The Public Bar

The Public Bar no longer offers $1 pots of Geelong Bitter, but we still reckon there are lots of reasons to love this pub. There's just something about the soft red lights playing off peeling paint, and couches that sink to a degree that prevents escape past four pints of Carlton. It’s here you’ll discover obscure bands playing metal and swamp-funk and their even more obscure fans. The guys that own the legendary Old Bar have bought out the equally legendary pub and have returned it to its former glory as one of the city’s best places to see a huge range of up and coming live acts. Drink deals draw the backpackers from the nearby hostel, but they also have White Rabbit Ale and other grown-up brews by the bottle and a recent takeover of the kitchen by Miss Katie's Crab Shack means there's buckets of prawns and fried chicken to light up your Thursday. The toilets promise an olfactory journey like no other, but we love it. They just don’t make them like this anymore.