Melbourne Central Lion Hotel

OK, do not let the name fool you. It fooled us, and we had come with instructions, from folk that we had met in another Melbourne pub.Melbourne Central Lion Hotel is a “pub.” If there’s a “hotel,” we never found it. However, we DID find the pub.The good folk, who directed us here, gave clues, but those could easily have been confused:English pubUnder a big glass domeShot TowerTwelve blocks awaySomething “Lion”And on it went.We found the “glass dome,” and walked around it. We finally found a way in, and beheld a tall building, in the middle of a large O, with a glass dome above it.OK, the “hotel” on the info pages did confuse us a bit – we were looking for a PUB, and not a HOTEL. However, with a bit of help, we found our way to the PUB.Lovely, and looking quite a bit like an “English pub” (we are in London 2-4x per year), we had arrived – finally.Our service was very good, as was the noshing dishes. OK, the wine list was limited, but what did we expect – this was a PUB, after all.Still, we had a great stop, and enjoyed all aspects of the Melbourne Central Lion Hotel (pub).

Popped in to see Dunkirk (wow) and then take in a meal before the Geelong/Carlton game. Asked one of the young bar waiters if they were showing the AFL tonight (lots of other sports events on TVs everywhere but no AFL). She had no idea what I meant. Asked another waiter, equally uninformed. Oh dear! Anyway, since match wasn't starting for 45mins, we ordered onion rings and parma for me, lamb shanks for the good lady. Came out in good time. Onion rings were good, parma generous and heaps of chips (too many for me) and small green salad. But the lamb shanks were not good. Meat stuck to the bone, not slow cooked and juicy but somewhat dry. She worked hard to get all the meat off and the potato base was gluggy (was it reheated?). Unimpressed. Seating and atmosphere ok.

Went in mid week for dinner with colleagues. Reasonable selection of wines, had a nice merlot. Snitties were huge, mushroom sauce was very creamy. Good quality pub food. Staff were succinct but not rude.

Do not be fooled by its bar pub appearance .... We ate very well ... super friendly staff .... slightly moody but bearable with children .... I recommend ...

Surely one of Melbourne's icons when it comes down to pool/sport/pub. It has a great spacious floorplan and it is still a very popular option across the city. We came here to enjoy a footy game and some beers, the options are plenty and the bartenders are lovely. The place is very noisy, but we weren't there to talk lol. Overall, it is a good place if you are after some footy and beer, not sure for dining and talking.