The pub has a different section for the restaurant and I love the classy decor. Service is fantastic and the food came out quick. I was a bit worried about that but the quality was amazing. We had the wild rabbit and pistachio terrine as a starter. It sure was good but fairly standard and not as tasty as I hoped that it would be. The St Bernard's free range pork belly on the other hand was the best I had in a long time. The pork belly was lean and so flavoursome and delicious without being too marinated. Scratchings were crunchy but not too hard, oily or salty. The burger was also more than decent with the beef being cooked perfectly. I would say the only downer were the fries. With the rest of the food being so wonderfully prepared, I would have expected the fries to not feel like the frozen ones you can get at the supermarket. The bill was not the cheapest but the portions are very good and with the current Amex Spend $50, get $20 back, it's definitely worth it.
Every single dish from the oysters to the salad and everything in between was amazing. Service was efficient and friendly. Wine list- good. Only criticism was the tables were very close to each other and the table was a tad squashy for the four of us.
Had the lamb croquettes. Waited a bit long . Abt 15min? The dish was good. Beautiful.Liked the combination of lamb dill and mint and the sauce.the decoration and music of the hotel were good.
Sorry for the bad photos, I was too hungry. A beautiful ly d we cleared place. Wonderfully nice staff. We had great champagne and wine. The desert was absolutely amazing. The scallops we heavenly. Would definitely go back.
The menu has enough variety to please everyone. I had the pork belly which was divine. Service is professional
without being stuffy. A great lunch!
Wow! Loved it, the salmon gravlax was especially melt-in-the-mouth. Quite busy, staff were under it but always lovely.
Awesome, definitely recommend.
We had the 1kg rib eye, I asked to have it cooked the way I like it, they smashed it out with some
Amazing triple cocked chips. It was fantastic! one of the best steaks I've ever had. Every thing we had, we enjoyed very much and the waiting staff were very helpful and friendly. We will be back! :)
Booked in for a table of 2 over the phone on the 6/9/18, when I arrived at O'Connell's I was greeted by a gentleman called Alex McCrae, who was very pleasant and showed us to our table. We sat down and looked at the wine list INCREDIBLE !! we ordered torbreck the laird shiraz 2012 which was to die for. Before we ordered we were given an amuse bouche what a lovely touch, we ordered a salmon gravlax and beef short rib to start, they were amazing. For mains we ordered a 1.1 kilo sharing rib eye medium rare, cooked to perfection. After the mains had been cleared we glazed at the dessert menu and were once again greeted by Alex with a fabulous pre dessert of lemon verbena ice cream, Bulgar and fennel meringue. after this we couldn't not try more, we ordered a mouth watering chocolate fondant to share. This experience was second to none we will definitely be back to taste more of the outstanding chefs food congratulations guys, Alex McCrae and O'Connell's team see you soon
Amazing service and outstanding modern take on classic food....family friendly and one of the best Sunday Roasts I've ever experienced...a must visit venue..!
Great menu! A bit of everything on there for everyone, from your pub classics, to more refined, sophisticated dishes. Will return again soon to try their $20 Steak and Grape special on Monday’s - sounds like a great deal!
The evening commenced on a high with a luxurious amuse bouche of egg and cauliflower veloute which was beautifully matched with the 2017 Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay which had a bright acidity which worked well to cut through the richness of the veloute.
For mains we loved the beautifully cooked duck breast served with earthy beetroot, baby leek and Pernod jus. Matched with the 2017 Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir, this was a classic pairing that was thoroughly enjoyable.
Popular gastro pub located towards the Port Melbourne side of South Melbourne.
Warm modern upmarket fit out with a great outside area that is perfect for drinks on warm balmy summer nights.
Good variety menu to choose from with a few specials adding to the choice. On a cold winter night the Beef Guinness pot pie with mushy peas and mash was an obvious choice. The pie was delicious and really hearty. Service is fantastic from the staff and looking forward to coming back during the week for their $20 nights.
I absolutely love this place. The beef burger was the best burger I’ve had in years... and I’m a Melbournian! Yep it might be a ‘hotel’ aka pub but it’s more high end casual restaurant you could take clients to. Definitely recommend and will be returning!
I came here for a Jack’s Creek beef night and had a wonderful time. Our five-course meal featuring different cuts of beef all cooked to perfection was sublime and the matching Brokenwood wines was a highlight as well. The venue was lovely and cozy and the very professional staff made the evening run smoothly
Melbourniancritic (The Melbourne Experience)
+4
O’Connell’s in South Melbourne is Melbourne’s oldest yet stylish gastronomic pub and has been home to some of the city’s best known chefs, such as Greg Malouf, Cath Kalka and Adrian Richardson. In November 2017, Tom Brockbank joined the O’Connell’s team as Head Chef and has brought a refreshing sense of excitement, clean flavours and an innovative cuisine style to O’Connell’s, all whilst still remaining faithful to their much loved pub roots.
What a great space and an interesting menu to match. We three chose schnitzel, pork belly and the pie and we were all happy campers. The wine list was impressive as was the service. Not quite and cosy. Prepare to shout.
The O'Connell's Hotel is in South Melbourne and it's behind the South Melbourne Market. It took us a while to find and we did a run around it earlier so that we were not late. During my first year of the marathon, I learned that coming on time to everything is important. And it's not too late or too early.
Celebrating 141 years in the industry, O’Connell’s Hotel is one of Melbourne’s dining institutions. Upon approach, this gastropub conveys a simplistic white exterior fitted with black awnings, separated into ‘Bar’ and ‘Restaurant’ sections via different entrances.
Yummy food with an extensive wine list and friendly un-pretentious service. They've struck the balance between pub grub and fine dining really well.
Thursday night dinner with a few colleagues.
It’s a nice fine dining restaurant behind a pub. The ambience is relax and unpretentious.
For entree I had the fried calamari with grapefruit jewels. Haven’t seen this combo before. The grapefruit helps to cut the oil from the deep fried calamari. Yum! it was delicious. For main I had the 220g rib eye. It comes with thick cut triple cooked chips. I asked for a medium (the only time I would order a medium steak is at a steakhouse. Otherwise I always go 1 level down to medium rare. Well I was feeling brave so medium it is). The steak came out just a tad over cooked. Can’t shake the feeling that I contributed to this mishap, oops. Anyway it was still delicious. The waiter came around with a selection of different types of mustards and will serve the one you choose on your plate.
We also had a bottle of red wine to share. They have an extensive wine list ranging from around $50 to $2500. But also have them by the glass.
Consider this, this place is an institution and the reason it’s been here so long is because it’s consistent, consistently good
Keep up the good work well done
Food was fantastic - loved the oysters with peach granita, the gnocchi and the lemon meringue dessert. Service was really attentive and the restaurant had a great atmosphere. Will be back!
Came along with family mid week , loved the ambience and styling of the restaurant . The wine list was great plenty to choose with staff very accomodating . Helpful throughout .
Food we have the fish special and wagyu and couldn't asked for better . Quality was outstanding and have noticed difference in quality recently , something I feel has changed.
Will be back very soon for sure
Fantastic dining experience at this South Melbourne Institution. Its been a Fav for a long time and never dissappoints. Certainly not cheap, the Eye Fillet with a side is the best part of $60 but you get what you pay for. Highly reccomended.
This upmarket pub institution will give you quick and simple pub grub in the crowded front bar while you watch the footy overhead, or out the back in the large but comfortable dining room it's full service and high end meal options. Pricey out the back, but reflects very high quality of food and service.
Perfect service. So professional and warm. Food was great as well. This is the kind of place you bring your first date or a client you'd want to impress :)
Delightful cosy pub. Loved the bangers and mash for lunch as the rain poured down outside. Besides the good food and lovely atmosphere inside the pub, another great thing about O'Connells is the ease of parking. Visit recommended.
I had a great night out here over the weekend with 7 friends and highly recommend this restaurant for group dinners. Their service was friendly and attentive, we never had to ask for a drink top up! The wine list is excellent and well priced. We shared a selection of entrees, their cheese croquettes were divine - crunchy on the outside, soft and gooey inside. Their main meal selection is varied, catering for many tastes, and equally delicious. Thanks for an enjoyable night out!
If you're looking for a great steak, this pub is one to try! Small selection to choose from, but they are always lovely. This pub is great for Friday/Saturday night date night/dinner with friends, or a family friendly Sunday lunch. Daily specials are always good - their arancini also never fail to impress. If you're having a date night, I recommend requesting a table in the front room - a small room with an open fireplace that they use on winter nights. Very cosy, romantic and much quieter than being seated in the main restaurant.
Dined at the restaurant on a quiet Sunday evening and wasn't particularly impressed. The food was somewhat bland and uninspiring but it definitely wasn't bad. The beef tartare with oyster cream was the best on ground. The croquette and beef pie were both disappointing. It is a good little dressed up neighbourhood gastropub that is quite reasonable in price.
This is a fabulous pub style hotel with a warmth about it. The food,service and wine list is very good. We had a wonderful night and would definitely recommend.
We were treated to a fine lunch with work partners over at O’Connell’s Hotel. The South Melbourne restaurant provides a surprisingly cosy setting with top notch serve and well prepared cuisine. From the outside it looks like your typical gastropub affair but inside the menu and decor confirm it’s a decadent and high quality experience. We all enjoyed our cuisine on this afternoon and O’Connell’s Hotel makes for a great choice for an extended lunch venue.
I really loved O'Connell's if you're looking for a fancy pub this is the place to go. The food was delicious I ordered a steak it was very succulent. A woman sitting on another table ordered the shepherds pie and booooy did it look amazing. Can't wait to try the shepherds pie next time
Went for dinner last night for my husbands birthday. I booked a week in advance. Upon arrival we were placed right near the serving counter where the constant bell for picking up food was quite loud. I did ask if we could be moved but was told they were fully booked, despite there being an empty table we could have been moved to (yes I am sure it was booked but the party wasn't there and people were nearly finished at other tables). We were not offered another table when some became free. Really disappointing! Our server was lovely which almost made up for the crappy table, the service was good and my food good. My friends beef cheeks was lacking in flavour. I had a burger, which is hard to mess up. The duck spring rolls were nice. They did put a candle in my husbands dessert cheese platter which was nice! Clearly this establishment leans more towards casual pub dining than upmarket dining. I won't book another special occasion here.
I was taken here by some work colleagues for lunch, and was pleasantly surprised. The decor inside is very nice, warm and inviting.
In all the food was very good, no real complaints. We had the arancini balls (from the specials board), cauliflower fritters and thrice cooked chips to share as a starter. All were amazing, and the personal highlight for me. I then had the veal schnitzel for main, which came with fries and a coleslaw salad. In all, it was ok, but as veal schnitzels can typically be a bit dry, I also ordered the peppercorn sauce, which was delicious.
No real complaints about this place. The food was great, and the staff friendly.
What an amazing meal! Loved the decor as soon as we walked in, very warm and cozy especially on a cold winter night. Food was absolutely delicious. Highlights were the lamb merguez sausages with saganaki and all the mains were cooked to perfection. Desserts could use a bit of work in comparison but still decent. Service was great. Awesome wine list. Overall, loved the experience and would definitely be back!
Friendly neighbourhood bar with good wine and delicious food. Excellent atmosphere in the bar. Food is overpriced for what you get but it is definitely tasty.
Love this hotel, amazing service and staff so attentive. We had oysters which were fresh and beautifully accompanied by a light sauce. I also had the steak tartare which was lovely however after asking the waiter if the 'fruit' was indeed 'fruit' (I wasn't keen on that) he advised it was pickled veggies that they had re worded as fruit. It was not. It was fruit like what you would have in a fruit cake. Not pleasant. We all then went for a seafood dish. Two of the people I dined with both opted for the linguine and myself the baby snapper both dishes were lovely. Beautiful hotel, great service other than the lingering taste of dried currents which was easily washed down with some gorgeous champagne.
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Finding anything decent to eat that doesn't involve roast chicken, Yellow Glen sparkling and no set menu on the Melbourne Cup Day is akin to Mission Impossible.
Add a challenge of doing the above with a 4 year old. And wanting to watch the race.
And of course there is a challenge of being in Port Melbourne/South Melbourne area where the decent old fashioned pubs were taken over by corporations (RIP Cricketers Arms and Molly's Blooms).
As The Queen sang "We want it all. We want it now." Nothing really changes, does it?
So you can imagine my delight when I got it all and I got in now (well, on the Melbourne Cup Day).
Gorgeous pub food (the perfectly cooked burger for me, a delicious crusted pie for my little man).
A glass of French Champagne (actually two) for mama, lemonade for him.
Watching horse race on the big screen. His pick came second. My was who knows where.
But who cares? We had a great day.
And that's all that's matters.
Insider tip:
Tuesday's $20 pie and pot night.
For the quality of food, I'd get there ASAP
Love this place never disappoints, the staff are attentive and provide a great service. The food is absolutely delicious especially the steak 👌 will be back again for sure
Voucher. What more can I say? There's no other way I'd be eating at this location with an overwhelmingly masculine wealthy older man set. Puke. My friends thought we got some major attitude for being other side of the river voucher people but I was too pumped up on the adrenaline of receiving free food. Light on the vegetarian meals, but what else do you expect in a meat eating fancy man pub? Challenge: I'd appreciate something more inventive than risotto.
Well looked after by front of house. Great upper end pub food. Can go classic food or the sexy style, both superb. The PDR has special appeal, love the F place.
Oh we love O’Connell’s Hotel, a long time resident of South Melbourne you can enjoy a lovely glass of wine, some damn good food and a friendly smile. Just a little hidden off the beaten track, the locals know and love their O’Connell’s and there is always a welcome vibe and a good gathering of familiar faces enjoying a bit of sport on the tv and a beer.
Can I just say the lunch today at O'Connells was outstanding and the funny thing was my friend and I were at the same table last time and it was a while ago since we have been ..
and the food was superb, service was great
I had the Free Range Greenvale Farm Pork (delicious)
My friend had the Porterhouse
I am so glad I invited my friend to go back to O'Connells
the dessert " Mandarin Mess'.. oh my gosh, so light yet so YUMMMMMM!!!
so thank you to the staff for the great service and will be back sooner than later and to let ourselves waste so much time in between by not going to O'Connells sooner is our punishment :)
The service is something you can always count on at this place. They do a great job of being customer focused and the food is quite good as well. My partner has tried the seafood side of things and has said that its actually better than most other places. But when it comes to food, you come here for the steaks really, and they do NOT disappoint one bit. Every item on the plate is cooked perfectly and the hand cut chips are especially noteworthy. I ordered the porterhouse and it was brilliant. Can't go wrong as long as its steak and dessert. Had the churros for dessert - fantastic is not enough to describe it.
Great pub, absolutely gorgeous inside! A little on the pricey side. The freshly baked bread to begin with was super delicious. Great selection of wine & beers. The steak (scotch fillet) was lovely & cooked to perfection. The churros for dessert were phenomenal!
Great pub. Warm on a cold night. Carpets and fireplaces. Nicely formal; not over the top. Easy parking. Food adequate but not rave worthy. Good prices....not cheap mind, but fair. Recommend for a meal with family and friends.
O’Connell’s is comfortable, homely and just right for a weekend lunch. Recently refurbished by Melbourne architects, Techne, the design is both traditional and keeping with the times. Open fireplaces, segregated dining rooms and a very comfy bar area are all the things I’d look for in today’s perfect gastro pub.
A night at O'Connell's for a sustainable seafood dinner is a special treat, recently landed in the kitchen is Paul Cooper and teamed with Howard Park wines and a fridge full of fabulous fish we are set for a five course sublime degustation. With our lovely host Pete Dillon and the team from the Australian Conservation Foundation to provide guidance for our night, we head straight in with a 2010 Great Southern Riesling and 1st Course -Marinated Ocean Wave Seafoods black lip abalone, with cucumber, avocado, passionfruit and tempura samphire. Stunning! My first taste of abalone and samphire and it is monumental! The delicate shavings of abalone are nestled on its avocado pillow with crispy sprigs of salty samphire. 2nd Course is the Sea Bounty Blue Mussel and Goulbourn river Rainbow trout salad, with broad beans, fennel, asparagus, and chilli, mint, & black vinegar dressing. The flakes of smokey trout and mussels are brought alive with the zingy dressing. The courses are delicate and ligh
You'd struggle not to approv.... O'Connells is very much your high end Pub. It is a delightful venue with superior service & food.......but it really is ahead of itself in terms of price. You can expect to part with upwards of $45+ ph for a 2 course lunch which makes it quite prohibitive for most. Having said that, O'Connells for the well healed among us is a prudent choice and well worthy of consideration :)
Pre Melbourne cup night out. The two of us for dinner just flown in from Brissy. Jumped on Urban Spoon and thought this place looked good. It was fantastic food great wait staff extensive wine list and a good local night out. Keep up the good work guys.
I really love this pub and it want it to be great but the food is sub standard for the price you pay. Staff are wonderful and the setting is beautiful. But if you don't mind ordinary food then it's perfect. I have high standards when it comes to food and unfortunately it just doesn't cut it.
Fav!. Favourite restaurant in Melb. The food, service and decor are perfect. This is where family and friends go to for our meat and wine fix.
I went to O'Connell's for dinner and it had a really nice atmosphere and the staff were all very nice and helpful. All the food that I saw come out looked delicious, however I ordered the Beef and Guinness Pie and I wasn't very impressed. Although the beef was very good quality and cooked to perfection, there was no sauce to give it flavour and I found it very bland.
Casual Sunday Lunch. We visited for a casual Sunday lunch & we were very impressed with this great pub. Well fitted out in a stylish manner in both the dinning room & front bar it made for a very comfortable afternoon meal. The menu had a good variety of items both in the entrees & main courses. Priced well and more importantly well prepared, presented and best of all tasty. Wine list was sufficiently broad and again well priced. We were dining with a couple with a young infant and we were all made to feel welcome & comfortable. All in all a great "local" which I wished we had more of near where I reside. Great work O'Connell's
Enjoyable evening. I can highly recommend their eye fillet steak. It was done to perfection.
The chips were edible but not memorable. I think they were mass produced in advance and kept warm for way too long. They were dried out, hollow and lacking in flavour. This would not stop me from going back again, but it would be nice if all the components on the plate were of a similarly high level as the steak.
Desserts were good, but not stellar. I had the creme brulee - the flavour was good, but the toffee topping was a little too thick for my liking.
All in all, a good night, with friendly and well-timed service. We went on a Wednesday night and there was not an empty seat in sight. I guess that says it all.
Great food & surrounds. Just returned from second visit to this great gastro pub / restaurant and was not disappointed. Great service, good menu choices, lovely ambience. The steaks are as good as those at sister ship 'Railway Club Hotel' and today's smoked fish & prawn pie belonged on Masterchef with its balance of flavours and textures. We will return - many thanks :)
Solid. Unpretentious menu. Chicken liver pate tasty and a generous serving size. Cape Grim steaks cooked perfectly.
Only let down was dessert- very average and uninspiring. Would skip dessert next time.
Classic pub with good service & good food, Cape Grim scotch fillet cooked to perfection & a wine list that's most impressive. Well worth a visit.
Yumtastic lunch! We came here for a Pre-Christmas lunch and had entree, main and dessert. The barramundi was perfectly cooked and my beetroot quinoa was yumtastic! Stand out dish was actually my dessert - the 'o'connells mess' of jelly, strawberry and granita...sounds like a mess but in fact was a very refreshing summery dessert. Staff were pleasant and ambience was hipster pub minus pretension.
Excellent food. Catered for my food allergies. Staff very helpful.
Birthday dinner for two.. I came with my partner tonight for my birthday. The service was amazing. The kitchen were very accommodating for my dairy intolerance and even offered to make a customer dessert for me after I had commented I couldn't eat any of the desserts.
I ate prawn skewers and the kingfish. Both were cooked beautifully. Serving sizes were good. The price was higher end, but I'm not complaining about it - the quality of the service and quality of food justified it.
The night was perfect. My partner had been holding on to an engagement ring for a couple weeks now and decided to propose after dinner! Thank you for starting the night off perfectly.
" LOVE IT " Great food , fa.... " LOVE IT "
Great food , fantastic service and love the reno's .
Great service, we had the 1.4kg tomahawk steak between 3 people. MUST TRY! The steak was very well cooked and came with 4 sauces. Sauces could do with a bit more variety or choice, something with mushroom perhaps? Decent wine selection, the portion size of the fried squid dish was lacking. Overall a good experience and will be back to try the other steaks.
Simply Superb! - Great food, great service all in a relaxed atmosphere. The cured salmon and the lamb belly were great.
Nice Charcuterie board however it did need more bread/toast.
service was good.
checked the QR codes
very nice Sunday afternoon snack
Great vibes, decent food. Good to be outdoors again especially without a mask. Staff was on point, ready to assist and serve. Nice long lunch.
We dined here for lunch today. The staff were kind enough to let us change our booking from a set menu to seats in the bar, which was very accommodating of them. The food was delicious and serving sizes were generous. Really nice atmosphere. Great pub! Thanks for having us!
Good food and service. Steak a bit too much gristle for a steak this price though.
Scrumptious and wholesome steak night, all cooked to perfection; Bavette and Porterhouse, just missing those hand-cut chips as advertised 🤔😊
Very good wine list by the glass; Chandon Brut, Woodcutter's Shiraz and Wild Duck Creek Estate Heathcote Shiraz Malbec.
Great service, classic and stylish ambiance.
One of the better Australian Venue Co establishment.
Lovely gastro pub. Dining room had an old school vibe, with attentive staff and complimentary bread. Great place to take your parents and have an elegant three course meal. A few things on the menu seemed a bit expensive, but I enjoyed everything I ate.
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