Pause Bar — Restaurant in Melbourne

As a local, I visit Pause Bar pretty regularly, but I recently went in for a Wednesday night dinner in May 2025 with a group of around ten friends and had an awesome night. We sat out the back indoors, pulling a few tables together to make one long table for the group. The space is full of cosy booths and a long cushioned bench along the wall, which made it easy to settle in and get comfortable.

We kicked off the night with drinks from the bar, which has a great selection, including a bunch of fun cocktails. My partner loved the Fairy Godmother and one of our friends really enjoyed the Charlie Chaplin. The rest of the group had nothing but good things to say about the beer and wine on offer too.

For food, it’s mostly woodfired pizzas and a few bar snacks, but no complaints there, the pizzas were delicious. We shared a classic margherita and others in the group enjoyed the Hawaiian and vegetarian pizzas. The menu’s simple but solid, and perfect for a relaxed night out.

Later in the evening, we caught some live music up the front, with what looked like a lineup of local musicians jumping up to play a few songs each. There was such a variety of performers and a fun, laid back energy to the whole night. My partner and I loved the grassroots vibe, it’s great to see local music being supported and celebrated in a space like this. The venue’s covered in posters promoting community gigs and artists, which adds to the creative feel.

They’ve also got toilets upstairs and a nice outdoor area out the back that’s great for smokers or just catching up for a quiet chat. Earlier in the evening, the playlists playing indoors were spot on, the music choice really fit the venue’s energy. It’s super close to Balaclava Station and easily accessible. There’s parking on the street out front, but also plenty out the back since the venue backs onto the Coles car park.

The staff were lovely and looked after our big group really well. Whether you’re a local or just passing through, I’d definitely recommend dropping in for a drink and a slice of woodfired pizza. With its great music, chilled vibe and community spirit, Pause is a real Balaclava gem...

I dj’d at a party there recently. Had to drive back to Brunswick for a TS lead and dj without a sub after finding out the gear they hired was missing required cables to reach the sub and pa speakers. I suggest you check what gear the customer has hired and paid for prior to the event at the very least. As a proclaimed live venue, it’s also important to have a couple of TS leads lying around. It’s a bit like a bar not having a mop. The event was quite affected by this negligence. Didn’t receive any apologies, no offer to refund for the hire. Most of the gig was lost. They now claim I was late but I was to dj from 9.30pm to 1am. I arrived at 9pm. The manager claims I should have complained to him face to face, but he'd gone home. I contacted him over the phone but he said he...

I ordered a cóctel and a beer, the cóctel was $22 and beer Hawkers Pale Ale $6 o that is what the menu say before we bought it.

They charged me $40.23 en total and I just realised the day after when I checked how much I paid.

next time make sure leave the eftpos in direction of the client to pay ( to be able see how much you are charging ) and not to the employee direction.

Of course as a client make sure to check as well and ask to see the screenshot of the eftpos to avoid any confusion or wrong charges. I wait more than 10 mins to gets the drinks when we were only 10 persons in the bar but only 2 waiting to buy a drink in that moment.

The piano was very...