I’ve been past this fine establishment too many times and I haven’t had the opportunity to stop.
Well when in the area my partner and I called in for a pre dinner drink. The crowd appeared friendly enough and the service was alright too.
This place has more specials than you can poke a stick at haha. They have daily food and drink specials meaning I’ll have to go back to check this out.
I ordered a British/Scottish beer given that this pub had that theme but unfortunately a lot of the beers were local commercial.
But I understand that they have a lot of scotch whiskey and a good Scottish beer that I tried. I’m definitely going back again just to try some of the food and maybe a tipple haha.
I was there for a trivia night, it’s a very quiet pub with close to no one! I think it’s because of the location. It’s actually a little too fancy for Scottish food. I really enjoy it though!
A cosy Melbourne lane way bar with some great Happy Hour deals. It wasn't to much so it was nice and quiet to catch up for a drink with mates.
Aye Blossom!
The Highlander has that feel about it, where if you were in there at 3am back in 2001 you'd be a few pills deep and dancing with the lasers. But in 2018, during the day it masquerades as a burger joint with subtle Scottish themes. The burgers are of a very good standard. This is off the back of about three visits now and The Dear Luncher is always struck by how delicious the patties are. Juicy and flavoursome. Pink. The chilli sprinkled fries also go down a treat and for $15 you get all that AND a Heineken.
There can be only one!
Highlander is a rustic venue down Highlander Lane and I have come here a few times over the years for an after work drink. They have some very good happy hours in fact that has been the main reason we would go there... cheap and cheery. Up until last week the only food I had there was chips to accompany the drinking but came in for a mealpal lunch of the little bastard burger with fries. This represented good value as part of the mealpal deal. The burger itself was had a ton of sauces but was your basic cheeseburger with pickles and perhaps a little too much mustard for my liking. No complaints about the chips. Certainly better burger spots in Melbourne but if it’s a cheap burger and a cheap beer this may be an option.
Fish and chip with salad 😍 didnt expect this big portion. But totally recommended this dish~ really filling, the fish is so nice~ however the chip is just okay as well as the salad.
In a nutshell it was a really pleasant experience.
The staff, in our case, a Scottish (lass) lady behind the bar was super friendly and bubbly and welcoming. The accent helped too!! Knowledgeable about the food AND the beers!
Food...Fat Bastard and the Braveheart followed by the Marsbar dessert. Both burgers were delicious but the Braveheart with the Haggis was absolutely spot on!! Had a zingy spice to it that was hard to go past. Chips...thin but still nice.Service was slower (not slow) than most places...but obviously this comes from cooking to order and not having stuff sitting under a hot lamp. Happy to enjoy waiting and chatting rather than having the food slapped down within minutes of ordering.
Decor was a bit dated but not too bad to look past this.
Realistically the only issue we had was there was no roaring fireplace...or warm as far as temperature in the room. Given it was a cold winters day we visited this was the only thing we found lacking.
Otherwise a great time had.
Had a voucher so headed down with a mate. Best burger I've had! The big Bastard is just that, a lot of flavoursome succulent meat with a very generous serving of chips. Was a struggle to get through but well worth it. Cool joint and super friendly staff. Can't fault it. Will definitely be headed back
Highlander Bar is a “wee taste of Scotland in the heart of the CBD”, serving a mixture of both classic & contemporary Scottish cuisine. They are easily located down Highlander Bar, just off Flinders Street.
The bar area is dimly lit, but stocking a huge range of Scottish cocktails, whiskies and ales as well as your usual selection. The dining area isn’t much brighter, but very comfortable with sofa styled seating.
We were here for a quick lunch, but the service was quite slow. In saying that, the dishes were all fresh and tasty. We found the platter a bit messy, but there was a good amount of sauce with each bite, not to mention the good variety of different bites to sample!
Check out the review of Highlander in the blog post below.
Fat bastard burger $19, haggis balls $13, Loch Ness-presso $18
Had a cheeky lunchtime session here, a nice and quiet hideaway in the middle of the busy city.
Not the cheapest of places but the food was good. The crumbed and deep fried haggis balls were a great way to contrast the creamy rich taste of haggis with a crisp crunchy outside. Only problem was that there wasnt enough Sriracha mayo.
The burger was indeed "fat" with generous patties and all the fillings of a good burger. The shoestring fries were a little generic but still tasted great.
As for the Loch Ness-presso, I think I'll always make them this way. Whiskey, Frangelico and Drambuie! Bonus, it served in a teacup with a shortbread bite on the side - no one would know you were imbibing!
Cool little grungy bar in a side street in Melbourne. Doesn't look all that appealing from the outside but cosy on the inside. We found the food to be delicious especially the burgers, although the string fries chips weren't that tasty and were too salty. They also have great sauces/condiments with their meals.
Lots of great beers to choose from also. Staff are very friendly and easy going, although it took a long time for our meals to arrive.
Definitely will be back for the tasty food, nice beers especially during happy hour (5-7pm every day) and laid back friendly atmosphere.
It's the second time we've been to Highlander and it's not been disappointing. Highlander is a bar/casual dining establishment, serving local and Scottish flavours. They have an impressive and delicious menu, which also includes popcorn chicken, mac'n'cheese poppers, and haggis bites (a haggis can be a sheep's stomach filled with meat and barley). Pride of place are their burgers.
The wait staff are friendly and attentive. The venue can be booked, if you have a large group (10ish). Orders come out fairly quickly. Cosy atmosphere. I ordered the Fat Bastard. Double meat, cheese, sauce, pickles and fries for $19.
Bun - decent. Holds up and doesn't go soggy.
Meat - very nice. Quality. No gristle. Falls apart easily (which is awesome)
Sauce - just the right amount.
Salad - N/A
Fries - shoestring. Not bad. It would be great to have a sweet potato option.
Looking forward to coming back.
Staff are friendly, service is quick, vibe is cool and a bit quirky and the food is indulgent and delicious. Everything is also very affordable. Highly recommend!
Came here on a Friday night. The atmosphere was great I loved the dimly lit cozy feel of the place. Huge drinks menu. We had a jug of sangria and it was great. I also had a $5 whiskey. Happy Hour is a massive bargain there! $5 drinks from 5-7pm. I ordered the mac and cheese with bacon, I wasn't too impressed with that, there wasn't a lot of cheese flavour and the bacon was soggy. The macaroni was barley coated in sauce. I also had the chicken ribs. They were so good! Really crunchy and juicy. I would go back just for them. My friend had the McMushroom burger, from what he said it was pretty good. It looked great.
This was the Swine's first visit to Highlander as part of a work lunch function. The place has a dark mysterious pub vibe with its various split levels, mood lighting, quirky decour and somewhat strange art prints. The Swine loved this. The 15 dollar work week lunch special for a main meal and drink is appealing. Becks beer but decent just the same. The Swine had the namesake Highlander Burger and chips which was quite satisfying. The burger was a bit on the rare side but enjoyable none the less. Staff were pleasant and attentive which the Swine liked. The Swine would...
What an amazing birthday! They are so so friendly here and feel like being in a part of Scotland. Try the mixed platter! The girls are friendly with great service! will be back!
Great atmosphere and the drinks are very nice!
Great service and their burgers are to die for. Chips are salted very nicely too!
Definitely coming back here again!
Highlander has been my second home. A tiny pub with awesome food, cocktails and friendly staff members. The beef burger is literally finger licking good. The staff members make unique cocktails and they make you try. The live music on Thursday night is something we look forward for every week. This pub in Melbourne supports so many talented artists who play on Thursday nights. It is my best hangout spot in Melbourne.
Absolutely enjoyed the chicken popcorn, beef burgers and the Chef's share platter! Joined Highlander Clan and received $50 birthday voucher. Celebrated w friends at Happy Hour 5-7pm, $5 per drink. Always had awesome experience here, especially the friendliest and impeccable service by Kate and her team!
I held a 60th at the highlander for my dad. It was such an amazing venue! The staff went above and beyond for us on the night. Kate was amazing and catered to my every need. She even organised balloons for me at the very last minute when I forgot them! I highly recommend this venue. Kate and her team are fantastic!
Great burgers and drinks. Very reasonably priced and good service. The drinks are great with generous pours and a really good vibe and crowd. Recommended!
Ordered croquettes, mac n cheese, hot wings + corn and slaw, fat bastard burger, highlander burger, chicken taco and fish taco.
Tacos weren't that good, it was cold and felt that it was on the pass in the kitchen for some time. The burgers on the other hand were pretty good.
Mac n cheese balls weren't too cheesy, but without the accompanying sauce is rather dry. Hot wings were good. The potato croquettes tasted like deep fried mashed potatoes mm..
Corn and slaw was ordinary, but I do admit getting to try the wide array of sauces that was provided at the bar kept me satisfied.
My partner & I ate there three times in the past year. Each time with a voucher. All in all we've had the popcorn chicken (yum), NYC wing (loved, the blue cheese isn't overpowering), croquettes (good), fries (too much spice), wagyu tacos (great), highlander burger (omg so good), lamb burger (delish - sadly it's no longer on the menu). We also ordered from the cocktail jug list although they weren't overly special. The staff are so lovely and the atmosphere is warm, although on a Friday evening it can be noisy. The private booths are a nice touch especially on a crowded night. By far the best bar food in town!! We can't wait for our next Highlander experience.
Top spot. Cozy, inviting space to chase away the winter chills.
I actually used the venue above as a performance space which was flice(!) and tricked out with all the necessary gear (screen, projector, mic, amps etc) The staff were beyond efficient and helpful when it came to setting up and striking down. They take their business seriously and it shows. The space itself is casually cool and shies from pretentiousness; which again, is reflected by the staff.
Overall: a great venue, affordable tasty eats, and classic drinks. What more could one want?
WOW EXPERIENCE!. OMG! This place made my Friday night. Went here and had so much awesome food, drinks and so much fun. Music was fantastic. Burgers are top notch. So delicious. Popcorn chicken with mayo jello sauce. Awesome. Ribs were so flavoursome. Yummy! Service was supurb. Friendly, always smiling and pleasant. Well mannered. Courteous. Love this place. Great place to bring your friends and hang out. You gotta try the burgers. They are the absolute best! Will be coming back again and again and again and again. Thankyou for a WOW experience Highlander Bar.
Crispy Popcorn Chicken with Jalapeno Mayo Chicken was nice and crispy. Had some random bits of just skin/fat which wasn't great. Good sauce for dip.... NYC Wings (half dozen) $12 Crispy Buffalo Wings in Frank's Hot Sauce with Curdettes & Roquefort Cheese Sauce The blue cheese sauce left the worst taste in my mouth. Definitely an acquired taste. The wings were okay, but too oily. When we lifted it off the bottom, there was a puddle of orange oil.
A cool place to hang out.. Hadn't been here in ages and now it could be a regular on our city list. A friendly welcome as soon as we got there from several of the staff. Good size booths along the wall to hold 8 of your friends, Music not so loud so we could talk. Happy hour cheap drinks for 3 hours a night. We had heard about the bar snack food here and so had to try it (3 of us) so we got a plate with 3 different soft shell tacos. Wow they were fantastic. Fish, prawns, pulled pork were all winners. Fresh ingredients and a 'zing' of spice. Then we spotted someone else with the platter of lamb ribs so we ordered 2 platters between us and wow again! Shake the bone and the meat falls off, juicy and tender. Next time we will do the burgers.
Went on a Thursday night for an early dinner and drink. We all had burgers and although mine wasn't delivered until after my two friends had already finished theirs, it was well worth the wait. The lamb burger was amazing!! Nice ambience. Good wine. I'd visit again.
The Highlander Way. Want a friendly bar to sink a cold beer, tap your feet to good music and chomp on Melbourne's best burger? - try the Highlander - great atmosphere, a superb menu and best of all, friendly bar staff. Happy to keep going back! Danny.
Nice atmosphere and ambience but the food is way too oily. One skill for deep frying is to know when to change the fire in order to let the oil drip out. Other than that, the chips were quite nice and crispy and we also liked the buffalo wings and lamb ribs, burgers were good too. Should add some more variety to the menu too.
Absolutely delicious!. We went on a Wednesday night with 4 of us and vouchers. The decor of the pub was nice and it had a cosy atmosphere.
We ordered 3 highlander burgers and the chicken tacos. They were all very delicious. The chicken and mayonnaise on the tacos was particularly outstanding.
The staff were very friendly and service was great.
Definitely recommend!
Cool Bar great food. Cool place to have a few drinks and a bite to eat. All meals were high quality
Came here a while back for a mid week dinner. Very cosy indeed. Nice ambience, almost a little too quiet. Worth a look when you're in that part of town :)
Tasty business. Bluestone ambience with cosy booths looking out on the historic laneway, friendly staff who know their stuff and always up for a chat and voila the food is super tasty - go the fish tacos or wagyu buger!
Recommend it!. I went to Highlander last weekend with some friends and really enjoyed it. It has a great atmosphere with a live band. The food was good and reasonably priced and overall we all just had a really good night there. I would highly recommend this place and will be heading back there again myself very soon :)
Denise K & M
SATISFIED !!!. Location is perfect....Right near my work and centre of town.
Staff knew exactly what they were doing, excellent menu knowledge. . Very professional operation...
1) Food was DELICIOUS
2) QUICK to arrive
3) AFFORDABLE
4) Ambience and vibe was cosy and friendly
Ticked all the boxes. I'll be back
Great ambience with friends, food hit the spot and plenty of imported beers. Recommend it
Great fun bar food, cool music and a funny bartender. What more could you want? Found a regular after work hangout and terrific place to forget the office during lunch!
Most awesome staff, and food, and vibe. GO!
Not too sure what the bad reviews are about but seeing as they weren't specific we decided to try it out for their 2 for 1
Taco Wednesday. Yep 2 tacos for 5 bucks! Pretty sure Maccas can't compete. Being from North America
Real Mexican tacos are our favorite. Bar staff is fun friendly and both bartenders tonight were amazing.plus the place is designed for groups with big comfy booths although it was just my partner and I it was so
Nice to have this massive booth to ourselves, feet up after a
Big shop! If you go into a bar with a crappy attitude and expect a fine dining experience expect to be disappointed, go to a fine dining restaurant! Don't go to a hidden bar down a random alley. I loved this place and feel some
Of the reviews are ridiculous and this gem overlooked :) we will def be back!
Awesome place, great tacos, great atmosphere. A great idea for after work drinks.
Food and atmosphere were great! Had the croquettes, pop corn chicken and a fantastic burger. Great place for a date night or after work drinks.
Nice bar & vibe ! Had our work Chrissy party , lots of drinks including dirty martinis & fun!
Just when we think there are no more amazing bars in melbourne, where you can chill with great music and people....
We stumbled across this hidden gem!
The management are amazing people friendly and funny, being great hosts to an incredible end to our Saturday night, 5 hours later we stumbled home.
Thank you for having us and for all your great hospitality, we will be back soon.
Matt.
Came here especially for my first pint of T in over three years and was met by this sign.
Very sad I never got to see the place and meet some fellow Scots.
Hopefully they can figure something out.
Such a good little find! Tried a few Scottish drinks that I've never even heard of and had a good yarn with the staff. Gotta reccomend the Tennents and a Bucky Bomb! Delish 🤤
Such an awesome place, neatly tucked away with the best, really friendly staff & incredible whiskey selection!
Cozy bar with good range of Scotch and spirits 🥃
Amazing guy at the bar tho, loved his energy 💚
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