Review Insignia On Flinders - Melbourne

Love this unique little bar on Flinders St (opposite aquarium) the staff are always friendly and ready to help advice on different beers or my fave the cocktails 🍸 Try the White Chocolate Martini, it won't disappoint.

The staff were super kind. Great to have a little chat with. There's a pool table so that's winning.. all up great food great prices great staff x

The kids were excited to be able to see some real life animals that they can only see in National Geographic Channel - Emperor Penguin, Saltie or saltwater crocodile, sharks, etc - that they were literally running around while both of us chased after them. It was shortly after lunch hour that we finally stepped out of the building - they were yelling hungry again!! Quick solution was needed - and I spotted this bar across the road from where we were standing. "Let's get a quick bite!" I said as I held their hands and led them to the quiet looking bar. High tables and chairs dominated the front with sofas and regular tables and chairs at the back. ◾chicken skewers - they chomped on the fries more than the skewers.. so the parents finished the meat. ◾Chicken parmigiana - now this was something good! It just took a bite for the pickiest eater in the family to "ooh aah" and she continued to finish a huge chunk of the crispy yet tender fried chicken fillet topped with tomato sauce and melted cheese. I loved it too! Definitely good stuff. A little incident happened where the youngest one knocked the wine glass and spilled everything on the table and floor. We got reply like "Oh! Don't worry.. we've got a lot of these happening" and proceed to clean the mess without any fuss. To thank them, I got another glass of wine.

I'm glad we decided to walk instead of taking the tram otherwise we would have missed this little jewel in town. Just in front of the sea life aquarium! Good food, big serving, very good prices and nice self service environment! I love the family own feeling :) We sat at the comfy sofas and had fish and chips & chicken Parma. I would have tried their pizza if I wasn't too full!

Amazing food and very reasonably priced. Staff were all very friendly and the fit out of the restaurant is beautiful. Prosciutto pizza was unique with a fresh base and all fresh ingredients . Parmi was super cheesy and crispy 🤤 Highly recommend this lovely family business!

Reasonable pub food and decor, although it was quite quite and laid back on my Wednesday evening here. Food and drinks were all reasonably price and service was more than acceptable. Certainly worth a pop in for a pizza and beverage when in Melbourne.

Nice pub with some great beers! 🍻

This nice corner pub is opposite of the Melbourne Aquarium and a short distance from Crown which you can have lunch with your friends, family or kids before going to the aquarium or movie at Crown (They have a nice kid menu and for adults, the chicken Parma is a must have 🙂) It is also very convenient to travel to and from as the 35, 70, 75 and city circle tram stop is right outside if you want to travel to other part of the city.

There was a dirty ranga pube in my dim sims. Went to this pub with 3 and ordered at the same time but each persons meal came out 10mins after the other. Wings were dry, parmi was dry. But pizza was nice. Service was nice but slow

Average pub food, the prices where half decent but the portion size was not that large. There was not enough seating more of a space to drink rather than grab lunch.

Nestled between the seedy strip joints and late night kebab outlets is a pub called Insignia. It's not what you'd call charming. Very simple operation, no-frills. Just an old fashioned pub with a menu that screams "we've got a deep fryer and an oven, not much else".<br/><br/>But sometimes you need these sorts of joints. Sometimes you just need a cold beer and a quiet chat over a basic pub meal that reminds you what pub meals were like a decade ago.<br/><br/>The pizza experience was OK at best. Not bad, not great either. Price points are good, beer range acceptable.

Quick stop on the way to the football. Was quite excited for a classic pub Parma however to our dismay was quite disappointed. Lacked the great flavour that a great Pub Parma has with everything a bit on the boring side. Also the fruit tingle cocktail was overpriced for what I received. All in all disappointing stop over to the football and was left unsatisfied.

Every place is famous for something, and looks like this place is known for its Parma and Pot. Although tempting, try the seafood platter, it will not disappoint.

Fun casual inviting bar to hangout with a large group friends. Drinks and food are decently priced. I recommend their chips and 9.50$ cocktails.

I ordered a parma & my partner chicken skews <br/>Both meals were enormous and tasted amazing the parma went down a treat with a pint of furphys. The food you get for the price you pay is unbelievable, cheap great food is hard to find

This was a strange experience. A small clientele of tourists mostly. Not very busy at all, but this was a weekday night so we can't expect too much. <br/><br/>Not a hub for the young professionals and their post work drinks, take that how you will.... Me? I'm not a professional so I do like the places that aren't filled with professionals. It's hard to find those in Melbourne. But here just had a grim vibe to it, a bit up the isolated end of Flinders St. <br/><br/>Cocktails were a colourful selection and seemed to cater to the fact that this is close to King St. Perhaps on Fridays/Saturdays the King St Club Crowd come here to 'pre drink'. <br/><br/>Food standard pub garb but looked bit gross to me, the fries I had were filling and not toooo greasy but I still won't be coming back. Nothing too special here (I feel a bit mean saying this but it's just not my thing here). <br/><br/>Good for tourists due to its central location, good if you need a drink in a quiet ish place after a stressful work day and aren't fussy with your particular spirits.<br/><br/>I liked that they had a warning sign on the back of the toilet door (women's! No I was not a man taking a dump!) about dodgy batches of "LSD" (25i-NBOMe -- stay away from the nasty stuff, I have read awful reports online) floating around Melbourne currently. Applause this pub for looking out for the health of their customers, that's commendable. It did lead me to wonder who would do such drugs here, though, it's a weird enough environment as is! I don't take these drugs but maybe the King St Party Crowd will have a beer, parma and gain some knowledge on safety when they are here. <br/><br/>

Visiting the Melbourne aquarium with the family and this place conveniently across the road stopped in for some lunch.<br/>Cheap lunch specials, $13.50 for the Parma and $17 for the seafood mix.<br/>The seafood platter or whatever they called it was clearly just a frozen mix deep fried and chucked on the plate. Nothing fresh or great here, pretty disappointing really but it is what it is...<br/>The Parma was soggy and very average, but again at $13.50 it is what it is...<br/>Don't expect anything amazing here but it's cheap (for lunch anyway) and will get you by if you're starving like I was.

Love it! Cheap, tasty, great sized parma and chips! . . .

Great place, nice and quite and perfect for a drink and meal. Coming from Perth (where everything is expensive!) the $12.50 parma special was awesome!! The staff were friendly and relaxed and it was a comfortable place to have a drink. Keep it up!

It’s tight-arse week here at ParmaDaze, not a regular feature – but after a few weeks of parmas over the $25 mark it was time to dial it back a bit and find a bird that doesn’t hurt the wallet as much. I delved into my archive of suggested pubs and found an email sent to me by a reader named Jacob, who recommended we try the CBD pub near the Aquarium. I looked them up and it seemed like the perfect target. We loaded up the parma bus, grabbed a handful of church change and headed to Insignia.

Would I recommend Insignia, absolutely. I walked in with the intention of having a chicken parmy schnitzel and a cold beer to wash it down. Well firstly the service was second to none, very welcoming. The beer was great but the best part was the Chicken parmy Schnitzel, the topping was perfect, and the sauce was exceptional. I can't wait to return. Fantastic spot for a few coldies and a conversation or just sit back and watch the world go by, thanks Insignia.

Just in Melbourne for 4 days and this place is right near our hotel. The staff are friendly and happy to have a chat, food is value for money and good service and the cocktails are great. Highly recommend

Highly recommend this place! Excellent service, cheap food and beers. I had the chicken skewers with chips and salad. The chicken was well cooked and moist, chips were nice and crunchy. If you're looking for decent pub food in a chilled and friendly atmosphere then this is the place to go!

Great atmosphere, lovely bar staff, and great food. Always a good idea for a Sunday afternoon chill. Would recommend the Parma good size and so affordable.

Seafood crumbed / tempura platter. Looks and tastes mass produced frozen and deep fried to order,( note fish seemed to triangular to not be mass produced ) The salad was well over dressed to the stage it was wilting/pickled.  Saw the Parma and although good value, that and many other items on the menu people were eating looked deep fried. I may be back to try the pizza, but then again I may just move on.

Great atmosphere and lovely friendly staff. Meals are very tasty and for the cheap prices couldnt ask for more. Marinated chicken skewers were my favourite but enjoyed everything on our shared tapas plate and my Black Triumph cocktail while costing $18.50 was in a word wow! Will definitely be back.

Great food. Good beer. Great price. Nice friendly staff. Great atmosphere! Really recommend it to anyone in the area. I'm not at 140 characters yet. But now I am.

Mum and I visited on a Saturday afternoon. Both went for the Parma and it was fantastic for only $13.50. Chicken cooked to perfection and melted cheese covering the chicken and not burnt. Chips were salted just enough. Top it off with a chatty bartender. The only downside was the small menu. Definitely will be returning

I love this place. Cheap meals all day and all day drink specials. One of the best Parmas i have had in Melbourne and its massive :) <br/>The staff are friendly and polite and the room area is comfortable and inviting. You just cant get out of the couches. Amazing :)

Staff are super friendly, the atmosphere is chilled & the food is super tasty & you get value for your money. I love this place! Will definitely be making it my regular!

I drink here every weekend and always eat here, really good service, friendly and the staff are good to talk to. Cant get enough of the place.

I love coming here. Service and atmosphere are always great, and the food and drinks are delicious. 10/10 would recommend. I've never been disappointed.

Had a great chicken Parma fresh salad. Previous time I love love love the Aranchini balls with blue cheese sauce. The onion rings with Bbq sauce are real good too and the mini children bite pies are perfect finger food. Yeah great mix of cocktails and local and imported beers in a warm and friendly atmosphere make it feel like family

Came in with some friends just for a snack and a drink but ended up ordering more. Very impressed with the food. Fresh and delicious. Notably the grilled chicken. Keep up the good work Michael !

Good cheap food, great atmosphere and friendly staff what more could you want from a pub. I had the Parma decent size and value for money definitely be back.

This rating is only for the food and not the alcohol served. All the food offers and names looked good on paper, but when the food came , the chicken was under cooked and the fries were very very oily ! Maybe just a one of considering the overall reviews, but hopefully improves.

$12.50 parmigianas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Very cheap and a good size.

Great.... Food<br/>Drinks<br/>Prices<br/>Atmosphere<br/>Toilet (Almost the best place in the restaurant! Absolutely loved it, although a bit chilly on the willy)<br/>10/10 would go again.

Family with child. We stumbled across Insignia on Flinders while looking for a place with no fuss meals that wouldn't cost us a bomb. We have a 7yo who can be quite fussy. We weren't sure if kids could eat here but we were welcomed in by the security guy on the door. Not a lot on the menu but enough of a selection for us. $10.90 for a meal is awesome for families and the meals were quite large. The share plate was fantastic too. Cost us under $30 with drinks for 2 adults and 1 child!! Couldn't eat a macca's for that! Didn't impact our visit but will mention that the pub is small so probably wouldn't suit larger groups or families. The service and friendly staff are also to be commended. Glad to have found this place. Will be back next time we visit Melbourne.

Good food, not ear-destroying. I go to pubs more for eating than drinking (because now the turps tend to make me tired.) I was drawn to Insignia by their sign spruiking counter meals for $10.90, including chips and salad. I reckoned it would be crap for that price, but for under $11, I thought I'd have a go for gits 'n shiggles. I was surprised that the parma I had turned out to be pretty decent! The piece of chicken was average-sized, not one of those "bigger than your face" parmas that could double as pizza crusts. But the meat was moist, the coating had a nice crunch to it, the tomato sauce was tasty and the mozzarella was wonderfully top-browned. Insignia didn't short me on the chips, and there was enough balsamic vinaigrette on the bit of salad that it was palatable. Too many salads in Australia come off as nothing more than dry greens.<br/><br/>Insignia is the kind of place where I could see sitting around and chatting over some beers, too. It's got an open, well-lighted but homey feel, with soft couches and easy chairs to sit in (as well as your standard stools and benchtops.) Best of all, it wasn't playing music so loud that I couldn't hear anyone talk, unlike its neighbour across King Street. Don't get me wrong, I love blasting rock music, but not to the point of making everyone incommunicado.<br/><br/>The only thing that will keep me from making Insignia, or any other pub, into my local is Australian beer prices. The sleeve of some Squire ale I had cost $4.50! That's not Insignia's fault; it's the taxman's, but how can anyone here afford to get pissed in public at those rates? Which, considering what goes on at this end of King on weekend nights, is the point, eh?

I love Insignia! The service is so welcoming, you feel like your going to a friends place! And that is so hard to find! This place is a gem! You have to go!

Surprisingly tasty! Me mum .... Surprisingly tasty!<br/>Me mum n nan stopped in for a bite before the aquarium - didn't look much but it was! Great value and cooked really well and quickly<br/>We had the tapas plate for $18.50 and a bowl of wedges to make sure we had out fill (they were only $8) we had MORE than enough for 3 peeps :D <br/>great service too

I love Insignia! Unpretentious, cheap food, cold Coopers Pale Ale and friendly service. They have a small menu which to me is a good sign. They can't mess things up too much. Chicken Parma is excellent as is the Tapas Platter to share; more of a pub platter than a tapas platter.

Insignia is a great bar located at the corner of flinders street. My husband and I went there one evening and ate some of the most delicious food. The environment is great and the staff are very friendly. Now it has become a regular for my husband and I, we go there every weekend.

Great Parma's!!!!

Fantastic and friendly little bar right in the city. We went there for lunch one day and liked it so much we went back for dinner and drinks later in the evening. We ended up meeting the owner and turns out it is a family owned business and everyone that works there are family members which I thought was fantastic to see in the middle of the city in this day and age. We had some great conversations with the staff and the lovely lady that owns the place even had a drink with us. Apparently everyone, even the regular customers, call her mum lol. It's not hard to see why they do though. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who wants to go out and have a drink and/or something to eat in the city.

Lovely space, high ceilings, wood floors, eclectic seating. Settle in on a leather couch on a rainy day, order a bottle of sparkling wine and a tasting plate; we did and it was fabulous!

Cosy little Pub!. Great little bar, cosy feel, well priced cocktails and Pimms Jugs full of fruit!