We've been coming to Charles Dickens for over nine years. It's hidden in a basement on the corner of Elizabeth and Collins but worth looking for. They have a good selection of beer and good food. You can't go by the potato wedges for a light snack.
You can't really ask more for a inner city pub / hotel. The pub food is good at pub prices and lots of choice at the bar. Good for watching sports.
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The Dear Luncher has mixed feelings about the ol’ Charles Dickens. A frequent visitor over many years, mainly for football and pints, it has been at least 4-5 years since the last visit. So when friends suggested a bit of a session and lunch there recently there was admittedly some cringing going on in this little brain. In the past, the food was always fried and awful. The taps limited to a stock standard set of unremarkable beers, compared to some of the other British/Irish pubs in the vicinity.
So for this return, the expectations were low. Real low. But The Dear Luncher was heartened from the get-go to see quite an eclectic range of beers now available, both on tap and in can or bottle format. Starting at the menu, it was a depressing affair. Just about everything was deep fried. The things that were not deep fried, well, it was just too hot of a day to order them. So it was left to order steak, which is certainly always a good fallback option for the Secretary of Steak. The eye fillet was the most expensive steak on the menu, so this was what was ordered.
You know what? This eye-fillet was tremendous. Clearly things have changed at this establishment. The wait was long, but it was soft, tender and cooked exactly to specification. Even the salad was …. great. Usually these pub salads are a dire affair, not this time.
Pints of Balter XPA were gulped down while visiting, a very serviceable and sessionable ale.
The Charles Dickens Tavern proves that even if you’re ugly on the outside, you can still be kind of beautiful on the inside. Just like The Dear Luncher.
3.5/5.
Friendly service, tidy venue with good back ground music, come along with friends or family and enjoy a real English tavern experience. Great range of pub meals to choose from, great beers and good choice of wines
Charlie never disappoints great beer and counter meals.....parmi very nice also goes down well before going to watch a football game in town.
Very comfortable environment, plenty of tables, comfy chairs to choose from to kick back and enjoy your pint of ale or lager.
A must visit for Melbourne, a historic hidden gem.
Love this place just for it's hidden location. It never gets ridiculously busy (plus I love Dickens so it's difficult to not enjoy the theme)
Classic pub if that's what you're into.
Cosy little British pub that has all the trimmings you'd expect. Serving decent pub grub and a warm, but not overly rambunctious atmosphere, there's a lot to like about the Dickens.
Best pubs in Town
Handling traditional British menu worth the price
Decent wine pricing and lovely Senior staff..Decent Senior crowd...noisy witty chats..
Tried Punt road wine for ambiance experience..
Highly Recommended
If you asked someone to meet you at the pub on the corner of Collins and Elizabeth street you’d probably get a confused look coupled with a query of “umm, isn’t that an Optus store?”. Well yes, but what you might not know is that under the feet of the consumers working out if the new iPhone is too big to fit into the pockets of their skinny jeans, is one of my all time favourite pubs in Melbourne. The Charles Dickens Tavern.
This place is the place to be. It is bustling wjth prime banter and there is no other place which encompasses such great spirit. Personally if you want to have a grand old time head over to scrooges corner thats where it gets wild. But if you are not adventurous enough for that simply sitting down and enjoying a froth in the ambiance will tickle your fancy!
Uniquely British pub in the heart of cbd. I ve pass by signage of this place and decided to pop in for a pint or two while waiting for fiance to finish her shopping. Immediately transported back to one of the English pubs I used to frequent to whilst based in London. Love the ambiance. Solid! Haven't tried the food but definitely will be back!
I've lived in the city for a little over 10 years now and didn't know this place existed. I've yearned an old school counter meal in the CBD and wouldn't know where to go for one until now. You want good old fashion pub grub? Here it is!The lovely people behind the bar help create a warm and welcoming environment and the aesthetics of the pub scream quietly, you bloody ripper. It's definitely the place i'm heading to next when i need a good feed that ain't too fancy with an added touch of the warm & fuzzies.
Solid old fashioned Pub. Came here for the culmination of a pub crawl and had a great time. Pints were $9 each and they had a solid range of beers. Staff were friendly, and while the food was a tad pricey it was good old fashioned pub food. Chicken Parma was excellent. Would recommend to anyone who just wants a nice evening drinking in a great atmosphere watching sports.
Food here is delicious, friendly staff and ice cold beers :)
Love the venue and how "back in time" it feels. Was a resonable wait for the food considering it was Friday lunch time. Ordered steak sandwich with fries and fries was better than the sandwich. Steak was so chewy and needed more seasoning. Glass of juice was $5.00 which is a rip. Other than that, good first experience. The waiter who takes the orders could be abit more friendly and SMILE
Nice place. Probably a weekly visitor here. Sometimes it's a pint after work with a counter meal, other times it's a pint or two before a football game. Best thing I like about this place is that it is relaxing. No loud music and no loud crowds (might change during the soccer). The food does the job, pretty basic fare though I always find enjoyable. I've been ordering the steak sandwich quite a bit recently (believe me when I said it was basic). Always seem to have Tetleys, Greene King and Newcastle on tap. Looks like London Pride has been added to the line up which is good. Also stocks some of the Sammy Smith's range in the fridge which is a big pro. Don't expect super service (can be a bit lacking sometimes) but that hasn't stopped me dropping by. Remember going mid 90s and if there's one place which has received a benefit from the smoking laws, it's this. The ceiling still tells the story.
As soon as I walked down the stairs and entered the tavern I thought... Uhhh - it looks like an old country pub stuck in time. You won't come here for the decor or the ambience or the quality of food. It's OK with a bunch of mates to share a few beers, have a no fuss pub meal and watch sports on one of the many screens. It's not for a special night out. You get what you get here and it's OK for the appropriate occasion.
Good comfortable pub. Fairly typical pub food. Had the porterhouse steak & veggies which was on special for $20. The steak, medium rare, was nicely cooked but the veggies were a bit overcooked. I cleaned the plate though! Washed down with 2 pints of Newcastle Brown Ale. Quite pleasant.
Pros- Meals & drinks came o.... Pros-
Meals & drinks came out quickly.
Food was reasonably priced.
The chicken with mushroom sauce was to die for!!
Cons-
Rude grumpy old waitress who rushed us and wanted our drink orders before we'd even sat down.
Cold 'warm' bread rolls.
Side salad was very plain.
Tips-
Order from the bar side as a counter meal. Cheaper and better atmosphere.
Country pub in the city. Stumbled across this place when working in the city.
What a find!
Like a country pub in the heart of the city.
Over the bar $12 steak sanga with chips, watch the football or races.
Mate got bangas and mash, best he has had since London.
Pay nearly as much to get the train to get there.
Great place to watch football in Melbourne for all fans. Came there for lunch with the crew, and back again for my ex-team Manchester United to win against Arsenal
My lads were impressed with the food, especially the fish and chips. Large variety of ales and beers, especially Newcastle on tap.
Crowd was fantastic.
A great pub with great characters behind the bar and fans to watch live football or (soccer) in Melbourne. It felt like a country family pub.
Not sure about the bad review, but a good place to hideaway for a quiet drink in the heart of Melbourne.
Good chicken Parma and a great cosy pub. Friendly staff made it a top spot for a solo dinner
GREAT PARMA!!. If you want a classic 80's style Melbourne Parma, then this is it!. nice cheap and tasty just how I remember it when I was a young lad in the 80s. 10/10 just for the simple and traditional Melbourne parma.
Great casual place. Food was great (steak special night), served promptly and very reasonably priced pints.
Great Uni Pub. This place is fantastic for uni students. Counter meals, cheap drinks, friendly staff. Wifi too which is also great for the uni student - very quiet in the day. Very cute
Cheap but good. Cheap grog, cheap tukka, my favourite hang out joint with mates on a friday afternoon.
It's a one of a kind English bar. Their meals are not the best but they taste pretty good and come in good sizes. The atmosphere is uniquely English and (bar) staff are quite friendly.
Oldie but goodie. Meals are well priced and tasty, service behind the bar was great. Turns out the Speckled Hen is a nice drop too. Good place to keep in mind over winter when you are after something warm and friendly that wont break your bank.
Cheap drinks, great quality food, all around a great place for any occasion
A great traditional English style pub. The decor was lovely and the choice of beers were on point. Big screens to watch sport were great. The food was good. Ordered the special scotch egg which was perfect and the butter chicken which was okay and the fish supper which was nice. Some cool Charles Dickens inspired decor. Would definitely go back
English pub with great decor and good vibes. Reasonably priced. $15 cocktails, G&T under $10. Didn’t try food but would visit again to try some. Have to climb down one level but I think accessible via a lift.
English pub with a range of beers on tap. Quite busy for Thursday night. Corned beef with mash potatoes and fresh vegetables and pumpkin soup. Good solid pub food. Excellent service.
This is a traditional British pub carpet and all! They have the most amazing Scotch eggs and a wide range of traditional ales. One of the only.puns around showing all sport all the time. Great array of traditional English food. Friendly staff. Do yourself a favour and get a Scotch Egg.
Sunday roast….. yum with all the trimmings and massive Yorkshire pudding! Big screen tv and classic pub vibe in the heart of Melbourne! Will definitely satisfy your roast cravings!
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One of my favourite British pubs in Melbourne! Tucked away in The Block Arcade, it can get quite busy on weekends. We called them for a last-minute booking for dinner, and John was kind enough to accommodate us and book us a table!
We ordered the following dishes:
- Beef & Guinness Pie - Guinness braised beef in a rich gravy under a puff pastry lid with creamy mash & buttered peas.
-Vegetable Lasagne - zucchini, eggplant, capsicum and red onion cooked in a rich tomato sauce, topped with béchamel & cheese, served with garlic bread.
Both were well cooked, the meat in the pie was juicy & tender. The veggies in the lasagna had the perfect flavour and did not feel bland at all!
They have a lot of choices of beer on tap, so we ordered the Hobgoblin (red ale, 5.2%) and Stowford Press Cider (4.5%).
Friendly service, great food, and excellent drinks. They show all sports games & a proud Manchester United support club as they have dedicated a whole wall just for the club.
Love the place and will come back to try more food items from their menu.
We chose the Charles Dickens Tavern for a nursing reunion because of its central location, promised atmosphere, private function room and reasonable pricing. It also has a lift which would make it accessible to disabled people in the group.
The staff were friendly, the host, Mark was attentive, the food was good pub grub and the Pickwick room was inviting. It is separate to the main bar which meant we could chat easily. It also has a large screen that we used for a Zoom meeting with those unable to attend.
Overall, we weren’t disappointed in any aspect. A fabulous night was had by all.
I would highly recommend this venue for a casual group meet up.
Great food at great prices!
A nice warm escape from the cold and wet night. The staff were awesome and the food delicious.
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