North Melbourne’s historic and expanded Central Club Hotel has reopened, reflecting publican Vincent Magrath’s quest to create what he feels is the “ultimate” pub.
The original two-storey Central Club Hotel dates back to 1869, set on a corner of Victoria Street, across from Queen Victoria Market.
Magrath sees it becoming a place where market workers hang out, and in the name of research spent two years on an epic pub crawl, visiting every pub in Melbourne.
He reports his greatest lesson from the time was that pubs are having to try a lot harder, telling Broadsheet they have to be “food focused”.
After some sleepless nights, he settled on a menu designed to please, offering pub classics and grilled steaks alongside vegan options and pasta hand-rolled onsite.
Magrath was a wine merchant in Ireland before emigrating to Melbourne, and has spent more than a decade running a wine distribution business. Aside from a “sprinkle” of Irish courtesy of the Guinness, the drinks list is entirely Australian beers, wines and spirits, including the cocktails, along with non-alcoholic options from Lyre’s.
The Aidone family owned and operated the pub since 1975, but late 2017 sold it to the Victorian branch of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF), which had plans to capitalise on the site’s height limit and redevelop upwards – while finding the right operator for the pub below.
The historical building underwent an extensive renovation and redevelopment, designed by Bayley Ward Architects, in conjunction with Revival Project, which helps developers repurpose materials. Timber and other materials became dining tables and decorations such as the wrought-iron fences featured throughout the design.
While most of the pub reopened this month, yet to come, during winter, will be the underground Depot Bar, in the old keg room. Its name is a nod to a time when the building was used as a depot for horse-drawn taxis. Recognising the passage of time, the walls will be decorated with framed newspaper clippings commemorating the Hotel’s history, and the drinks menu will focus on whiskies and classic cocktails of the Prohibition-era.
Upstairs, but beneath the ANMF’s new member accommodation, the pub also provides what are described as “micro” hotel rooms.
