished. The Eggplant Achaar was way too oily. The fish curry in the fish thali was good but the Ghee roasted mushrooms had literally just two things apart from mushrooms- tad bit of ghee and tons of curry leaves. No salt or spices! When they served me the Thali they told me the parotta's would arrive soon, but conveniently forgot. I had to then go up to the counter and remind them. In short the service was pathetic. I wonder how they even got to 4.2 stars, I would only give them one.

Fabulous local pub that gets its regulars because of good food, atmosphere and service. Highly recommend the 'Shut up and Feed Me' option on the menu - it's surprising and very tasty. They will cater to any dietary needs if required.<br/>I was drinking tap beer and my friend house wine. Both very good. <br/>Has a great pub atmosphere.<br/>There are bands and live music which is good and keeps the place hopping. Seating outside is nice as well on warmer nights. <br/>Parking is available on the side streets. The toilets are clean and everything is wheelchair friendly. Car parking around Fitzroy and Collingwood can come with challenges so please check you have enough time to find one. <br/>Most importantly, the staff are just lovely. Helpful, smiling, chatty, enthusiastic. This is also what makes the experience that much better than other establishments.<br/>Well done everyone. I look forward to coming again and again in the future.

I have been wanting to stop by here for a drink for a while now, I am so glad that I did!!<br/><br/>Tim.E and I were on a pub crawl and we popped in here initially for 1 drink but stayed for 3 haha.  The beers on tap offered a good range and the staff were 10/10.  It really makes a big difference when you have staff who want to be there and provide a service with a smile.  The bartenders had great knowledge on the beers on tap, the service was really appreciated.<br/><br/>Lots of people coming and going and the vibe inside great, all in all fab time and can't wait to go back.

This place is AWESOME! The staff here are some of the friendliest people that you are likely to meet. They are extremely knowledgeable, they know their beers and they take customer service to another level. <br/><br/>I called in here w Simmyeats.Melb and we both had a drink at this hotel. From the moment we walked in we were greeted w a smile. <br/><br/>This place has a fantastic range of craft beers on tap and I started w the Boatrocker Raspberry German style wheat beer which was perfect. It was soo tasty and not too sweet being a wheat beer. <br/><br/>My second beer was another craft beer but I can’t beat recall it’s name as I didn’t see the tap. But this beer was spicy, and it had a tequila taste to it. Very unique and I really enjoyed it. <br/><br/>This place is a must visit and definitely worth travelling for! Happy days :)<br/><br/>I’m definitely going back soon.

The Rochey (as it's famous as) is a very well known bar and restaurant that serves fusion food inspired from Kerela's cuisine.<br/><br/>Their not-too-old menu is getting rave reviews and we almost agree after our in-house dinning experience.<br/><br/>The egg bonda with the curry leaves and onions surprisingly was drrool-worthy and the Goat Tartare was equally yummy....Clearly making these twodishes the highlight of the evening<br/><br/>Disappointment came in the form of the slow+cooked beef curry that was very chewy...Almost rubber like. Floating in the oil that tasted more like not nicely roasted red chilly...No flavors there at all.<br/><br/>Service is efficient..Little pricy but the whole dinning experience was good.<br/><br/>Booking a table is essential unless you are ready to wait for an hour at least.<br/><br/>Enough options for #Vegans and.#Vegetarians<br/><br/>Maybe we'll return to try some other stuffs that they are known for.

Best meal available in Melbourne in 2018. Second time here and even happier to find the menu has just been updated and now features even more vegan and vegetarian dishes - including a vegan dessert (oh yes!). Had the extremely good value $30 feed me menu and specified the vegan version. <br/><br/>Every dish was outstandingly delicious and showcased the ingredients. Respect to the chefs here for amazing fidelity to Kerala cuisine , choosing great ingredients and letting them shine, and gorgeous presentation. <br/><br/>As far as we’re concerned this is the best Indian restaurant in Melbourne today. As one of the few Kerala restaurants this is a not to be missed opportunity for anyone who loves good food. And for me and the wife at least, this is the best restaurant in Melbourne today. We’ll be coming here to celebrate every special occasion possible , for the foreseeable future.

Loved Onam at the Rochey. Best vegetarian food I've had anywhere in Melbourne. Bring it back every year, please! Highlights from the night were the cabbage, pumpkin, buttermilk curry and the pickles!!!! My mouth is watering just writing this review.

I wish we could take off the old reviews of The Rochey’s food. Because with the new meld between them and Mischa’s Kerala, you simply will not find anything like it in Melbourne. Absolutely stunning. Modern Indian food from the South which I’m surprised to say, I’d never experienced. Loads of delicious spices, textures and flavours, that gives Indian food a revival from what we know it. A designers dream. Choose from the menu or spend $55 and they’ll just feed you. Outstanding dishes are the Okra and the Cabbage, but I can assure you, there is no disappointment on this lovely spread. The Rochey is back on the map ladies and gentleman. The food is an easy 10, ask anybody.

Mind blowing ! We had the vegan tasting menu ; couldn’t waste a single bite (scraped the dishes clean) even though we were stuffed ! Every dish was delicious and the flavours were as good as i remember from my one (so far!) trip to Kerala. Well except for the Kerala roti which was raw-doughy on the inside instead of toothsomely stretchy - but I must forgive just this once, given the big scheme of a much anticipated meal that delivered above expectation (speaking as one well known as hard to please). Coming back for my birthday ! Readers out there - if you’re Malaysian and like Malaysian Indian food, this is a must visit.

Rochester Hotel, fondly known as the ‘Rochey’ in Fitzroy, Melbourne, has launched an exciting new food direction. Joining forces with Mischa Tropp, founder of cult caterer We Are Kerala, the new South Indian inspired menu smashes stale perceptions of Indian food bringing an unexpected and welcome spice to the Fitzroy favourite.

Indian menu is a vibe, the Kerala fried chicken with some roti and raita goes down really well. Menu change at this place has done a world of good.

Unexpected cuisine. Turns out it’s a Kerela style inspired menu and the chefs done a great job on fusion. Restaurant is on the pricey side but the mains are just absolutely worth it.

The best chicken curry & beef curry I've ever had. Fish was spicy as hell but perfect with a pint on hand. Tried an egg bonda for the first time & lost my marbles. That alone will be enough to bring me back in no time!

I constantly crib about how poorly Indian cuisine is represented in Melbourne with just a handful of restaurants that serve decent fare. And also none when it comes to South Indian food except for plenty of dosa serving restos that are often a disappointment. So the new South Indian menu at The Rochey came as a huge surprise.

New Southern Indian menu in a funky old school corner pub - what more could you ask for - love this new twist . This is my new local. Love the schmick friendly service- thanks guys <br/>

Interior is very old school style which is to my like. They have a juicer that you can have fresh apple juice with vodka or any kind of spirit, love love this idea! Food menu has changed in the past few months and all of the nice things are gone somehow.. They also run a karaoke night on Thursdays good fun!

This place is one of my favourite locals. Not only are they dog friendly (INSIDE!), they have the best couches around a toasty fireplace (best spot in winter) and the staff are always total legends. There's street seating, a dining area and also a courtyard (and your hound will have access to all areas). The food is so good. It was recommended by a friend the other day and told it was vegan so, having a vegan friend, we headed there the other day to try the nosh. The salt and pepper tofu is REALLY, REALLY GREAT. So tasty, slightly crispy and I loved the coriander around it. The steamed veggies were steamed to perfection, and the felafel was also exceptional. This place is the best.

The first thing that struck me about the Rochester was the sheer size of the place - I wasn't expecting this corner pub to be so massive! heaps of tables in the front bar, booths through the back room to the pool tables and continuing into a quaint little beer garden out the back

Parmas!. Best value for money. this place has ruined me for parmas elswhere! you would be paying more for an inferior one if you went anywere els!

Pleasantly surprised - for $12 I wasn't expecting much but my vege enchiladas were great!

Clive would be dissapointed. A two hour wait for a Parma is not acceptable. The pub is currently running a "Clive parma challenge" in which the competitor has to eat a stack of five chicken parma's, from what I could see the kitchen is only a small galley style kitchen with one cook in there and I do not understand why you would choose to run one of these challenges if you do not have the space and staff requirements to put out the food at a reasonable speed. The place was not even full. I cannot comment on the taste of the food because after an hour and a half I decided to leave, the rest of my table ate after two hours though. I will most certainly not be back, and will not recommend this place to anybody.

A great place, I had there beefburger and my wife the lassagna, the meals are very cheap and filling for there price! And the food better then<br/> expected, worth a try those days u don't want to spend 20 $ or more on a meal!!

Great place. The Rochester is a great place to go, particularly on a cold winter Melbourne afternoon, even to watch the footy. Great atmosphere and great food.

Cheap food ..... Some really affordable meals for the family and the sizes are very filling.

Used to be cool. I used to go here all the time for the cheap eats, but the last experience wasn't memorable for the right reasons.<br/><br/>Plastic cups I can tolerate in a pokies bar, or one of those huge awful nightclubs, but even the wine is served in plastic "glasses"<br/><br/>The meals are still cheap, but the quality of the food has declined somewhat over the last couple of years.