The Palace Hotel (Port Melbourne) — Restaurant in Melbourne

A Perfect Christmas in July at the Palace Hotel!!

We recently celebrated our Christmas in July lunch at the Palace Hotel with a group of 17 friends, and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. From start to finish, everything was handled with care and professionalism.

We were lucky enough to have the private room upstairs all to ourselves—with no minimum spend or time limit, which was a huge plus for a large group like ours. The space was warm and welcoming, with heaters and a cozy fire going, creating the perfect festive atmosphere. We were even able to play our own Christmas background music through the Bluetooth speakers provided, which made the event feel even more personal and special. We were also able to bring in our Christmas decorations to make the room festive.

Every single staff member, from our initial enquiries to the team looking after us on the day, was fantastic. Friendly, attentive, and genuinely keen to make sure we had a great time—nothing was too much trouble.

One of the standout features was the flexibility with the food. We weren’t locked into a set menu and were free to choose from the full menu, with just a simple pre-order request a week ahead of time. This worked out perfectly and made things so much easier for our group. And the food? Absolutely delicious across the board.

We’re already looking forward to coming back. A huge thank you to everyone at the Palace Hotel for making our Christmas in July...

Went for a birthday and sat in the dog friendly beer garden - kind of a backyard with picnic tables/benches, lights, a jukebox and area for performers, no grass.

The vibe to me was ‘Hip-Grunge’, a great place for tourists, hippies, beach bums and artsies alike. Basically a chill axing venue.

Nice to see the plastic wind protectors have been updated (been a while since I’ve been but last time we’re a sad old yellowish colour).

Smokers can sit outside the venue, opposite 7 Eleven, on tables set up.

Inside the hotel you will feel cosy with plenty places to drink/eat/chat, order at the bar and take a chance at the pool table.

If drinking alcohol, it is pricey, (like everywhere), however the food portions are generous and from all accounts delicious- the recommendations are: chicken tenders, wedges, hamburger, roast of the day and fish and chips.

Staff are friendly and attentive. The Palace Hotel unassumingly understated from the outside yet worth a visit on the weekend.

*Can be confusing in gps as it borders South Melbourne and...

I am not sure if this has changed owners since the other reviews, but my experience was very much below average. Maybe they just do a killer sunday roast and i went there on the wrong day? This place feels like it is trying to be grungy but just comes across as tired and grubby. Limited tap selection, especially vs other pubs in Melbourne. The staff were rude and seemed to take their cue from the manager/owner (?) who was dressed in short, ala 1980’s footy style shorts but seemed to wear them seriously rather than as a joke 😂 We weren’t permitted to eat in the outdoor open area and were instead relegated to a courtyard that smelled strongly of dogs. Not a great place to eat. The food however was the only remotely good thing about this place. I had the pie with mash and peas. Apologies, i didn’t take a photo as it wouldn’t have done it justice - it tasted much better than it would have presented in a photo. The others in the group i was with shared my thoughts. I won’t be going back to this place - just about any pub...