If you’ve moved to Melbourne from London, Manchester, Edinburgh or Bristol, Collingwood is one of the suburbs you’ll likely end up drinking in — partly because the bar density is high, partly because the room style suits the way British drinkers tend to drink: long, conversational, with screens for the football. Collingwood is indie-brewery, dive bar, post-industrial-warehouse, and Hackney or Bermondsey-adjacent for Brits who want craft beer not gastropub.
This is the practical guide to which Collingwood bars to start with as a British expat or visitor.
What Collingwood Bars Are Like
Bars in Collingwood cluster around Smith Street, Stables of Como, Yarra Bend Park on the eastern edge, and the room types vary more than people expect. You’ll find:
- Proper pubs — long bar, beer-led, sport on the screens, mains under $30. The closest analogue to a UK boozer.
- Wine bars and small bars — counter-led, food-led, wine list of 6–12 by the glass. Less obviously British but the closest equivalent to a London neighbourhood wine bar.
- Music venues with a bar — gig-pubs and dive bars where the live music is the main reason to be there.
- Cocktail bars — fewer in Collingwood than the CBD or South Yarra; more about whisky and spirit-led menus than mixology theatre.
For a British drinker, the proper pubs and the wine bars usually do the trick — the rooms are familiar and the spend is predictable.
What Brits Get Right Quickly
Three things UK expats adapt to within their first month:
- Australian beer is excellent and more interesting than people think. Per the Independent Brewers Association, Australia has 700+ independent breweries; many of the best are concentrated in Melbourne. A pint of Stomping Ground, Two Birds or Moon Dog rivals anything in Camden.
- Tipping isn’t expected. Australia’s minimum wage is much higher than the US — the bar staff are paid properly. A round-up tip is appreciated, never required.
- Standard pours and prices are different. A “schooner” is 425 ml (about 75% of a UK pint); a “pint” is 570 ml. Most Melbourne bars run pints in 570 ml glasses now, but check.
What’s Easy to Miss
What surprises Brits more than the rest:
- Cricket and AFL share screens during winter. Most pubs run AFL on the main screen and cricket on the secondary screen. Premier League is on the screens in the corner; the EPL match times are 5am or 11pm Melbourne time, so the bigger games are watched late or recorded.
- Pub kitchens close earlier. Many Collingwood kitchens close at 9pm, even on Fridays. Eat first, drink second, or you’ll be doing 10pm dumplings instead.
- Smoking is fully outdoor. No covered smoking patios; the genuine outdoor footpath is where smokers go.
Cricket and AFL on TV
If you want to watch sport on a Saturday afternoon — Premier League, Six Nations, England Test cricket — the right move in Collingwood is the bigger pubs along Smith Street. Most carry a Foxtel sport package; ask the staff what’s on which screen before you order.
According to the 2021 Census, around 10% of Victorians were born in the UK or Ireland, so the British expat community is large enough that most bigger pubs in inner Melbourne have a sense of what the UK crowd wants to watch.
Walking the Strip
Most of Collingwood’s bars cluster along Smith Street, and you can usually walk between three or four venues in 10 minutes. The Melbourne move is to start at one for a beer, walk to a second for dinner, finish at a third for a wine or a whisky.
Public transport in: tram 86 along Smith Street, tram 11 along Brunswick Street from neighbouring Fitzroy. The trams generally run until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
What This Means for You
For a British expat or visitor in Collingwood: start with the proper pubs along Smith Street, add a wine bar to the rotation for nights when you want food and conversation, and use the music venues for live gigs. Indie-brewery, dive bar, post-industrial-warehouse is the character, and Hackney or Bermondsey-adjacent for Brits who want craft beer not gastropub is the closest mental shortcut.
For more, see the British expat guide to UK vs Australian work culture and the British supermarkets in Melbourne guide.
Jack Carver writes about Melbourne’s inner suburbs for MELBZ.
Where Brits Should Drink In Collingwood
Collingwood works well for Brits because it has the right mix: proper pubs, late-night cocktail rooms, live music, casual food, walkable streets and enough density that you can change venue without booking a rideshare. Focus on Smith Street, Johnston Street, Wellington Street and the back-street warehouse bars between them.
For a familiar pub-style start, look for venues with pints, footy screens, Sunday roasts, trivia nights or beer gardens. For a more Melbourne night, move into natural wine bars, listening bars, small cocktail rooms and late-night kitchens. Collingwood is better for hopping than settling in one place, especially if you are new to Melbourne and trying to work out your local.
Data-Backed Collingwood Bar Analysis
Collingwood is not a sleepy residential suburb. The 2021 ABS Census recorded a median age of 33 in Collingwood, compared with 38 across Victoria. That matters for nightlife: the suburb skews younger, denser and more renter-heavy than the state average.
Renters make up 64.3% of occupied private dwellings in Collingwood, compared with 28.5% across Victoria. That creates the classic inner-north drinking pattern: more share houses, more apartment dwellers, more after-work meetups, and more people using bars as second living rooms. Apartments account for 68.2% of occupied dwellings in Collingwood, versus just 12.1% across Victoria, so small venues, pavement tables and compact bars suit the local housing reality.
The suburb is also unusually walkable by Australian standards. Only 18.9% of employed Collingwood residents drove to work on Census day, compared with 49.9% across Victoria. Meanwhile, 8.9% walked and 4.2% used tram or light rail, both far above the Victorian averages of 2.3% and 0.6%. For Brits used to London, Manchester or Edinburgh nights out, this is the key practical advantage: Collingwood behaves more like an urban village than a car suburb.
The British connection is real but not overwhelming. ABS data shows 4.3% of Collingwood residents were born in England, compared with 2.7% across Victoria, while English ancestry was reported by 29.9% of residents and Scottish ancestry by 10.9%. Source: ABS 2021 Census QuickStats, Collingwood (Vic.).
Best Bar Types For Brits In Collingwood
Choose a pub if you want an easy first drink, especially after work or before a gig. The best fit is a venue with tap beer, a mixed-age crowd, decent chips, sport on when needed and staff who will not rush you.
Choose a wine bar if you are meeting one or two people and want conversation. Collingwood does this especially well: small rooms, interesting Australian producers, European bottles, snacks, and a less formal feel than the CBD.
Choose a cocktail bar for date nights or when friends are visiting from the UK. Expect shorter menus, stronger design, and more local ingredients than the average British high-street cocktail chain.
Choose a live music or DJ bar when you want the night to keep moving. Collingwood links easily into Fitzroy, Abbotsford and the city, so it is a good launch point even if the final stop is elsewhere.
Step-By-Step Checklist For A Collingwood Night Out
Start near Smith Street if it is your first time. It gives you the easiest spread of pubs, casual bars, food and tram access.
Book only if you need a table for four or more. For two people, walking in early usually works better.
Have one practical anchor: dinner, a gig, trivia, sport, or a late-night kitchen. Collingwood is easier when the first stop is fixed.
Check closing times before you order your second round. Some excellent small bars close earlier than you expect midweek.
Use trams or walk. Parking is limited, and the suburb is built for short venue-to-venue moves.
Keep Fitzroy as your backup. If a Collingwood bar is full, Brunswick Street and Gertrude Street are close enough to save the night.
FAQ
Is Collingwood good for British expats?
Yes. It suits Brits who like walkable nights out, pubs with character, live music, casual food and bar-hopping rather than large clubs.
What is the best street for bars in Collingwood?
Smith Street is the easiest starting point. Johnston Street and Wellington Street are also useful, especially for smaller bars, gigs and late-night options.
Do Collingwood bars feel more like UK pubs or Melbourne bars?
Both. You can find pub-style venues with pints and sport, but the suburb’s strongest identity is Melbourne inner-north: wine bars, cocktails, music rooms and compact independent venues.
