Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: good (19) staff (14) great (14) drinks (11) nice (10) service (9) friendly (8) time (7) night (6) atmosphere (6)
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  • 5/5 Michael E. 2 years ago on Google
    I went for the Tuesday night parmigiana special and was not disappointed. Many flavour options, includes a drink and the serving size was huge! The service was lovely, Everyone was super accommodating! I was a little tied and lined up at the bar to order food (one of the staff walked over and brought me to the right counter to order food), and forgot to grab cutlery after ordering (the person who brought my food noticed I didn't have any and went and got me some after bringing my food). For my drink I ordered lift/solo but it wasn't available so the person at the bar was happy to make me a lemon lime and bitters, one of the best I've drank in a long time! Thank you everyone for being amazing 😊
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Amy E. 1 year ago on Google
    Not just another dodgy old Melbourne pub. This place has become quite a favourite for work events. Friendly staff, nice food, good atmosphere. Plenty of space inside and some outside space. Heaps of function rooms and areas to book. I haven’t ever asked, but no one ever mentions it costing a fee. Probably because our get togethers bring so many paying customers. Went there for dinner last week. I was quite happy with the food and service. You order at two different counters but that’s not too hard. The food came quick too. Plus it was happy hour. Nice to not pay so much for drinks. No doubt I’ll be back again soon.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Amber R. 5 months ago on Google • 131 reviews
    Interesting place, enjoy a pot and a parmi and a wander through an old jail, if those walls could talk. Staff are quick and friendly, food is large serve pub fare done well. Attracts a city lunch and after work crowd both tradies & business people and definitely lawyers plotting their next billable hours.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Michelle K. 1 year ago on Google
    Fantastic Venue. Beautiful Aesthetics and Amazing Sound. The Bar Tenders were Awesome .. very accommodating. Thank You 😊 The Only Fault I can mention was the cost of Beer!! Just let the customer know the price before they go ahead and pay.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Haz F. 9 months ago on Google • 580 reviews
    Wasn’t expecting a whole lot going into the RMH but was positively surprised by how good the food was for how reasonably priced it was! The staff were really friendly (in particular the bar staff)! The venue was nice and open and was clean and tidy! There is nothing I can really complain about at the Royal Melbourne Hotel! It has to be a 5 out of 5 stars from me! Well done RMH team I will be returning and I can highly recommend this place!

  • 5/5 Karina B. 1 year ago on Google
    The staff are absolutely wonderful! We went with a large group of non-English speaking adults and they were so kind and accommodating. From the register to the bar to the kitchen staff, everyone was friendly and patient. The meals were delicious and came out so quickly. Cannot praise them enough!
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Lis 6 months ago on Google • 148 reviews
    Royal Melbourne Hotel is a great place to have a drink with lunch or dinner. Built in 1889 as a police station with holding cells, it has been transformed into a fascinating gathering space. It has a unique atmosphere and feels somewhat like a haunting, gothic museum - even the toilets will leave you feeling like you’ve stepped back in time when infamous people were held behind bars!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 Travel J. 11 months ago on Google • 84 reviews
    Mixed review for dinner on Wednesday night. Ordered 3 nightly specials of Carbonara pasta, Tuscan pasta and Little Italy pizza. All very nice and free drinks were a bonus. Unfortunately the risotto ($23) from the normal menu was so salty it was barely edible. Left most of the chicken aside as it tasted unusual. Although the risotto was very disappointing, perhaps it was just a one off as the other 3 meals were lovely. Friendly staff and great atmosphere with sport playing on a massive TV screen. Impressive selection of drinks available on tap. Recommend the daily specials.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 shirin a. 5 months ago on Google • 75 reviews
    It was one of the best chicken parmi I have ever had. The food, staffs and atmosphere were all great. It is highly recommended. Chicken Parmi 5/5 Pork schnitzel 4/5
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 Karne S. 1 year ago on Google
    The food and drinks were good, staff seemed nice, however the restaurant (toilets especially) were dirty. No soap or hand sanitiser to be found for the guys bathrooms.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 manooch 8 months ago on Google
    This place use to was a jail !!! Went here for lunch and had a great time. Staffs are friendly and quick to assist, food very generous and of good quality and reasonably priced. They have wide selection of drinks.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Arif U. 1 year ago on Google
    Food is good. Worth trying them who stay near southern cross station
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Christopher W. 3 years ago on Google
    The food in this place was terrible. I’m not sure how this place managed to get this high rating at all. Perhaps it was just bad luck that night but to call the food we received Italian would be an insult to the Italian people. Italian food is mainly characterized by the high quality of the ingredients which was not the case in this place. The starters with tomato and mozzarella was nothing special. The mozzarella tasted bland and the tomatoes like water. It was not served with any elegance at all. The carpaccio was cut too thick and the meat did not feel fresh. Same with the thick pieces of sweaty Parmesan cheese. It was like the cheese had been precut and was just waiting to be served. The pasta dish did also not taste much, I took the one with the squid. The main dish was most disappointing. A bit piece of meat that was over cooked served on a hard piece of bread with some cream sauce. Chopped up root vegetables to this. No elegance at all. And the sad fact that the food even failed to feel rustic due to the bad ingredients.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 glen f. 1 year ago on Google
    Loved it! Can't wait to go back for another great feed and cold beer!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 mrsm 1 year ago on Google • 280 reviews
    Went here for lunch and had a great time. Staffs are friendly and quick to assist, food very generous and of good quality and reasonably priced. They have wide selection of drinks.

  • 3/5 George S. 7 months ago on Google • 165 reviews
    I went to the RMH with a few of my colleagues to have a few drinks and lunch before the footy. I loved the interior as soon as we walked in — I didn’t know that the building used to be a prison and they also do doofs there. I can go on and on about the interior, but just check out the photos I’ve attached. Most of us ordered Parmas, and just one of my colleagues ordered the calamari salad. The Parmas were not good! The portions were small, there was basically no sauce on top of the chicken breast, they were soggy and unpleasant. The chips had absolutely no seasoning. The “salad” was tasteless and lacked any dressing — it was just a few leaves in a small bowl. Overall, hugely disappointing and a vast contract to what I was expecting. The drinks were nice. We had a few cocktails and they were all decent — not great, but good enough. The service was very average. Again, on a couple of occasions we all looked at one another, as our server appeared to be having a bad day… The toilet cubicles weren’t clean and there was no paper, nor air dryer in the washroom — you couldn’t dry your hands in any way. Overall, a fantastic venue, but absolutely let down by the people, who work there — management, kitchen, and staff. I’d definitely go back, but for a DJ, not to have food there.

  • 4/5 Spoorthy R. 11 months ago on Google • 147 reviews
    It’s a nice big bar restaurant on the busy Bourke st. The love the ambience with lots of natural light gleaming throughout the venue. They have live sports screenings. Was not very crowded, however gets very during the weekends and evenings. Prices are nominal. Loved the martini. The only downside is their washrooms, not great.

  • 4/5 ichimitch sound d. 6 months ago on Google • 94 reviews
    Good parma. Salad needs dressing. People moving all furniture out from one of the rooms (couches etc.) and making a racket... What's that all about? No idea. Dinner and a show.

  • 2/5 Kenneth W. 3 weeks ago on Google • 11 reviews New
    Ordered the Thursday steak special. Got the steak ordered as medium rare with mushroom sauce. Steak was cooked as more medium than medium rare, and mushroom sauce was a gravy without any mushrooms. Complained to the staff who tried to say a porterhouse 250g cant be cooked medium rare throughout (middle was closer to medium rare but still not as even as you can get with a home cooked steak). They had remade it (after we asked if they could do a new one as they offered no options) and the new ones came out even more cooked than the previous steaks. On the plus side the remade ones had more mushrooms in the sauce.

  • 3/5 nathan m. 3 months ago on Google • 3 reviews New
    Pizza cold and beer warm, but the fruit flies on the table liked it. Maybe a napkin and some cutlery would have been nice too.

  • 3/5 Anika Binte K. 1 year ago on Google
    Had a office party today and the service was very disorganised. People with dietary requirements had to wait for a very long time while others were finishing their food. The stuffs seemed clueless and flustered. Some waiters were calling people by name and some by item name. It was chaotic. The saving grace was the food. It was good. Not out of the world but good. Won't recommend for big groups.

  • 3/5 Dean A. 1 year ago on Google
    Food was good but not great..chips were big let down..overall valuele for money and I guess you can't expect lot from pub..

  • 5/5 RAMP V. 1 year ago on Google
    It’s a great place if you like to hangout at a pub with your friends and talk about life. I went there to see the Screening of India vs Pakistan T20 group stage match. It was a wonderful experience. The food was just the way one loves to eat. Delicious! Fresh! Their service is up-to the mark as well. It has also got a historic connection to it. It is called Royal for a reason and, to find out what that reason is, you would have to visit it. Have a good one!

  • 5/5 Sab A. 1 year ago on Google
    Holly $#!+ The steak is out of the world. ⭐️Amazing servers with great customer service ⭐️Great drinks at the bar ⭐️Excellent ambiance ⭐️Good food and even better time with mates Royal Melbourne is officially my new favourite pub in CBD !!!

  • 5/5 michael k. 2 years ago on Google
    Really nice inside great atmosphere friendly staff great food loved it

  • 5/5 Kristina O. 1 year ago on Google
    Nice place, friendly staff and quick service all and all good spot for a good meal 😊

  • 4/5 Timinmelbourne 3 years ago on Google
    Called in here with a mate for a couple of pre dinner drinks. The service from the male french waiter was excellent. We ordered a couple of pints of 4 Pines Summer Ales. The ambience was good, and it was soo good to be able to go out to a pub again. The only suprise was the bill. $60 for four pints! Wow!

  • 3/5 Jon R. 3 years ago on Google
    Great seating. Had a work function at this place. Food wasn't very nice, but it was a quite Monday night so it might of been an off night for them. Service wasn't as welcoming as I like, but maybe they were having a bad day. Menu was really cheap, and that made me happy because I love cheap. I would give this place a second chance.

  • 4/5 Tim P. 3 years ago on Google
    Good menu. Enjoyed the squid - nicely cooked and the chips and salad that came with it were fresh. When it came time to pay the bill, a pleasant surprise was that we could pay individually. Excellent!

  • 4/5 James Lovery (. 2 years ago on Google
    Good vibe of a venue with a diverse range of nights to please everyone!

  • 4/5 The Average JOE G. 4 years ago on Google
    Nice hang out place. The food taste not bad. They have special deal for each day so make sure that you go on the right day. Not much veg choices. The price is around $15-18

  • 3/5 Brandon F. 2 years ago on Google
    The place was good. However I found they were charging random prices for the drinks even during happy hours.This happened to 3 friends of mine on the same evening but served by different staff. The food was good.

  • 5/5 Leo O. 4 months ago on Google
    This place is amazing! Modern pub out front, old jail (goal?) out back. The food is fantastic! There is a daily special (I had the Tuesday Parmy with a complimentary beer included), and on one night, I had the ribs. Everything was delicious. The service is first class, and the atmosphere is amazing. It's definitely worth a visit. Highly recommended!!!

  • 5/5 Linny m. 2 years ago on Google
    Always an awesome feed and really good weekly specials. Staff are very friendly and helpful. Beer is nice and cold. We had buffalo wings, loaded fries and a ploughman's board. All of which was delicious.

  • 3/5 Nick H. 1 month ago on Google • 2 reviews New
    Booked for 26 people for a university trip from Japan months in advance and was promised we would be seated in the cells area. I thought this would be a great cultural experience for the students who were learning about the history of Melbourne. In the end we were crammed into a side room where there was hardly enough space to move. It was also pretty cold in there as well. However, the food was fantastic and reasonably priced and the staff were funny and treated us well. The students really enjoyed it. As a teacher though I was just a bit disappointed that the students didn't get the chance to fully experience the building.


Call +61 3 9629 2400 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Payments
    • ✓️ Debit cards
    • ✓️ Credit cards
    • ✓️ NFC mobile payments
  • Offerings
    • ✓️ Beer
    • ✓️ Food
    • ✓️ Wine
    • ✓️ Alcohol
    • ✓️ Dancing
    • ✓️ Cocktails
    • ✓️ Food at bar
    • ✓️ Hard liquor
    • ✓️ Happy hour food
    • ✓️ Happy hour drinks
  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible entrance
    • ✓️ Wheelchair accessible restroom
  • Dining options
    • ✓️ Seating
  • Service options
    • ✓️ Dine-in
    • ✗ Delivery
    • ✓️ Outdoor seating

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