Prince Alfred Hotel

At quiet times, The prince Alfred Hotel is probably quite good; The menu ranging from snacks to mains including steaks, has some great options. The interior has been done well and it’s a great pace to be. Drinks are middle of the road; not crappy and cheap, but some nice things on offer with a few stock standard crowd pleasers. There are cocktails, but not of the high-​end kind. Then during the evenings even after about 8pm, probably earlier, it gets noisy, loud, busy and packed. This is the time you wan to avoid, and just asking for the cheque or have your last drink. The outside area out the back is push and shove crush capacity more in tune with a music festival or the horrendous precinct hotel.
The crowd is definitely is that of a just out of school age and about to head into chapel street party scene crowd. or warm ups to chapel street. It gets uncomfortable quickly. It’s very difficult to remain in the premises and engage in audible conversation, or even be able hear well without it being stressed. Still, the staff have a pretty good friendly positive attitude to them, which lessens the slight club-​esque vibe of the place. Great for food however.

A beautiful renovation makes this a lovely spot for an afternoon bevvie or two after traipsing the Church St homewares stores. Décor is comforting and classy. The food and service were both fine — nothing more, nothing less.
Not a place to have one’s culinary expectations realised, but if you are simply after drinks and nibbles, and like me, you appreciate tasteful surroundings, this will be right up your alley.

As an upfront disclaimer — I can say right off the bat that I don’t frequent pubs unless I’m there to see someone. As a location to catch up with mates, this one has its pros and cons.
The beer garden is great — big open space, loads of tables and a separate bar outside. I was going to snap a photo, only it got PACKED, fast on a Saturday afternoon/​early evening. This quickly made the place unbearable to be in. Chock-​full of South Yarra orange tans, people stealing chairs and sitting at our table the second someone got up for a drink — and then quickly lighting up just to add insult.
Beer tap options aren’t bad — all the beers around around the same price ($ 7-​$ 9) which means a bad deal if you’re drinking cheap draught but not bad if you’re opting for something like a Stone & Wood.
The food was quite average but will do the job if you’ve settled in for an afternoon of bevvies.
All in all, I didn’t mind it pre-​4pm, but I absolutely loathed being here the second it got busy. But if you can get a spot here early, or if you’re the kind of person that enjoys a big crowd and a rowdy night out — you’ll be more at home here.

Beer gardens rock. And melbourne has so many great hidden ones. This is definitely one of them with lots of seating and long tables so multiple groups can share tables and, of course, an outdoor bar. There is a nice amount of sun/​shade and undercover if it rains (and it probably will you’re in melbourne).
Sundays get super busy and they have a ten dollar pizza special on. It’s no baby pizza but for someone nursing a sore head from the night before it will hit the spot. They also have sliders, chips with seriously good aioli and all of the standard pub fare. I would recommend sharing a range of these things tapas style as the pizzas are man sized and sharing is caring. The olives come pitted (what!!!) but they are actually really good.
Sundays are very family. Prior to 5pm expect to run into a large range of prams and games of chasey around the bushes. Night times are a bit quieter and if you’re into sports there are lots of spots around the front bar to watch footy/​tennis/​cricket (do they play any other sports on Aussie TV?).
The wines by glass are ok. I’m a fan of the tassie Riesling but watch what they pour you as sometimes they get it wrong… Maybe get a bottle to be on the safe side. There are many well priced interesting things to try on their wine list so get involved. And there is a tram stop right outside their door so you may as well.

A lovely reno and a massive courtyard out the back. This is sleek and very much full on a Saturday night. We did try going out the back around 11.30 on Saturday night, so some of my people could have a sneaky cigarette, but the bouncers quickly put an end to that. Being an ex local, I do like it that they are considerate of their surrounding neighbours. At least the bouncers weren’t jerks.
My very quick visit was A OK and for those that like a post drinking snack, there was a hot dog man outside when we left.
I’ll be back to try again later.

When the Prince Alfred first opened on Church Street, it was mostly business clientele and executives that came here. In other words, the ambience was quiet, refined and up market. Soon after however, word got out and with Melbournians always on the hunt for a new watering hole, the Prince Alfred grew in popularity.
These days, it is very crowded mostly on weekends and can get a little rowdy. The ambience is still quite lovely especially in the outdoor area at the back — which is actually why most people frequent the Prince Alfred to begin with. On a nice sunny day, the alfresco area is always crowded with hip, fashion conscious crowd decked in oversized sunnies and designer threads. And unless you fit into this mould, you’ll probably need to dress the part or go elsewhere. Food wise, the meals are pretty good but are rather pricey for bar food. Try the lamb shoulder, beef cheek pie and the steak