The Hawthorn Hotel

The Hawthorn Hotel is a long-running Hawthorn pub with plenty going on beyond the bar. Known locally as “The Hawka”, it offers meals, drinks, live sport, live music, DJ nights and regular events, making it a practical choice for a casual catch-up or a full afternoon and evening out in Melbourne’s inner east. The pub welcomes guests for a meal and a drink, whether you are dropping in after uni, settling in to watch a game or meeting friends for one of its weekly activities.

Food centres on familiar pub fare made with Victorian produce. The menu includes a hand-crumbed chicken parma, South Gippsland beef pie, root salad and eggplant parma, alongside shareable snacks and desserts. There are beers on tap, wine and classic cocktails, including an Espresso Martini. Regular food and event offerings listed by the venue include Sunday roast, Parma + Trivia Night and Steak Wednesdays, while weekday happy hour is available from 4pm to 6pm.

The venue’s spaces are a major part of the experience. There is an outdoor beer garden with a retractable roof, a rooftop with a large LED screen, indoor dining and function rooms, plus several deck areas. Sports fans can watch AFL, NRL, NBL, rugby, UFC and other local and international matches on the venue’s screens. For larger gatherings, the pub has 13 function spaces, ranging from semi-private areas for smaller groups to larger rooms and Level One, which includes a serviced bar, raised stage and outdoor deck.

The hotel’s history reaches back to the mid-19th century. Its site history says the original building was constructed in 1854–1855 as The Governor Hotham, while the venue also describes itself as established in 1868. It was a meeting place during Hawthorn’s early development, was renamed The Hawthorn Hotel in 2001 and became known as The Hawka among regulars. Today, its combination of traditional pub character, contemporary bar and restaurant facilities, sporting screens and adaptable event spaces suits groups planning birthdays, corporate functions, trivia nights or drinks, as well as anyone looking for a relaxed pub meal in Hawthorn.