Fitzroy North pubs: every corner pub, checked
Fitzroy North still has the corner pubs a nineteenth-century suburb built on its street corners. Here they are on one map, from the Lord Newry on Brunswick Street to the Terminus on Queens Parade, with the date each venue was checked shown alongside its details.
The pubs, from Brunswick Street to Queens Parade
Lord Newry Hotel
On the corner of Brunswick and Newry streets, a short walk from Edinburgh Gardens, the Newry calls itself one of the last bastions of original Fitzroy pub culture: vintage couches by the fireplaces, a street-front for sunny afternoons, a pool table and a Galaga machine.
543 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy North · Venue site · Checked 3 October 2026
Tramway Hotel
A backstreet corner pub first licensed in 1873 and revived in 2011, known for independent beers, burgers and music. Gigs are listed on ticketing sites through 2026.
165 Rae Street, Fitzroy North · Venue site · Checked 3 October 2026
Royal Oak Hotel
A Nicholson Street pub. Its own website lists it open 4pm to 11pm Monday to Thursday, midday to 12.45am Friday and Saturday, and midday to 11pm Sunday, with a dining room and function spaces.
442 Nicholson Street, Fitzroy North · Venue site · Checked 3 October 2026
North Fitzroy Arms
A footy pub with a wine list, in its own words: a front bar for a counter meal, a dining room for something more formal, and a beer garden for a knock-off drink. The building has been a pub for about 150 years.
296 Rae Street, North Fitzroy · Venue site · Checked 3 October 2026
The Empress Hotel
A light-filled corner pub at the top of Nicholson Street with a leafy beer garden, a public bar and a dining room, open seven days from midday. The footy is on the big screens in season.
714 Nicholson Street, Fitzroy North · Venue site · Checked 3 October 2026
Railway Hotel
A 1970s-flavoured neighbourhood pub run for more than 20 years by the Negrelli family and now by the Corner Group (3AW's pub of the week, 2024). Italian-leaning pub food, a vine-covered beer garden, no pokies and no TAB, and gigs announced through its newsletter.
800 Nicholson Street, Fitzroy North · Venue site · Checked 3 October 2026
Parkview Hotel
Old-world charm outside, a modern fit-out inside: the Parkview has a bistro, a sports bar and a beer garden on the corner of St Georges Road and Scotchmer Street, with craft beer on tap and traditional pub meals.
Corner St Georges Road and Scotchmer Street, Fitzroy North · Venue site · Checked 3 October 2026
The Recreation
An 1870s hotel, licensed first as the Cricketers Arms in 1868 and renamed the Recreation by the 1880s (Fitzroy Research), now a bistro built around a charcoal grill, with a bottle shop and the option to bring a special bottle. It holds one hat from the Australian Good Food Guide.
170 Queens Parade, Fitzroy North · Venue site · Checked 3 October 2026
Terminus Hotel
A large art deco pub at the Clifton Hill end of Queens Parade that says it has been part of the neighbourhood for more than 150 years. Its beer garden, rebuilt with banquettes and high tables, won an AHA award. Open seven days from 11.30am.
492 Queens Parade, Fitzroy North · Venue site · Checked 3 October 2026
Fitzroy North pubs by what you want
| If you want | Try |
|---|---|
| A beer garden in the sun | Terminus, Empress, Railway, North Fitzroy Arms, Parkview |
| The footy on a screen | North Fitzroy Arms, Empress, Parkview |
| Live music | Tramway, Railway |
| A proper dinner | The Recreation, Empress, North Fitzroy Arms |
| An old-school front bar | Lord Newry, Royal Oak |
| Independent beers | Tramway |
A walk between the pubs
Fitzroy North is small enough to walk, and its pubs sit on or near three long streets. A loop that takes in most of them starts at the Lord Newry at the top of Brunswick Street, crosses to the Tramway and the North Fitzroy Arms in the back streets around Rae Street, heads east along Alexandra Parade to Queens Parade for the Recreation and the Terminus, then comes back across the suburb to Nicholson Street for the Royal Oak, the Empress and the Railway. The Edinburgh Gardens sit in the middle, so a picnic between pubs is easy on a fine day. See our Edinburgh Gardens guide.
Old pubs with long histories
Fitzroy North grew in the second half of the nineteenth century, and its corner pubs are from that boom. The Recreation on Queens Parade was first licensed as the Cricketers Arms in 1868 and renamed by the 1880s, according to Fitzroy Research; the Tramway on Rae Street was first licensed in 1873 and revived in 2011. The Terminus says it has been part of the neighbourhood for more than 150 years. Many other corner buildings in the suburb were pubs once and are now houses, which is why you will see old hotel names painted on walls that no longer serve a beer.
Booking, kids and dogs
Most of these pubs take bookings for dinner and for groups, and some keep the front bar for walk-ins. Book ahead for a Friday dinner, a Sunday session in a beer garden in summer, or the footy finals. Children are usually welcome in dining rooms and beer gardens during the day with an adult, and many beer gardens welcome dogs on a lead, but rules vary from pub to pub: check the venue's website or ask the bar before you settle in.
When the pubs are busiest
Friday evenings, sunny weekend afternoons and footy nights are the busiest times, and finals weekends fill the footy pubs from early afternoon. Midweek evenings are quieter, and a weekday lunch in a beer garden is easy to find a table for. If you want a quiet pint and a chat, a Monday or Tuesday evening at a front bar is the time; if you want atmosphere, come on a Friday.
Getting there
Tram route 11 runs up Brunswick Street, route 96 along Nicholson Street, and route 86 along Queens Parade, so every pub here is a short walk from a tram from the city. Check the Public Transport Victoria journey planner for late services.
Common questions
What are the best pubs in Fitzroy North?
It depends what you want: beer gardens at the Terminus, the Empress, the Railway and the North Fitzroy Arms; footy at the Arms, the Empress and the Parkview; live music at the Tramway and the Railway; and an old-school front bar with a pool table at the Lord Newry.
Which Fitzroy North pubs have beer gardens?
The Terminus (its beer garden won an AHA award), the Empress, the Railway, the North Fitzroy Arms and the Parkview. See our beer garden guide.
Which pubs in Fitzroy North have live music?
The Tramway and the Railway put on gigs. For band rooms with music most nights, head south to Fitzroy: see live music in Fitzroy.
Sources
- Lord Newry Hotel
- North Fitzroy Arms
- Terminus Hotel
- The Empress Hotel
- Parkview Hotel
- Royal Oak Hotel
- Railway Hotel Fitzroy North
- 3AW, Pub of the week: Railway Hotel, Fitzroy North
- Time Out Melbourne, The Tramway Hotel
- Fitzroy Research, 162-170 Queens Parade (The Recreation)
- Fitzroy Research, 165 Rae Street (Tramway Hotel)