Captain Melville — Restaurant in Melbourne

we started off with a great late afternoon in this venue and then a friend got sick so he made a point to go to the toilet so as not to make a mess in the venue, but then two really grumpy staff decided to give us quite a bit of aggression because they probably also had a difficult day at work (we got our mate who was sick out of their toilet and onto the street, but one of us had a drink in our hands. staff came by to say drinks weren't allowed on the streets and we fully noted that but we needed time to communicate across the group so that everyone knew, obviously). as I was trying to communicate to my group that drinks weren't allowed in the street, we were heading back into the venue when staff swooped in to aggressively grab drinks off their hands, before proceeding to have a smoke with their mates at another table. french staff didn't even want to allow us back in to get our stuff so that we could exit the venue (this same guy told us to "can you please move" after we ordered our first drinks at the counter) like okay... so... ermmm... what do we do? stand around awkwardly outside while our personal belongings are inside? we were trying to leave but even leaving felt forbidden.

while we fully understood responsible service of alcohol because we also work in hospitality, the level of aggression where two male staff where forcefully snatching drinks out of our hands while we were already trying to get back into the venue and off the street, and then same male staff trying to bar us entry back into the venue to take our personal belongings seemed very unnecessary.

otherwise, it was alright. until staff got very intense because a friend in our group got sick and made a mess. this place suffices as a place for a quick drink, but just don't hang out late and definitely don't have a mate feel unwell there if staff also happen to be unhappy because you'll face some...

I visited Captain Melville in early October 2025 for a History Club meet up on a Saturday afternoon. It’s located beside Aldi near Melbourne Central, making it super easy to find with trains and trams just a short walk away. I walked from Melbourne Central Station and immediately loved the venue’s exterior! It has that old world charm that’s been so beautifully preserved, and it really stands out in the middle of the city.

Inside, the space is warm and inviting. There’s a small front porch for outdoor dining, cosy booths inside, and plenty of larger tables surrounding the central bar. The building’s character flows through everything with exposed brick, wood accents, and that hint of history that gives it such a Melbourne feel. I ordered a lemon, lime and bitters, which was perfectly flavoured, and the bar and wait staff were lovely and welcoming.

Our group sat out the back in the open courtyard, which was honestly the highlight of the visit. With stone walls, climbing vines, and greenery everywhere, it felt like stepping into another world entirely. Peaceful, timeless, and far removed from the busy city streets just outside. The courtyard had long communal tables and a relaxed energy that suited our little history chat perfectly.

We didn’t order food this time, but the menu looked fantastic with pub style meals and a few modern twists, all at reasonable prices for an inner city spot. The staff were super attentive, topping up our water and checking in as more of our group arrived, which made the whole experience lovely.

Captain Melville has such a charming atmosphere and feels like one of those rare city gems where you can slow down and actually breathe for a bit. I’ll definitely be going back soon to try the food properly, but even just for drinks and conversation, it’s a gorgeous venue that captures the best of Melbourne’s heritage and...

One of favorite places and visited more frequently prior pandemic...I wanted to give better rating if only*

Cause of my previous response, our office decided to book the place and I absolutely seconded the thought and we got it through. Excited to share the same experience with my office team, we went there on 09/12/22 and we had my office team there from approx 2-4 pm......

One thing that I love the most there is the service and atmosphere, which is spot on, friendly staff, accommodate requests, absolute essence of hospitality can be seen from the time you interact with staff there.....

But the massive opportunity for improvement comes with FOOD.....in particularly Korean fried chicken burger.... Quality good, choice of ingredients good as well.... however portion control is so high that I literally was hungry after having this chicken burger along with handful of chips...... Understand the rising prices for ingredients but so has the menu items also getting dearer, which I'm okay to pay with but atleast don't have such a tight hand on size of meals that your patrons after having couple of drinks and burger with chips still go out hungry spending $50++ .

Can I please suggest the head chef and management to start acting on the feedback as the intent of this review is to see them doing better, back on the same way Pre-Covid as review of similar nature is popping up again and again , must have...