We brought our Canadian friends here and we were not disappointed. We tried the beer paddles- we love 50 lashes, we tried the crocodile sausage roll,emu and venison meatloaf, kangaroo steak, wallaby gnocchi, mushroom risotto and a traditional parma and chips. What friendly and attentive staff. It was a great experience. We highly recommend it! š
The Crafty Squire is great for all occasions. Superb atmosohere to watch the football at and official home of the Melbourne Chelsea Supporters Club! Beers on tap are awesome too - can't go wrong with Squire beers and there's one for all taste buds.
Food is also great there, strongly recommend the parma, washed down with a nice pint of One Fifty Lashes pale ale!
We had a lovely evening here. The musician was fantastic! Played and sung really great songs. The bar staff were really friendly and the beers were great.
Highly recommend.
Came here last night with my friend for dinner. Great service straight as you enter. Love the atmosphere and the food is great! You get what you pay for which is definitely worth it as the food was great! and enjoyed happy hour cider pints also. Thanks for helping making our stay in Melbourne a memorable one :)
Great atmosphere, great selection of beers on tap and friendly staff. Highly recommend
Awesome pub. Great staff and fantastic food.
Good choice of music in the background as well. Will definitely be back!
A1 hospitality, staff offering a small taste of beer,before pouring a full glass, is certainly making the customer happy. Highly recommended when in Melbourne.
came here for dinner tonight and the food was really nice, the portion size was massive.. loved the atmosphere, food.
Loved this place discovered it by accident the food was nice and arrived quickly great atmosphere also highly recommend
Excellent place and great beers. Great place to visit whilst sightseeing
Can't go much better than James Squire for variety & flavours in theirs beers. The Golden Ale is my favourite & it's great to be able to go to bar that has it on tap.
Went there for an event and it was incredible! Food was delicious and of course the beers are fantastic! But what I also loved was that the staff were super friendly and knowledgeable! We even got a tour of the micro brewery! Would highly recommend!
Great food the best beer and great staff
We had our first drink in Melbourne at the crafty squire so it will always be a special place for us. They have a huge selection of craft beers and cider on offer, lots of delicious meals and friendly staff. We always have a good time when we visit.
Great weekday lunch options and great value ... Quite an easy choice if you don't know where to go. The crumbed pork schintzel was good but they no longer have it on the menu
Not a bad pub, right in the centre of busy Russell St; the Crafty Squire is good at delivering the goods to sport mad patrons. With tvs in every room, you will often find the place full of people watching the footy, playing pool and relaxing over a few drinks.
There are several rooms, and it's decked out like an old pub with lots of wood. The atmosphere is friendly and jovial, and the staff are lovely. There is a great variety of drinks, and although it's standard pub fare, the food is pretty good too. There are no bells and whistles, but the Crafty Squire is still a fun place to hang out.
I been to all the Squires! This one is the first in the city. Im a fan of there beers. A great vibe and heaps of beer what's not to love. Well priced, fast and efficient. I never really dined upstairs so definelty a differnet experience.
Great atmosphere, friendly staff and amazing food. Clean, spacious, sport on the TV whilst still being able to hold a conversation over the (good) music.
Particularly enjoyed the decor and rooftop terrace.
Will definitely visit again!
Came here on Tuesday night with 3 others and had beer tasting for 8 different beerš with their new craft beer, coffee + beer; can taste the coffee a bit, a slight bitter. Love āthe chancerā pretty light and fruity. And one more.. but a hint of caramel!
If youāre after a causal, chilled out pub in the CBD with a good drinks selection, this is the place. A variety of beers on tap, I tried this cider on tap which was good, a crispy apple flavour, sweet enough. A decent pub food menu, with generous portions. Pictured here is the salmon on Waldorf salad and chicken Parma - which is a very generous size!
The famous $20 lunch deal - always ordered the porterhouse steak with mushroom source. Staff were very hospitable and food were served quickly even the venue was fully packed.
I ordered the special menu spinach and ricotta ravioli. It was really interesting because when it came out I probably wouldāve described it more as a spanakopita crossed with ravioli. There was no sauce either really. But the meal was lovely. I ordered a dark and stormy cocktail which was also beautiful. Oh, and you canāt go past the baked Camembert - absolutely to die for!
A farewell lunch at the Crafty Squire was a great choice! The restaurant allowed 12 of us to split the bill and were very attentive from the beginning.
The atmosphere was pumping for 1pm on a Friday with the tables being occupied by many city workers.
We ordered a variety of food that included; the Parma, Truffle & Mushroom risotto, Calamari, Club Sandwich, Steak, and the Veggie Burger. As a lunch time special, all mains were $20 which obviously made for many happy faces! The food was tasty and there werenāt any complaint so we will be back š
Great food, good service and a wide range of beers and cocktails an excellent venue for a quiet lunch or big night. We had lots of small tasting plates with everything from Emu to Salmon.
Very nice. We only had drinks, but the staff was very friendly and the drinks were good ...
Will definitely go back for a drink and a meal ...
Clean and fresh interior.
A good range of James Squire beers to choose from.
Went for the porter and special ale. Both beers were very clean.
They have $9 beers during happy hour so pretty decent.
A great place to go for a reasonably priced pub meal and some craft ales to wash it down. They do the range of James Squire ales that you can get at other fine establishments around town but they also have a number of options which Iāve only ever seen here. (Iām sure they must be available elsewhere but not that Iāve seen). The beers are good and flavoursome. Iām quite the fan of their american pale ales, while my dad loved their porter. Food and service seem to have improved in recent years and while much of their menu comes with chip they are at least tasty chips š .Their parma, fish and chips & beef burgers are all good. Iāve been tempted by their steaks and Iām sure theyāre good but a seem a little too pricey for the surrounds.
Really enjoyed the noisey crowd which gave the place a great atmosphere.
A great place for work lunches. The food comes out quickly during the busy lunch rush, but takes a tad longer on Fridays. The steak was good, but was too overcooked for medium rare. The parmas were great.
Twenty dollar lunch special is a good price for the middle of the city, especially for a chicken parma. The main issue was that the food came out at our table all at different times. I understand it's difficult but people had already finished their meal while others were still waiting.
Little Bit Of Everything
+4
Very spacious venue. Love those outdoor area fitted with heaters which is juts perfect for winters. Did not try any of their food but the cocktails are yummy. The girl who helped us out was friendly and certainly made the most delish cocktails.
Venue of choice for a cheap Friday night dinner I was surprised by how much of the pub style food appealed to me. Sweet corn fritters, baked Camembert and salt and five pepper calamari? Get it my mouth. There were also a few rogue items like emu skewers and crocodile meatballs if you're game (š) and all the classics for main for which I couldn't go past a dirty parma. Nothing noteworthy about this one but a solid feed. I imagine the appeal here is more around the craft beer angle which isn't a drawcard for me but decent enough food regardless. Casual atmosphere for a relaxed meal
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Great bar to settle down in to watch "the game" with heaps of tvs scattered all around 2 floors, lots of tables that would take some mammoth of a crowd to fill, and all your desired drinks and food options.
My friends and I came here without a booking to watch the mayweather/mcgregor fight after seeing Pjs being too crowded, and the Duke kicking us off the tables we were sitting at because a last minute reservation request came through...even though we'd ordered food and drinks and had been there for 40 mins already.
Anyway, we rocked up and found a table, enjoyed various beverages including a mulled cider that was very welcome on a cold crazy-Melbourne-weather day. The food was super interesting too and delicious! In addition to the old favourites like parmas, curries and steak, you'll find find kangaroo, crocodile sausage rolls (!!), and emu on the menu. And while I'm not a vegetarian and I noted that this is a bar. My veggo friends could find some variety in.
Definitely a pub to come back to.
Very nice food, accomodating staff. Overall good experience.
Great place to watch a sports game. Good pub food, some of the portions are huge but good quality.
Beer Review. Love this place. Great atmosphere & vibe. Friendly staff. Anytime I'm in that area of the CBD I will go, can I say more? Oh yeah, love the beer lol
About two weeks ago came for a $20 lunch and thought it was great. Went with the trusty parma and it was massive, I couldn't almost finish it. Good quality as well with plenty of chips.
This place is great for a night out with friends. There's an extensive range of beers and cider on tap with a good cocktail list. The cocktails were $15 after 7pm, and they're more than happy to tweak a few ingredients if you have something particular in mind. There was a fire going upstairs which was great for a chilly Melbourne night. Also try the baked Camembert to share if you're looking for something to nibble on, everyone on the table will be extremely impressed with its cheesy goodness.
Being a Saturday night, we got a table straight away! Ordered food an beers.. didn't take long for the food :) it was just beautiful! Will definitely come back again!
The crafty squire is a good place to go for a nice beer and watch of live sports. The only thing letting it down is the amount of children that always seem to habitat this place. The staff are nice and the drinks are good but that's about all. They should probably try and improve their menu to abit of a more modern take.
First came here after the renovations for the scotch and beer sampling afternoon, and now has become my local haunt, food is excellent and fast, not cheap but for the quality you wouldn't expect it to be. I live in the city and have had the chance to eat at some of the best places the city has to offer and I gladly take my friends and family here when we dont feel like dressing to the nines.
Great little place for a few drinks on a Friday afternoon! Pale ale & moscato were great, unfortunately ran out of time to order food but atmosphere was excellentš
My workplace held a function here. Contrary to all the other negative comments about the chips, I actually loved them. They had a fantastic crisp, and the mayo it came with was delicious. They were very addictive. The wedges were also fairly good. We had sliders with black (squid ink, I'm guessing?) buns. The buns weren't particularly memorable, but the patty was nice and juicy. A pretty tasty slider. We also had the standard party pies - decent but not very special. The calamari was fantastic, though. Deliciously moreish, and very easy to bite into - not chewy at all! Overall I enjoyed the food here.
I had the task of arranging an end of year gathering for 45+ people. The Crafty Squire made this task a breeze. Our function upstairs in the newly renovated area was most successful. Our guests had a choice of meals and desserts and were all delivered to a very high standard. Drink and food service was exemplary and done with a smile. Would definitely recommend functions in the upstairs area.
Great atmosphere good selection of beer, everyone said their meals were good, I had the mushroom and haloumi burger with chips, very tasty, best crunchy chips ever.
Nice ambience and good place for beer. Portion. Very big, I think the Parma chick thickness is a little over to my liking. Partner ordered fish and chip, standard and nothing special to comment about.
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Parmasofmelbourne. Last night we decided to head down to the Portland hotel on Russell st to try their take on the Parma. Boy oh boy were we in for something special. After a short 15 minutes our parmas came flying out of the kitchen.
The Parma was off to a good start. Points for presentation, the parmas looked great served on a wooden board with vegetables in a separate bowl. We all digged in to take the first bite , instantaneously we all looked up at each other astonished. Boy was this Parma on another level.
The chicken was thick, juicy and was fresh as fresh can be . No processed rubbish here .
The star of the dish was easily the Napoli , the best Napoli we have had . Homemade , fresh and had a little spice to it which worked perfectly and best of all - there was plenty of it . The cheese on the Parma was described as a three cheese blend. Couldn't exactly tell what three cheeses they were but the cheese was incredibly fresh, tasty and worked very well with the Napoli.
The chips were great ; hand cut, cooked, crunchy and seasoned well.
The vegetables were soft and delicious; seasoned with plenty of herbs, butter and oil - just how we like em.
Hands down, this Parma is on par with the imperial Parma with one of the best parmas we have tried to date . This is the perfect example of a great Parma. We demand everyone gets down to the Portland hotel to give it a try, we promise you won't be disappointed. We will definitely be heading down there again asap for a feed. Shoutout to the extremely friendly staff at Portland hotel for dishing up an outstanding Parma.
9/10
I have fond memories of the Portland Hotel, in fact it was here that I met my wife (Katie). I also love their Parma, and the fact that they also happen to be a James Squire brew house doesnāt hurt either. So when Paul mentioned that he wanted to meet at the Portland for pre-drinks and a mealĀ before the footy I was pretty happy with the choice. Naturally I decided to try the burger at the Portland, and when you read the menu youād be hard pressed to pass up the opportunity too. The Portland offers a Wagyu and Black Angus Beef burger for $23, it comes with Bacon, swiss cheese, smoked tomatoes, dill pickle, cucumber green tomato chutney, white truffle mayo in a toasted Brioche bun, complete with side of chips ā and of course, washed down with your favourite James Squire Beer! Sounds great.Ā Ā And ifĀ they could deliver, this would be an awesome burger. I must admit, before ordering the burger I was very tempted to or
Our rule of thumb for judging value on a parma is āwould I be happy to go back and pay what I paid again, for what I receivedā. While the Portlandās parma is a little pricey at $24.50 (not the most expensive, but not exactly cheap either) I would have absolutely no qualms in giving it another go anytime.
The Burger Adventure
+4.5
Chances are that when you're tossing up between eating at the Portland Hotel or it's neighbour James Squire Brewhouse you'll see a similarity in menus. In fact they're th
Always a nice option for good craft beer or food at the back of your mind kind of place. Nice vibe great for night out or group catch-ups. Love the option of beer tasting. Friendly staff. A nice place to watch sports for sports fans. Reasonable pub food. Easy recommendation anyone around the city who wants some nice cold quality beer
Itās a very cozy place, clean and good serviceš¤µš¼. My Parmy was very yumš¤¤, but my partner's Rump dish was cold and he didn't enjoy it very muchšš». We loved the beerš», we tried tap beer such as Jack de Picas Porter with chocolate and coffee notes and a creamy texture and Four Wives Pilsener with a floral aroma and spicy flavor. If you want to enjoy a nice chat and a good beer, thisās the place. Playlist music is good, moderate volume, you can choose inside or outside space. I recommend it and enjoy itšš».
This Parma is defs in the top 5, it was delicious and came out super hot and fresh. Staff were lovely, but it was a super busy Saturday night with a few big parties happening, including ours, order earlier if you see itās busy. Drinks were also fantastic, the lemon lime and bitters was well mixed. Enjoyed ordering from the table. Street parking all around, but 1 to 2 hours, best to take another mode of transport or a paid parking lot.
So good the steak š„©š„©š , tasty like i love it....š¤¤š¤¤š¤Ŗ
And we ended the night with some good tequila shots, nice place to catch up after work. Perfectly located in the cbd. ā
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Team drinks for EOFY. Spacious and lot of room including upstairs. No happy hour. G&T regular was $12.50 which was a bit pricey. Liked the fact that they serve fries not the thick cut chips.
Nice clean place. Food was good all the times that I went over a few trips. Beer is much more traditional styles rather than all the over the top high octane stuff that is going on in the states lately. It was a refreshing change to how beer used to be and probably should be again.
If you order from mr.yum you will can order 4 from 5 choices of the beers for tasting plater.
For the advice you should order them from waiters.
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