|
Eating, drinking and nightlife
|
|
|
The town offers a fairly good choice when it comes to eating and drinking, and there is plenty of student-influenced nightlife during term time. Entertainment facilities at the LaTrobe University campus are open to all - call 03/5444 7478 to find out what's happening. Several pubs have
bands
playing on Friday and Saturday nights, including the
Old Crown Hotel
at 238 Hargreaves St and
The Vine
at 135 King St, which also has an open-stage night on Mondays. Of the
Irish bars
in town, the Celtic-run
Brian Boru
on McIvor Road is by far the best, serving up decent Guinness and real Irish craic without the four-leaved clovers, while the
Shamrock Hotel
may not be Irish but is certainly popular for balcony drinking in the late afternoon. A young crowd congregates at the
Rifle Brigade Hotel
at 137 View St, a brewery pub with great food and beer and a wrought-iron verandah and moves on to the
Eclipse
nightclub at the corner of Hargreaves and Williams streets. Other
nightclubs
include Hargreaves Street's hipper-than-thou techno haven
The Tonic Bar
, and alt rock hangout
The Icon
at 2-4 Howard Place. Thirty-somethings might prefer
Studio 54
on Queen Street, playing three floors of mainstream pop from the last three decades.
Bazzani Bar & Ristorante , Howard Place (tel 03/5441 3777). Cosy restaurant at the end of the mall renowned state-wide for the interesting, aesthetic and downright tasty dishes on the menu. Lunch and dinner daily; licensed. Daily 11am-late. Cafe Tram , 76 Violet St (tel 03/5443 8255). Tourist nonsense with a strange appeal - forget your cynicism and chow down on fine local produce aboard Australia's first cafe tram. Bookings essential. Dinner Fri & Sat, lunch Sun, afternoon tea Sat & Sun. Colonial Bank Gallery and Mully's Cafe , 32 Pall Mall. In a grand, historic bank building from the 1880s, with an art gallery upstairs. Good breakfasts, brunches and afternoon teas. Licensed or BYO. Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun from 9am. Green Olive Delicatessen , 11 Bath Lane. Fantastically cosy Italian-run cafe with outdoor seating, serving excellent coffee and desserts as well as gourmet deli fare to go. Open daily. The Match Bar & Bakehouse , 58 Bull St. Stylish cafe-restaurant with lots of pasta, focaccia and pizza. Dinner daily, lunch daily except Sat. Shamrock Hotel Cafe , cnr Pall Mall and Williamson St. This cafe-restaurant in the lovely, refurbished former public bar serves good breakfasts (home-baked bread) and has interesting, mainly Modern Australian cuisine for lunch and dinner. Open daily.
Whirakee Restaurant and Wine Bar
, 17 View Point, at the beginning of View St, just opposite the fountain (tel 03/5441 5557). Outstanding Modern Australian cuisine, with an excellent wine list featuring local wines. Casual dining available lunchtimes and early evening. Lunch Wed-Fri, dinner Tues-Sat. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
|
Australia,
|