Melbourne Uni students drink mostly within a 1.5km radius of campus - Lygon Street, Brunswick Street Fitzroy, and the inner-CBD. The ‘best student bar’ question is really ‘cheap, easy to get into, doesn’t make you wait an hour’. This is the honest list of bars that won’t drain your weekly budget on a Wednesday and won’t kick you out for trainers.
The Lincoln: Carlton’s Local
The Lincoln Hotel on Cardigan Street, Carlton (5-minute walk from campus) is the Melbourne Uni student-and-grad pub. $10 parmas Wednesday, $9 schooners, large beer garden. Long-running uni venue, mixed undergrad and postgrad crowd. Quiet enough for conversation, busy enough for atmosphere. Dress: casual.
The Carlton: Lygon Street
The Carlton (Lygon Street) is the second-tier student pub - $9 schooners, $14 jugs Wednesday-Thursday, pub menu under $20. Outdoor courtyard, loud Friday nights. Closer to campus than the Lincoln. The crowd skews younger and rowdier.
Naked for Satan: Brunswick Street Rooftop
Naked for Satan in Fitzroy ($1 pintxos with drink purchase, happy hour 4-7pm daily) is the standard student migration target on weekends. Rooftop, panoramic city views, $14-$16 cocktails outside happy hour, $9-$10 schooners. 12-minute tram from campus (route 96 or 86). No dress code. Queues from 9pm Friday-Saturday.
The Standard: Fitzroy
The Standard Hotel on Fitzroy Street (10-minute tram + walk) is the Fitzroy local with $10 schooners and $12 cocktails outside Friday peak. Beer garden, comfort pub food, decent Sunday roasts. Dress: casual.
$10 Cocktails: Mary’s Underground
Mary’s Underground on Lonsdale Street (10-minute tram from campus) runs $10 cocktail Tuesdays. Decent cocktails, dark and noisy, runs late. Smart-casual dress. The Tuesday $10 is the deal that draws the Melbourne Uni crowd specifically.
Heartbreaker: CBD Dive
Heartbreaker on Russell Street (15-minute tram from campus) is the rock-and-cheap-drink dive bar. $9 schooners, $10 cocktails, late close 3am Friday-Saturday. Loud, dark. Music skews garage rock and grunge. No dress code.
$8-Beer Wednesdays
Several Carlton venues run student deals on Wednesdays. The Royal Derby Hotel on Brunswick Street has $8 schooners Wednesday. The Marquis of Lorne (Fitzroy) runs $8-$10 specials. The Provincial (Brunswick Street) has happy hours 5-7pm daily with $8-$10 drinks. The pattern: pre-week mid-week is the cheapest drinking window.
After-Hours Eating Pairing
Late-night pre-bar and post-bar eating: 24/7 McDonald’s Russell, Stalactites Greek on Lonsdale (open until 2am Friday-Saturday), HuTong Dumpling Bar (until 11pm), Mr Tulk Cafe inside the State Library (until 8pm), and Carlton’s many pizza-by-the-slice options open until 10-11pm.
What This Means for You
For cheap walking-distance: The Lincoln. For after-class quick beer: The Carlton. For weekend rooftop: Naked for Satan. For dates: Mary’s Underground. For the dive bar experience: Heartbreaker. Pair with the Melbourne nightlife itinerary for the wider city scene, or see cheap eats near Melbourne University for daily food.
Jack Carver covers Melbourne food, drink, and city life for MELBZ.
