Greyhound Hotel

Mietta's Eating & Drinking in Melbourne 2000

Contributors' Choice
Page 185

The Greyhound has always sat quietly opposite the St Kilda Town Hall, a traditional pub that doesn’t give away much to the constant flow of traffic outside. It has undergone a change in management style, and without altering the exterior, it’s a regular pub and more these days. But there’s no need to fear the gentrification blight that has gutted the atmosphere from so many inner-city pubs in the last decade. When you walk in, you instantly recognise those elusive qualities of the Proper Friendly Pub. There is no simultaneous turning of dozens of heads to check out who has just come through the door, just in case it’s someone fabulous who you’d just love to be in the same place as. Everyone at the Greyhound is getting on with the business of having a good time. In the front bar there are pool tables, a juke box, good levels of lighting, and what seemed like a Matador behind the bar, serving beers and kissing girls. The atmosphere is terrific. There’s a groovy little back bar that looks like it may have been the original kitchen, next to a room with a red-clothed bud-lit pool table that Elvis would covet, and a tucked away beer garden. All these spaces give the Greyhound a broad sense, allowing people to circulate before they settle in to their selected mood. There’s no cooked food - just vending machines for snacks, & 3 bands a night. The bands range from free to good value, organised by the ex-band promoter from the Espy. It may not have the view or position, but if the Espy does die, it’s spirit will live on in places like this - a busy, happening, unpretentious place that is fully in the present tense.

1 Brighton Road
St Kilda
Melways reference 58:C11
Phone: 9534 4189
Opening hours: 7 days 12 noon-1am
Licensed
Accepts credit cards
Seats Inside: 250
Favourites: House beer stubbies $3.50, pot $2.20, House wine from $2 per glass, Mixed spirit $4