Where to drink on St Patrick's Day in Melbourne

One of Melbourne's premier Irish pubs, PJ O'Brien's is a top spot around town for a good time on St Patrick's Day. You'll find the walls splashed with Irish paraphernalia, suspended TV screens playing the rugby, live music, and Irish grub (expect Tayto chips, big Irish brekkies and plenty of McDonnells Curry Sauce). 

North Melbourne pub the Last Jar is a very merry place. The pints of Guinness or Kilkenny you get here are among the finest in town: yeasty and sour-sweet rather than bitter and metallic. There’s live Irish traditional music and they'll be cranking it up on St Patrick's Day from 11am. But the real draw here is the food – the beef and Guinness pie is a hearty dish that is sure to line your stomach. 

This classic pub is one of those venues that really crank up the craic on St Patrick's Day. There'll be a full Irish breakfast menu available from 8am, with live bands playing throughout the day. They serve mean beer-battered chips with McDonnells curry sauce, plus a great beef and Guinness pie if you like to eat your Guinness as well as drink it. On a normal day, though, the Irish Times Pub has a quiet atmosphere and a relaxed attitude, often with entertainment such as comedy and live bands.

By day, Buck Mulligan's is a bookshop and café. By night, the bar's Irish whiskeys get a good workout. Instead of celebrating St Paddy's Day, Buck's likes to celebrate St Paddy's month. The festivities will kick off on Wednesday, March 13 with a day of stories themed around what it feels like to be 'the odd one out'. The following night from 8pm, there'll be a choir singing Irish ballads to kick off the festivities early. And on St Paddy's Day itself, the doors will open at midday with live music from 3pm and a pop-up whiskey and Guinness bar in the courtyard. There'll be plenty of Guiness hats and all the craic you can handle. What if you miss out on the day? Well, then you can stop in on Sunday, March 24 where a live Irish music sesh will keep the good times rolling on – feel free to bring your own instrument and have a go! For more info about all the March fun at Buck's this year, check out the website.

The city’s oldest pub has a secret. Loch and Key is hidden up a rickety staircase, behind a bookcase in the Captain Melville bar. It’s a handsome space of rich timbers, mounted deer heads and a broad deck lined with salvaged coffee tables, a beaten peacock-blue sofa and deep wooden banquettes. This St Paddy's Day, the bar will be open from 6pm and slinging booze, banter, all your fave Irish tunes and loads of drinks specials all night long. Get stuck into Guinness, order a round of Jameson 'House of Shots', Boilermaker and cocktail specials or sink your teeth into housemade mini steak and guinness pies. 

If you find yourself taking a stroll down at Southbank this St Patrick's Day, make sure you head to Jackpot Bar on Crown's main gaming floor for a drinks stop. The 24-hour bar is hosting a merry arvo of cheap pints, Irish bands and all-round good cheer. Happy hours run from noon until 2pm and 4pm until 6pm, where you can get $12 pints and $10 cans, and you can catch the live entertainment from noon until 10pmish, including acts like The Wee Folk Duo, Captain Darling Trio and Tripping Upstairs Duo. If you order a Guinness (which you absolutely should), you'll even get a free reversible four-leaf clover bucket hat!

First and foremost, The Quiet Man is a good, solid, local where it’s far more about good craic than leprechaun tat. This St. Patrick’s Day, it's the place to be for a traditional Irish extravaganza that will run from 9am until late. The live music begins at 11am for when the impulse to join in a jig takes over so remember to bring your dancing shoes. On the food front, there'll be plenty of delicious eats to line your belly including hearty Irish breakfasts, traditional lunch dishes until 2 pm, and later in the night, all your chip shop faves. Best of all, entry to the event is free. Find out more info here.

Opposite Queen Victoria markets on Peel Street, the Drunken Poet is Melbourne’s cosiest little Irish bar. As for all true Éireanns, music is the soul of the Drunken Poet, here six nights a week and always free. The 2024 festivities are still TBD, but if last year is anything to go by, St Patrick's Day will bring live music from midday to 11pm. Due to the bar's diminutive size, it's best to get in early, or you'll be queuing on the street.    

A little bit of Ireland right here in the heart of Chapel Street, Bridie O'Reilly is a hub for good times and decent beers. If last year's offering is anything to go by, the pub will be serving a full Irish breakfast with a side of Guinness on St Pat's from 10am. But if you've had one too many pints, you'll want to order a plate of cheesy chips slathered in melty cheese and Irish curry sauce. You also might spot Irish stew, sausages, roast pork and other yummy specials alongside its classic pub grub dishes.