Queensberry Hotel

Queensberry Hotel is a long-running Carlton pub with a history that reaches back to 1854. The hotel began as an iron building with 14 rooms, a public bar, cellar and horse stabling, before the current building was constructed in the 1890s. Its exterior remains largely intact, and the venue retains original features alongside interior renovations completed in 1970 and 2018. Heritage controls protect the building, which has stayed on its original site despite the address changing from Madeline Street to Swanston Street.

The food centres on familiar pub fare, prepared fresh, with a menu that ranges from classic favourites to seasonal options. Named choices include fish and chips, bangers and mash, burgers, chicken parmas and porterhouse steak. Weekly specials give regulars a reason to return: Monday offers selected mains for $20, Tuesday focuses on $18 burgers, Wednesday is devoted to classic and specialty parmas, and Thursday features a $25 porterhouse steak served with chips, salad and a choice of sauces or mustards. Sundays also bring selected $20 mains. Larger groups can pre-order by email, which is useful when timing matters.

The bar programme is built around straightforward pub drinking, with weekday happy hour from 5pm to 7pm covering QB Draught, Carlton Draught, Somersby Cider, basic spirits with a mixer, house sparkling and house red or white wine. There is also a two-cocktail offer featuring Espresso Martinis, Margaritas, Raspberry Mojitos and Palomas. On Wednesday nights, the focus shifts to trivia, with four rounds and a specialty round starting at 7.30pm. Bookings are recommended for trivia and advised generally if you want to secure a table.

With its historic setting, public-bar roots, food specials and organised midweek events, Queensberry Hotel suits casual meals, after-work drinks and groups looking for an easy Carlton meeting place. It is particularly well set up for diners who enjoy traditional pub dishes and recurring weekly deals, while the trivia night adds a social reason to visit beyond the meal. The venue is currently family owned and has been associated with a long succession of licensees, including the Fagan and Clarke families, whose names remain displayed on the hotel’s exterior.