3AW Pub Of The Decade
ABOVE: The Court House Hotel is 3AW's Pub Of The Decade.
REPORT: In 1999, the pub of the 90’s was The Emerald Hotel in South Melbourne. In that decade, it was twice awarded 3AW Pub of the Year status and still remains an acme pub of Melbourne. For sure, there are pubs that do more complex, “gastro pub” food but to this day, the Emerald package is straight out of the pages of Hospitality 101. Popular as ever, the Lewis’ is one of the great pub families in our state’s history.
Below is a snapshot of the pubs that I thought were the best in the year reviewed in the past decade;
2009 - Grand - Richmond
2008 - Carringbush//Station - Abbotsford//Footscray
2007 - Bouzy Rouge - Richmond
2006 - Albion - Port Melbourne
2005 - Metropolitan/Brandon - North Melbourne//Carlton
2004 - Beach Hotel - Albert Park
2003 - Court House Hotel - North Melbourne
2002 - London Tavern - Richmond
2001 - Doyle's/Vine - Mentone//Abbotsford
2000 - Royal Park - North Melbourne
This is the second time that the Pub of the Decade is handed out. In essence, I looked at;
1. Longevity over the Decade
2. Pursuit of excellence
3. Innovation - Food and Beverage, Range of Offer etc.,
4. Steadfastly remaining a pub
The 3AW Pub of the Decade is the Court House Hotel in North Melbourne.
To this day, it remains one of the outstanding success stories of Melbourne. The Court House was always considered a solid citizen but in 2002, the current owners, Bob and Scott, took their chances in what was still the unchartered waters of Nth Melbourne from a modern dining point of view.
That suburb’s transformation is remarkable.
Eight years on, their food is praised and much awarded, but the Court House is more than that. The front bar is delightfully low-lit; a subtle, warm, comfortable, look and feel on entering.
The beer in the bar is excellent; the dining room is exquisite “old world”, the food wonderful.
Suits or workers, locals or visitors, the Court House has managed to, in my opinion, be all things to all people: Something that is strived for zealously, rarely achieved.
Importantly it remains a pub.
THE 3AW-DEBORTOLI PUB OF THE DECADE – THE COURT HOUSE HOTEL, ERROL ST, NORTH MELBOURNE
3AW's Pub Of The Year
"In 2009, a total of 40 pubs were reviewed in this segment with a total
of 6 achieving 15+, while 5 fell below 13, which broadly speaking is my
mid-range mark." Read more and watch the video tour of the Pub Of The
Year. Click the image on the right.
3AW Pub Of The Week 2009
3AW Pub Of The Week is back - and better than ever - on 3AW.com.au.
Take the tour through Victoria's best and worst pubs with our expert,
Tony Leonard. Click the image of Tony Leonard on the right to read all of the reviews for 2009.
